The Yoga of Imperishable Brahmn, chapter eight, is one of the most fascinating chapters of the Bhagwad Gita. The chapter starts with Arjuna’s technical questions about Brahmn — the Self, adhyatma, Atman, karma, action, adhibuta, elements, adhidaiva, the indweller and adhiyagna, pure consciousness — and Shri Krishna explains these terms. The freedom to ask questions is the fundamental quality of a good student.A good student must have the following three qualities:The first is faith in the teacher that the teacher knows more than him. Secondly, he must have an attitude of service towards the Guru, and finally, he must have the freedom to ask questions to the preceptor.Bhagwad Gita is a discussion between Shri Krishna and Arjuna; it does not propagate blind faith. One needs to clarify, discuss, understand and then practise these ideas in one’s life.Krishna, the teacher, also gives complete freedom to Arjuna, the student. In the concluding chapter of the Bhagwad Gita, Krishna says to Arjuna,“Reflect fully on the knowledge that I have given you and act as you will.”There are no dos and don’ts in the Bhagwad Gita; the whole emphasis is on thinking, reflecting, analysing and then following one’s inner conscience.

The most popular shloka of this chapter is undoubtedly, verse number five, “He who casting off the body, goes forth thinking of me alone, at the time of death,he attains my being,there is no doubt about this.” For a bhakta, this is the best assurance given by Shri Krishna, but a thinker, enquirer may need logic behind this statement. How can one think of God at the fag end of life, if one has never thought of Him throughout one’s life? The last thought of our life would only be the culmination of how we have lived our life! The last thought of our life would be the result of all our thoughts,we entertained in this life.When we attend a wedding, a particular song gets ingrained in our head and it plays in our mind like a mantra. When you get up in the morning, the first thing that pops in your wakefulness is the song that you heard at night! Similarly,the thoughts that we invested in would be the ones which will pop up at our deathbed. This verse, therefore, teaches us that we are the makers of our own destiny — as you think, so you become. We have a chance to change the course of our life to the destination we choose through conscious thinking and determined efforts. This verse inspires one to seek the highest, think of the highest, and to reach the highest goal of life — moksha, absolute freedom.

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