Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 8, Verse 4
अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम्।
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर।।
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर।।
adhibhūtaṁ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaś cādhidaivatam
adhiyajño ’ham evātra dehe deha-bhṛtāṁ vara
also searched as "adhibhutam ksharo bhavah purushash chadhidaivatam"
Translation
That which exists in the physical plane is the mutable entity, and what exists in the divine plane is the Person. O best among the embodied beings, I Myself am the entity that exists in the sacrifice within this body.
Vāṇi's rendering
Behind the elements stands what perishes; behind the gods, the cosmic person; behind every offering in this body — I.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अधिभूतम्adhibhūtam | that which stands behind the elements, the physical order |
| क्षरःkṣaraḥ | perishable, wearing away |
| भावःbhāvaḥ | existence, whatever has come into being |
| पुरुषःpuruṣaḥ | the person, the indwelling one (sandhi: puruṣaś) |
| चca | and |
| अधिदैवतम्adhidaivatam | that which stands behind the gods, the shining powers |
| अधियज्ञःadhiyajñaḥ | that which stands behind every offering (sandhi: adhiyajño) |
| अहम्aham | I |
| एवeva | alone, none other |
| अत्रatra | here (sandhi: evātra) |
| देहेdehe | in the body |
| देहभृताम्deha-bhṛtām | of those who carry a body |
| वरvara | O best one |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 4 mean?
Krishna names three layers and claims the last one outright. The physical order is made of what perishes. The divine order rests on the indwelling person. And every offering made within this body reaches him — atra, right here. The body is not a barrier to Krishna; it is the place where the offering happens.
What is the meaning of adhibhutam ksharo bhavah purushash chadhidaivatam?
Adhibhūta is everything that has come into being and will go out of it. Adhidaiva is the puruṣa, the one seated within all the shining powers. Then Krishna stops describing and says aham — adhiyajña is me. The answer to the deepest question turns out to be a name, not a category.
Why does Krishna call Arjuna the best of the embodied here?
Because the verse locates everything sacred inside a body, and Arjuna has one. Deha-bhṛtām vara is not flattery. It tells him that carrying flesh is a qualification, not a defect. You do not need to leave your body to reach what this verse points at. You need to notice where you already stand.
What is adhiyajna in the Bhagavad Gita?
Adhiyajña is the one who stands behind sacrifice — who receives what is given. Krishna says plainly that this is himself, and that the altar is this body. Every act done as an offering, however small, arrives somewhere. The verse tells you the address. Nothing given here is lost in transit.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Arjuna asked seven questions; Krishna answers them in a single breath, and the last answer is one word long — I. Behind the elements: what perishes. Behind the gods: the cosmic person. Behind every offering made in this body: Krishna himself, not elsewhere, not later — atra, here. He calls Arjuna best of the embodied, and the compliment is a hinge. Being embodied is not the obstacle; the body is the altar. What you eat, the breath you are taking now, the work you will do at nine tomorrow — each is poured somewhere. Krishna is telling you who receives it.