अर्जुन उवाच ।किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम ।अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥
arjuna uvāca |kiṃ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣottama | adhibhūtaṃ ca kiṃ proktam adhidaivaṃ kim ucyate ||
- अर्जुन · arjuna
- Arjuna
- उवाच · uvāca
- said
- किम् · kim
- what
- तत् · tat
- that
- ब्रह्म · brahma
- Brahman, the Absolute
- अध्यात्मम् · adhyātmam
- the self, the indwelling spirit
- कर्म · karma
- action
- पुरुषोत्तम · puruṣottama
- O supreme Person
- अधिभूतम् · adhibhūtam
- the material principle
- अधिदैवम् · adhidaivam
- the divine principle
“Arjuna said: What is that Brahman, what is the self, what is action, O supreme Person? And what is called the material principle, and what is called the divine principle?”
— Original plain-language translation
Arjuna picks up the terms Krishna used at the end of Chapter 7 and asks for definitions. The seven questions of these two verses set the whole agenda of Chapter 8. Note how the inquiry moves from the Absolute down to the hour of death.
— Reader's notes (original)