Mūla — the verse
Gita Press numberingअर्जुन उवाच
किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम।
अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते
arjuna uvācha
kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣhottama
adhibhūtaṁ cha kiṁ proktam adhidaivaṁ kim uchyate
Anuṣṭubh
Translation
Swami Gambhīrānanda · follows Śaṅkara-bhāṣyaArjuna said, O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What exists in the individual plane? What is action? What is said to exist in the physical plane? And what is said to exist in the divine plane?
हिन्दी अनुवाद — Swami Tejomayānanda
अर्जुन ने कहा -हे पुरुषोत्तम ! वह ब्रह्म क्या है अध्यात्म क्या है? तथा कर्म क्या है? और अधिभूत नाम से क्या कहा गया है? तथा अधिदैव नाम से क्या कहा जाता है,
Pronunciation — Vaamshii
from Vaamshiiअ उ
किन् तद् ब्रह्म किमध् यात् मम्
किङ् कर्म पुरुषोत् तम
अधिभू तञ्च किम् प्रोक्तम्
अधि दैवङ् किमुच् यते
॥ १ ॥
Read each split group as one breath-unit; hyphens join pādas kept whole for the meter or a compound word. Symbols: # upadhmānīya (visarga before p/ph), % jihvāmūlīya (visarga before k/kh), ऽ avagraha (an elided a). Full method →
Word by word
padārthaarjunaḥ uvāchaArjun said
kimwhat
tatthat
brahmaBrahman
kimwhat
adhyātmamthe individual soul
kimwhat
karmathe principle of karma
puruṣha-uttamaShree Krishna, the Supreme Divine Personality
adhibhūtamthe material manifestation
chaand
kimwhat
proktamis called
adhidaivamthe Lord of the celestial gods
kimwhat
uchyateis called
Themes
from The Thematic Companion to the Bhagavad GītāMeaning — Questions & Solutions
from Q&A with KnA8.1What volley of questions does Arjuna fire at the opening of canto eight?
Arjuna said, O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What exists in the individual plane? What is action? What is said to exist in the physical plane? And what is said to exist in the divine plane?
The verse itself, in Swami Gambhīrānanda's rendering, is the answer. For reasoned solutions to knotty verses, browse the Q&A index.