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Originally posted by kami

Dear TTN,

Not sure I am an "usual suspect", but may I take a stab at this?

Love Easwaran's commentary on the Gita, thank you for sharing.

The 8th chapter of the Gita is known as "Akshara Brahma Yoga", aka, "The Imperishable Brahman". In 8:3, Lord Krishna says: Brahman is imperishable. The nature of Brahman is Self-Knowledge. The creativity that springs from the being of Brahman is called "work". In 8:4, Adhibhuta is described as the presence of Brahman in perishable elements (earth, fire, water, etc), Adhidaiva the essential nature of all beings functioning through the body-mind apparatus as that particular entity, and Adhiyagnya the act of perception, experience, or feeling.

The word "sacrifice" can be loaded in the modern context. However, when the Gita was written, the main mode of worship was through what are called "yagnyas" - where a fire is built, mantras intoned, and a variety of offerings put into the fire (clarified butter, puffed rice, cooked offerings, etc etc) usually with a specific intention of propitiating a particular deity, say, Indra, for rains, Goddess Lakshmi for wealth, etc. At the end of the ritual, what is left in the fire pit is a black, fragrant remnant known as aahuti, which is then distributed as the fruit of the yagnya to all present. Yagnyas are still performed routinely exactly in this manner, but in the Vedic times, this was the primary way of prayer/worship. It is sacrifice because it is symbolic of pouring in everything into the fire - fire does not discriminate what is put in, but burns everything to the same ash. Exactly what is desirable on the spiritual path. Karma yoga is action performed in the spirit of yagnya - we put our desires and intentions into the fire of the action itself, and whatever comes of it (expected or unexpected outcome) is reverentially accepted as the aahuti. Throughout the Gita, yagnya is used as the example for many contexts, including the famous verse in the 4th chapter recited before every meal: "Brahman is the offering, the fire pit, the sacrificial fire and the aahuti; Brahman is reached by one that sees Brahman in all actions" (4:25). If you are interested, you can read the reference to yagnya in the 4th chapter, verses 25-31.

Brahman is imperishable, as we know. Brahman in the creative mode (with the maya upaadhi or attribute) constitutes Ishwara. Brahman is all-pervading, encompassing the perishable elements. The presiding deities of the mind, intellect and sense organs are known as "Devatas" or Gods - Brahman is the Adhidaivata, or the supreme devata that makes the workings of each possible. The actual act of seeing, hearing, thinking, etc are likened to yagnya or sacrifice. For example, a sound is "sacrificed" (poured) unto the (fire of the) hearing apparatus as hearing. Brahman being what makes this act of perception possible is the Adhiyagnya, the supreme sacrifice. Supreme because it is the subtlest of all "sacrifices" and what results in downstream modifications and ramifications.

Basically saying Brahman alone is real and permanent (akshara), "holding" and pervading every aspect of all the impermanent (kshara) superimpositions and modifications.

Does that make any sense?

Love.

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quote:

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Originally posted by kami
The actual act of seeing, hearing, thinking, etc are likened to yagnya or sacrifice. For example, a sound is "sacrificed" (poured) unto the (fire of the) hearing apparatus as hearing. Brahman being what makes this act of perception possible is the Adhiyagnya, the supreme sacrifice. Supreme because it is the subtlest of all "sacrifices" and what results in downstream modifications and ramifications.

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