FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 8.18

అవ్యక్తాద్‍ వ్యక్తయ: సర్వా: ప్రభవన్త్యహరాగమే । రాత్ర్యాగమే ప్రలీయన్తే తత్రైవావ్యక్తసంజ్ఞకే ॥ ౧౮ ॥
avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ
[avyaktaad vyaktayah sarvaah]
prabhavanty ahar-āgame
[prabhavanty ahar-aagame]
rātry-āgame pralīyante
[raatry-aagame praleeyante]
tatraivāvyakta-saṁjñake
[tatraivaavyakta-samjnake]
Word-for-word
avyaktāt — from the unmanifest vyaktayaḥ — living entities sarvāḥ — all prabhavanti — become manifest ahaḥ - āgame — at the beginning of the day rātri - āgame — at the fall of night pralīyante — are annihilated tatra — into that eva — certainly avyakta — the unmanifest saṁjñake — which is called .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ
avyaktāt
from the unmanifest
vyaktayaḥ
living entities
sarvāḥ
all
prabhavanty ahar-āgame
prabhavanti
become manifest
ahaḥ - āgame
at the beginning of the day
rātri - āgame
at the fall of night
rātry-āgame pralīyante
pralīyante
are annihilated
tatraivāvyakta-saṁjñake
tatra
into that
eva
certainly
avyakta
the unmanifest
saṁjñake
which is called .
Important Words
  • avyaktāt — from the unmanifest
    Ablative of avyakta. The cosmic state of pre-manifestation, the unmanifested condition of prakṛti during pralaya. The beings emerge 'out of' this state at Brahmā's dawn — they were already there in latent form.
  • vyaktayaḥ — living entities
    Plural of vyakti, the 'manifested one'. The same root as vyakta. The category-name for embodied beings emphasizes their manifest condition as one phase of an oscillation.
  • prabhavanti — become manifest
    Pra + bhū. The verb of coming-forth-into-being. The Sanskrit names manifestation as an active arising, even though for the beings themselves it is helplessly received.
  • ahaḥ - āgame — at the beginning of the day
    Locative — 'at the arrival of day'. Āgama is the technical word for arrival, the same root as the textual category āgama (received tradition — that which has 'come down'). At the day's coming, beings come.
  • pralīyante — are annihilated
    Pra + lī — to dissolve. Passive form: the beings are dissolved, they do not dissolve themselves. The passivity is the point — the verse names what is done to the embodied, not what they do.
  • avyakta - saṁjñake — which is called the unmanifest
    Avyakta + saṁjñā (designation) + -ka. 'In what is designated the unmanifest'. The compound names the unmanifest as a recognized category — this is technical Vedic terminology, not poetic description.
At the beginning of Brahmā’s day, all living entities become manifest from the unmanifest state, and thereafter, when the night falls, they are merged into the unmanifest again.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
18. At the coming of day, all things become manifest from the sleeping state of Brahmā, and at the approach of night they again become unmanifest.
Commentary

Those who are inferior, residing within the three planetary systems, perish day after day. Madhusūdana Sarasvatī says: the word avyakta refers to Brahmā in his sleeping state (not a total dissolution), since during the daily creation and dissolution of the universe, the elements remain intake. Then from a sleeping state (avyaktāt), through Brahmā, the places of enjoyment in the form of bodies and objects of enjoyment manifest (vyaktayā), or become suitable for use. At the coming of night, when Brahmā sleeps, everything disappears within him.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
18. At the coming of day, all things become manifest from the sleeping state of Brahmā, and at the approach of night, they again become unmanifest.
Commentary

