Q & A for Chapter 8 of BG – Attaining the Supreme

8.1
Q.1 How is Supreme Absolute Truth is explained in
Srimad-Bhagavatam?
A. Supreme Absolute Truth is explained as Brahman,
Paramatma and Bhagavan.

Q.2. How is Atma referred to in Vedic dictionary?

A. Atma is referred to mind, soul, body and senses also.

8.2
Q.1. Who is the chief of the primal demigods and who is
the chief of the administrative demigods?
A. Visnu is the chief of the primal demigods including
Brahma and Siva, and Indira is the chief of the
administrative demigods.

Q.2. Why does Arjuna refers Lord Krsna as

Madhusudana?
A. Arjuna refers to Lord Krsna as Madhusudana
because Krsna once killed a demon named Madhu.
Also, as Krsna is expert in killing demons, Arjuna
addresses him as Madhusudana so that Krsna might kill
the demonic doubts arising in him.
Q.3. What does the term “prayana-kale” indicates and
why is it significant?
A. The term denotes “at the time of death” and it is
significant because whatever we do will be tested at the
time of death.
Q.4. What is Arjuna anxious to know from Krsna?
A. Arjuna is anxious to know from Krsna what should be
the position of people, who are constantly engaged in
Krsna consciousness, at their final moment.
8.3
Q.5. What is the eternal nature of Brahman called?
A. Adhyatma – the self.
Q.6. What is Karma?
A. Action pertaining to the development of the material
bodies of the living entities is called Karma or Fruitive
activities.
Q.7. What is beyond Brahman?
A. Parabrahman(The Supreme Personality of Godhead)
Q.8. What does Brahman and Parabrahman refers to?
A. Brahman refers to the living entity and Parabrahman
refers to the Supreme Personality of the Godhead.
Q.9. What is living entity called in Vedic literature?
A. Jivatma.
Q.10. Why is Jivatma – living entity called Supreme
Lord’s “marginal” energy?
A. The jivatma takes different position – sometimes
merging into dark material nature and identifying himself
with matter and at other times identifies himself with the
superior nature. Hence Jivatma is called so.
Q.11. What is the process of Karma?
A. To attain material heavenly planets and enjoy their
facilities, the living entity sometimes performs sacrifices
– yajna but when his merit is exhausted, he returns to
earth again in the form of a man. This is the process of
karma.
Q.12. What are the 5 kinds of fire and what are the 5
kinds of sacrificial offerings?
A. The 5 kinds of fire are conceived of as the heavenly
planets, clouds, the earth, man and woman and the 5
kinds of sacrificial offerings are faith, the enjoyer on the
moon, rain, grains and semen.

8.4
Q. 13. What is called Adhibhuta, Adhidaivata and
Adhiyajna?
A. The best of embodied being – the physical nature
which is constantly changing is called Adhibhuta – the
material manifestation.
The Universal form of the Lord which includes all
demigods, like those of the sun and moon is called
Adhidaivata
The Supreme Lord, represented as the Supersoul in the
heart of every embodied being is called Adhiyajna.
Q.14. Describe the 6 stages the material bodies pass
through?
A. 1. They are born, 2. they grow, 3. they remain for
some duration, 4. They produce some by products, 5.
They dwindle and 6. They vanish.

8.5.
Q.15. Who is at once transferred to the transcendental
nature of the Supreme Lord?
A. Anyone who quits his body in Krsna consciousness is
at once transferred to the transcendental nature of the
Supreme Lord.
Q.16. What is the maha mantra one should constantly
chant?
A. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
8.6.
Q.17. How is it possible for one to remember Krsna at
the end of one’s life?
A. If in one’s present life one lives in the mode of
goodness and always thinks of Krsna, it is possible for
one to remember Krsna at the end of one’s life.
Q.18. When will one’s next body will be transcendental –
spiritual and not material?
A. If one is transcendentally absorbed in Krsna’s
service, then this becomes possible.
Q.19. What is the best process for successfully
changing one’s state of being at the end of one’s life?
A. The best process is to keep chanting Hare Krsna,
Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

8.7.
Q.20. What will free one from material contamination
and engage the mind and intelligence in Krsna?
A. Even while doing his prescribed duties or
engagements, if one think of Krsna by chanting Hare
Krsna, then that will free him from material
contamination and engage the mind and intelligence in
Krsna.

Q.21. Where one will be transferred to by chanting

Krsna’s names?
A. By chanting Krsna’s name, one will be transferred to
the supreme planet, Krsnaloka, without a doubt.

8.8
Q.22. How is one’s memory of Krsna revived?
A. By constantly chanting the maha-manta, “Hare
Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare
Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”
Q.23. Why is it necessary to engage the mind by force
to think of Krsna?
A. The mind is fickle. So, it is necessary.

