Bhagavad Gita 8.16 आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन

Bhagavad Gita 8.16 — word by word

Explanation

All the worlds, up to and including the realm of Brahma the creator, are subject to return, O Arjuna. But one who reaches me, O son of Kunti, is not born again. Every heaven, however high, is temporary; only God is a final home.

Hindu cosmology describes many worlds of enjoyment, the heavens of the gods and even Brahmaloka, the highest. Krishna says all of them are still within time: their residents eventually return to birth. Only reaching the Lord himself ends the cycle. Shankara notes that those who reach Brahmaloka through meditation may attain liberation along with Brahma at the end of the cosmic cycle, but others return. Ramanuja takes the verse as showing the unique status of the Lord as the goal. It prepares for the cosmic time-scales of 8.17–19.

भावार्थ

हे अर्जुन, ब्रह्मलोक तक सभी लोक पुनरावृत्ति वाले हैं — वहाँ से लौटना पड़ता है; परन्तु हे कौन्तेय, मुझे प्राप्त होकर पुनर्जन्म नहीं होता। अर्थात् कोई भी लोक स्थायी नहीं है।

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