Sincere questions open deeper wisdom.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
अर्जुन उवाच |किं तद् ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम |अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ||८-१||
arjuna uvāca . kiṃ tad brahma kimadhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣottama . adhibhūtaṃ ca kiṃ proktamadhidaivaṃ kimucyate ||8-1||
Use this verse to start a spiritual glossary journey.
Meaning
Arjuna said: O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is adhyatma? What is karma? What is called adhibhuta, and what is called adhidaiva?
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna asks Krishna to clarify the deepest spiritual terms.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Chapter 8 begins with questions. Arjuna does not pretend to understand complex spiritual concepts. He asks directly: What is Brahman, self, karma, material existence, and divine order? This is useful for people today because many people hear spiritual words but do not know how they connect to daily life. The Gita begins this chapter by making confusion acceptable and clarity necessary.
Read the traditional commentary
Chapter 8 opens with Arjuna's questions rather than Krishna's instruction. At the close of Chapter 7, Krishna used seven mysterious terms — Brahman, adhyatma, karma, adhibhuta, adhidaiva, adhiyajna, and the moment of death. A sincere student does not let such words pass unexamined, and so Arjuna asks Krishna, the Purushottama, to define each one.
This verse models the spirit of genuine inquiry. Spiritual life is not advanced by nodding along to grand-sounding ideas; it grows when we pause and ask, 'What does this actually mean?' Arjuna's willingness to admit what he does not understand, and to seek precise knowledge, is itself a form of humility.
The questions he raises here become the architecture of the entire chapter, which Krishna will answer term by term in the verses that follow.
In daily life
Do not memorize spiritual words without understanding their meaning.
A person may hear terms like karma, self, Brahman, and maya but need simple explanations before practice.
Try this today
Write one spiritual question clearly and seek a simple answer.
I ask sincerely and receive clarity.Reflect
Which spiritual term do I use but not fully understand?
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Quick check
What does ‘अधिदैवम्’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on inquiry, in other chapters
- Verse 4.34Wisdom is earned through humility, sincere questioning, and service — approach those who have truly realized the truth.
- Verse 11.31 · ArjunaWhen the Divine shows a face beyond our understanding, the wise response is to bow and humbly ask to know.
- Verse 7.26The Infinite cannot be captured by the measuring mind — it is known only through grace and surrender, never as an object.
- Verse 13.8Genuine wisdom shows itself as humility, harmlessness, and self-mastery, not as accumulated facts.
Swipe left for 8.2 · Daily remembrance prepares the mind for final remembrance.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 8.1
Who says Bhagavad Gita 8.1, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 8.1, in Chapter 8, Aksara Brahma Yoga (Aksara Brahma Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 8.1 mean?
Arjuna said: O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is adhyatma? What is karma? What is called adhibhuta, and what is called adhidaiva? (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 8.1 for daily life?
Do not memorize spiritual words without understanding their meaning. A person may hear terms like karma, self, Brahman, and maya but need simple explanations before practice.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 8.1 mean?
किम् तत् ब्रह्म — what is that Brahman; किम् अध्यात्मम् — what is the Self (adhyatma); किम् कर्म — what is action (karma); पुरुषोत्तम — O Supreme Person; अधिभूतम् — the basis of created beings.
Where does verse 8.1 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 1 of 28 in Chapter 8, Aksara Brahma Yoga. The next verse is 8.2.