Bhagavad-gītā 8.4
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम्। अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर।।8.4।।
adhibhūtaṁ kṣharo bhāvaḥ puruṣhaśh chādhidaivatam adhiyajño ’ham evātra dehe deha-bhṛitāṁ vara
The perishable adjunct is the Adhibhuta, and the Indweller is the Adhidaivata; I alone am the Adhiyajna here in this body, O best of the embodied.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| adhibhūtam | the ever changing physical manifestation |
| kṣharaḥ | perishable |
| bhāvaḥ | nature |
| puruṣhaḥ | the cosmic personality of God, encompassing the material creation |
| cha | and |
| adhidaivatam | the Lord of the celestial gods |
| adhiyajñaḥ | the Lord of all sacrifices |
| aham | I |
| eva | certainly |
| atra | here |
| dehe | in the body |
| deha-bhṛitām | of the embodied |
| vara | O best |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through adhibhūtam (the ever changing physical manifestation), adhiyajñaḥ (the Lord of all sacrifices), and vara (O best). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to remembrance that shapes one's destination. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 8.4.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Track Arjuna’s questions and Kṛṣṇa’s answers about Brahman, action, remembrance, destination and cosmic time.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
The perishable adjunct is the Adhibhuta
- 2
the Indweller is the Adhidaivata
- 3
I alone am the Adhiyajna here in this body, O best of the embodied
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture remembrance and destination.
Link
Use the line starts: adhibhūtaṁ kṣharo / adhiyajño ’ham.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 8.4, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 8.4 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 8.4 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 8.4 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 8.4, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition