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Chapter 8 · Attaining the Supreme · 28 verses

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Liberation & destinyChapter 8 · Attaining the Supreme
8.188.20

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 8.19

Mortality, cosmic cycles and eternal destination

भूतग्राम: स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते ।

रात्र्यागमेऽवश: पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥ १९ ॥

bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ

bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate

rātry-āgame ’vaśaḥ pārtha

prabhavaty ahar-āgame

Translation

Again and again, when Brahmā’s day arrives, all living entities come into being, and with the arrival of Brahmā’s night they are helplessly annihilated.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

Beyond Repeated Birth

  1. 1Again and again, living beings appear with Brahmā’s day and are helplessly annihilated when his night comes.
  2. 2Prabhupāda explains that they receive bodies for material activities during the day and remain without bodies within Viṣṇu at night.
  3. 3Use human life for devotional service and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This leads to Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual planet, with eternal happiness and no more rebirth.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 8, Attaining the Supreme: mortality, cosmic cycles and eternal destination.

What it teaches

Theme summary

The soul's true destination is eternal.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: mokṣa, dhāma.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 8.19 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to liberation & destiny?

Practice

Reflect on what you want to remember at life's end.

4

The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 8 ›
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Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 8.16Mortality, cosmic cycles and eternal destinationBG 8.17Mortality, cosmic cycles and eternal destination

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

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Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.