8.9
Q.24. Why is the Lord called smaller than the smallest?
A. The living entity is one ten-thousandth part of the tip
of a hair but the Lord is so inconceivably small that HE
enters into the heart of this particle. So, The Lord is
called smaller than the smallest.
Q.25. What does the word acintya denotes and why
God’s energy is called acintya?
A. The word acintya denotes “inconceivable”
God’s energy is beyond our conception, beyond our
thinking jurisdiction and is therefore called acintya –
inconceivable.

8.10.
Q. 26. Who will attain to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead?
A. One who at the time of death, fixes his life air
between the eyebrows and, by the strength of, with an
undeviating mind, engages himself in remembering the
Supreme Lord in full devotion, will certainly attain to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.

8.11
Q. 27. What does Lord Sri Krsna recommend to
Arjuna?
A. Lord Sr Krsna recommend to Arjuna the practice of
sat-cakra-yoga in which one places the air of life
between the eyebrows.
Q.28. What has Lord Caitanya announced for this age of
Kali?
A. Lord Caitanya has announced that in this age of Kali,
no process of realizing the Supreme is possible except
through the chanting of the holy names of Lord Krsna:
Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna,Krsna Krsna , Hare Hare/
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.
8.12
Q.29. Which practice is called pratyahara?
A. To practice Yoga one has to close the doors of all
sense enjoyment. This practice is called pratyahara or
withdrawing the senses from the sense objects.
Q.30. How is it possible for one to remain in samadhi?
A. If one is always able to fix his mind on Krsna in
devotional service, it is very easily possible for him to
remain in an undisturbed transcendental trance or in
samadhi.
8.13.
Q.31. What is the impersonal sound Krsna?
A. The impersonal sound of Krsna is “om”.
Q.32. What chanting is recommended for this age?
A. The chanting of the Hare Krishna mahamantra is
recommended for this age.
Q.33. Which planet do devotees of Krsna enter and
where do the impersonalists remain?
A. The devotees of Krsna enter the Krsna planet,
Goloka Vrndavana and the impersonalists remain in
the
Brahmajyoti.
8.14
Q.34. What are the 4 different kinds of devotees
mentioned?
A. The distressed, the inquisitive, those who seek
material gain and the speculative philosophers.
Q.35. What are the different processes of liberation
described?
A. They are: Karma-yoga, jnana-yoga and hatha-yoga.
Q.36. What does the word ananya-cetah denote in pure
bhakti-yoga?
A. Ananya-cetah denotes - without deviation of mind,
whereby the devotee desires nothing but Krsna.
Q.37. What did Sri Advaita tell Lord Caitanya?
A. Sri Advaita told Lord Caitanya “Where You are, O
Lord – there is Vrndavana”.
Q.38. Which system the Gita recommends above all
others?
A. Bhakti-yoga is the system that the Gita recommends
above all others.
Q.39. What are the 5 different ways the bhakti-yogis
are engaged in?
A. Santa-bhakta: engaged in devotional service in
neutrality,
Dasya-bhakta: engaged in devotional service as
servant,
Sakhya-bhakta: engaged as friend,
Vatsalya-bhakta: engaged as parent,
Madhurya-bhakta: engaged as conjugal lover of the
Supreme Lord.
8.15.
[Link] is the highest perfection of life?
A. The highest perfection of life is wanting only Krsna
and Krsna’s association and nothing else.
8.16.
Q.41. What is the practice of sacrifice recommended in
the Chandogya Upanisad called and what does it
enable?
A. It is called pancagni-vidhya and it enables one to
achieve Brahmaloka.
Q.42. What happens if one does not cultivate Krsna
consciousness while on Brahmaloka?
A. He has to return to earth planet and does not return
back home,Back to Godhead.
8.17.
Q.43. What is a Kalpa?
A. Kalpa is a day of Brahma and one day of Brahma
consists of a thousand cycles of four yugas or ages:
Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali.
Q.44. Which is the highest planet in the material
universe?
A. Brahmaloka.
8.19.
Q.45. What does the term Bhutva Bhutva praliyate
denote?
A. During the day becoming manifest, and at night get
annihilated again.
8.20.
Q. 46. What is transcendental and eternal?
A. Krsna’s superior, spiritual energy is transcendental
and eternal.
8.21.
Q.47. How is the Supreme abode of the Personality of
Godhead, Krsna described as in the Brahma-samhita?
A. Cintamini-dhama, a place where all desires are
fulfilled.

8.22
Q.48. what does Yasyantah-sthani mean?
A. It means that everything is sustained within Lord,
within either His spiritual or material energy. The Lord is
all- pervading by these two energies.

8.28.
Q. 49. What is the beauty of Krsna Consciousness?
A. The beauty of Krsna consciousness is that by one
stroke, by engaging in devotional service, one can
surpass all the rituals of the different orders of life.

Q.50. How should one learn Bhagavad-gita?

A. One should learn Bhagavad-gita from a devotee of
Krsna.