Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 8
भगवद् गीता अध्याय 8 श्लोक 8

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना।
परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन्।।8.8।।



English Translation - Swami Gambirananda
8.8 O son of Prtha, by meditating with a mind which is engaged in the yoga of practice and which does not stray away to anything else, one reaches the supreme Person existing in the effulgent region.


English Translation - Swami Sivananda
8.8 With the mind not moving towards any other thing, made steadfast by the method of habitual meditation, and constantly meditating, one goes to the Supreme Person, the Resplendent, O Arjuna.


English Translation - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
8.8. He, who is engaged in the after-reflection (who meditates) on the Supreme Divine Soul with his mind, remaining fixed in the practice-Yoga and [hence] passing over no other object - that person attains [that Supreme], O son of Prtha !


English Commentary  - Swami Sivananda
8.8 अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन (with the mind made) steadfast by the method of habitual meditation? चेतसा with the mind? न not? अन्यगामिना moving towards any other thing? परमम् Supreme? पुरुषम् Purusha? दिव्यम् the resplendent? याति goes? पार्थ O Partha? अनुचिन्तयन् meditating.Commentary Abhyasa means practice. Practice is the constant repetition of one idea of God. In the practice of meditation Vijatiya Vrittis (worldly thoughts or thoughts of a type different from the object of meditation) are shut out and there is Sajatiya Vrittipravaha (continous flow of thoughts of the Self or the Absolute alone). This is Abhyasa. Abhyasa is Yoga. This will terminate in Nirvikalpa Samadhi. The Yogi with Samahita Chitta (eanimity of mind) attains Paramatman or the Supreme Soul. Just as the rivers abandoning their names and forms because one with the ocean? so also the sage or the Vidvan? being liberated from names and forms? and virtue and vice? becomes identical with the Supreme Self.The most vital factor in this practice is regularity. Be regular in your meditation. You will soon reach the goal.Purusham Divyam The resplendent? transcendental Being or the Inner Ruler (Antaryamin) in the solar orb.He who meditates constantly without allowing the mind to wander among the sensual objects? in accordance with the instructions of the scriptures and the perceptor reaches the Supreme Purusha.


English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's
8.8 Partha, O son of Prtha; anu-cintayan, by meditating, i.e. contemplating in accordance with (anu) the instruction of teachers and scriptures; cestasa, with a mind; abhyasa-yogayuktena, engaged in the yoga of practice-abhyasa, practice, consists in the repetition of the same kind of thought, uninterupted by any contrary idea, with regard to Me who am the object of concentration of the mind; that practice itself is yoga; the mind of a yogi is engrossed (yuktam) in that itself; with a mind that is such, and na anya-gamina, which does not stray away to anything else which is not inclined to go away to any other object; yati, one reaches; the paramam, supreme, unsurpassed; purusam, Person; divyam, existing in the effulgent region (divi), in the Solar Orb.
And, to what kind of a Person does he go? This is being stated:


English Translation of Commentary  - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
8.8 Abhyasa-etc.,  He, who is engaged in the after-reflection :  he who reflects on the Bhagavat after the pain created by the body has ended following  the break of [his connection with] the body.


English Translation of Ramanuja's Sanskrit Commentary
8.8 Contemplating on Me, the Supreme Divine Person, in the way to be specified further, at the last moment, with a mind trained by constant practice and Yoga, and not moving towards anything else, one reaches Me alone, i.e., attains a form similar to that of Mine, by virtue of the attributes of enjoyment and the prosperity contemplated upon, like the royal sage Bharata who acired the form of a deer on account of contemplating on it at the last moment. Abhyasa is the training of the mind to be often in touch with the object of meditation at all times without obstruction to the performance of the prescribed periodical and occasional rituals. Yoga is the meditation practised day by day at the time of Yoga practice in the manner prescribed.


Commentary  - Chakravarthi Ji
Therefore, that person who practices remembrance of me will naturally remember me at the time of death. By that, he will attain me. Therefore, remembering me by the mind is the highest yoga. That is expressed in this verse. Abhyasa means to repeatedly remember me. The mind should be engaged in this method (yoga) of repetition of remembering me, without wandering to other objects of remembrance. By this practice one will conquer of the nature of the mind.


Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

The method  of  practice  that  is  the  direct  means  to  ensure  constant
remembrance is being revealed with the words  cetasa  nanya  gamina  meaning
with an undeviating mind. This method means ones  thoughts  finely  focused
on one thing. That in itself is the meditated state of yoga or  the  science
of the  individual  consciousness  attaining  communion  with  the  ultimate
consciousness. To the mind that has become habituated to this  yoga  and  is
fixed and concentrated on the divine and  resplendent,  ultimate  being  and
reality the Supreme Lord Krishna, never  deviating  their  consciousness  to
anything else attains Him excluisvely.


Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary




In this verse Lord Krishna reveals the methodology  of  remaining  fixed  in
the divine, transcendental nature. The words abhyasa  yoga  yuktena  meaning
engagement in yoga,  is  what  leads  to  purity  of  mind  and  equanimity.
Therefore it is  practically  the  practice  of  eqanimity.  The  Purusa  or
supreme being is divine and  dwells within the puri or  city  of  the  human
body with nine gates being two eyes, two ears two nostrils, one mouth  etc.,
in entirety. The Purusa is never enveloped by anything internally not is  He
ever enveloped by anything externally. The  word  divyam  means  divine  and
denotes reveling in all species of creation  along  with  their  activities.
The word divyam indicates this having for its root the word div which  means
to revel.


Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

By the daily practice of regulated meditation the  mind  becomes  fixed  and
does not wander or meander away from the point of  focused  attention.  With
the mind so habituated and properly trained in meditation, the Supreme  Lord
Krishna is to be fixed in ones mind as the final thought  at  the  time  of
death up to and including the last moment. So thinking of the  Supreme  Lord
at such a crucial moment as death is the pivotal point  in  human  existence
for one can thus attain Him in the spiritual worlds. This will be  explained
in more detail in the next two verses.

It should be clearly understood that by thought alone one achieves  whatever
one desires, whether it is the Supreme Lord or dominion over the  worlds  or
great fortune, etc. Whereas Jada Bharata left the human species  and  became
an animal due to reflecting upon the welfare of a  deer;  a  person  by  the
power of their meditation will be born  with  qualities  comparable  to  the
Supreme Lord by meditating upon  Him  at  the  moment  of  death.  The  word
abhyasa is the habituating and training of the mind  to  meditate  upon  the
focused object of attention in a  regulated  manner.  Whereas  yoga  or  the
science  of  the  individual  consciousness  attaining  communion  with  the
ultimate consciousness is a mode of meditation  with  fixed  procedures  and
fixed times everyday abhyasa is a mode of meditation beyond the times  ones
set  aside  for  regular  daily  and  special  occasions;  abhyasa  mode  of
meditation is more of a continuous phenomena in all activities of life.


Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary
By the daily practice of regulated meditation the  mind  becomes  fixed  and
does not wander or meander away from the point of  focused  attention.  With
the mind so habituated and properly trained in meditation, the Supreme  Lord
Krishna is to be fixed in ones mind as the final thought  at  the  time  of
death up to and including the last moment. So thinking of the  Supreme  Lord
at such a crucial moment as death is the pivotal point  in  human  existence
for one can thus attain Him in the spiritual worlds. This will be  explained
in more detail in the next two verses.

It should be clearly understood that by thought alone one achieves  whatever
one desires, whether it is the Supreme Lord or dominion over the  worlds  or
great fortune, etc. Whereas Jada Bharata left the human species  and  became
an animal due to reflecting upon the welfare of a  deer;  a  person  by  the
power of their meditation will be born  with  qualities  comparable  to  the
Supreme Lord by meditating upon  Him  at  the  moment  of  death.  The  word
abhyasa is the habituating and training of the mind  to  meditate  upon  the
focused object of attention in a  regulated  manner.  Whereas  yoga  or  the
science  of  the  individual  consciousness  attaining  communion  with  the
ultimate consciousness is a mode of meditation  with  fixed  procedures  and
fixed times everyday abhyasa is a mode of meditation beyond the times  ones
set  aside  for  regular  daily  and  special  occasions;  abhyasa  mode  of
meditation is more of a continuous phenomena in all activities of life.


Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 8.8Abhyaasayogayuktena chetasaa naanyagaaminaa;
Paramam purusham divyam yaati paarthaanuchintayan.


Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 8.8abhyāsa-yoga—by practice of yog; yuktena—being constantly engaged in remembrance; chetasā—by the mind; na anya-gāminā—without deviating; paramam puruṣham—the Supreme Divine Personality; divyam—divine; yāti—one attains; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; anuchintayan—constant remembrance