Those who are less advanced than the above mentioned persons, the inhabitants of svarga, earth and the lower planets, will meet destruction in each day of Brahmā. [Note: The planets and inhabitants above svarga loka are not destroyed at the end of Brahmā’s day, but those below are destroyed. Those on Brahma-loka may continue until the end of Brahmā’s one hundred years.] At the commencement of Brahmā’s day, when Brahmā awakens from sleeping state (avyaktāt), all bodies, senses, objects of enjoyment, and places of enjoyment (sarvāḥ vyaktayaḥ) become manifest. At the commencement of Brahmā’s night, when it is time to sleep, they disappear within Brahmā (tatra eva), caused by his sleep (avyakta-saṁjṣake). The word avyakta in this verse does not refer to pradhāna, since this verse is speaking of the daily creation and destruction, during which time the elements like ether remain intact. [Note: Merging into the pradhāna will only take place at the end of Brahmā’s life.] Thus avyakta here refers to the sleeping state of Brahmā.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: In comparison to spiritual world, Material world is a place of repeated creation and

destruction

Material world is
Miserable and
Temporary
Because, here everyone must suffer –
Birth, Old age, disease, death (8.16)
Constant creation and annihilation (8.17 – 8.19) – ‘Bhutva Bhutva praliyate’

Focus of Learning

(a) Duration of material universe is limited

1 kalpa = 1 day of Brahma = 12 hours of Brahma = 1 night of Brahma
1 kalpa = 1,000 yuga cycles. Each cycle has the following four yugas in this order and duration:
Satya-yuga = 1,728,000 years
Treta-yuga = 1,296,000 years
Dvapara-yuga = 8,64,000 years
Kali-yuga = 4,32,000 years
One lifespan of Brahma = 100 years of Brahma = 311 trillion and 40 billion earth years
Analogy:
Brahma’s lifespan as compared to eternity is like lightning flash
Causal ocean has innumerable Brahmas like bubbles in Atlantic

(b) Brahmaloka if compared to material planets – not free from birth, disease, old-age and death

(c) Who goes to Brahmaloka – Elevated sannyasis

(d) Fate of Brahma – Because of service to the Lord, gets liberation

(e) Bhutva Bhutva praliyate – Repeated creation and destruction because of being captivated by

illusory energy – Explained as follows

Annihilation at Brahma’s night – all living entities remain compact in body of Vishnu.
Again manifest at arrival of day.
End of Brahma’s life all living entities remain unmanifest for millions of years, again to be manifest in another millennium

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION V

The only refuge from ocean of birth and death is Lord’s Supreme abode
This abode is only attainable by one who makes himself qualified to associate with the Lord
This qualification is Pure Devotional Service

LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 8.19 & TEXTS 8.20:

Krishna compares material world with spiritual nature in Texts 8.17 – 8.22

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
8.18 Ahar-agame, with the coming of day, at the time when Brahma wakes; sarvah vyaktayah, all manifested things, all things that get manifested, all creatures characterized as moving and non-moving; prabhavanti, emerge, become manifested; avyaktat, from the Unmanifested-avyakta (Unmanifested) is the state of sleep of Prajapati; from that avyakta. Similarly, ratri-agame, when night comes, at the time when Brahma sleeps; praliyante, they, all the manifested things, merge; tatra eva, in that itself; avyakta-sanjnake, which is called the Unmanifested referred to above. In order to obviate the defect of the emergence of some unmerited result and the destruction of merited results; [The following verse says that the very same multitude of beings continues in the different cycles of creation, and there-fore these two defects do not arise.] for pointing out the meaningfulness of the scriptures [For the earlier reason the scriptures do not lose their validity.] dealing with bondage and Liberation; and with a view to propounding detachment from the world on the ground that the helpless multitude of beings perishes after being born again and again under the influence of accumulated results of actions that have for their origin such evils as ignorance etc. [The five evils are: ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and clinging to life. (See P. Y. Su. 2.3)], the Lord says this:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
8.18 Thus, at the dawn of a day of Brahma, the manifest entities existing in the three worlds, possessing body, senses, objects, and places of enjoyment appear from the non-manifest (Avyakta), which is the condition of Brahma's body in that state, and at the beginning of the night they are dissolved into the condition of the unevolved (Avyakta) which forms the body of Brahma then.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
8.18 See Comment under 8.19
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
8.18 From the Unmanifested all the manifested (worlds) proceed at the coming of the 'day'; at the coming of the 'night' they dissolve verily into ï1thatï1 alone which is called the Unmanifested.
Commentary

8.18 अव्यक्तात् from the Unmanifested? व्यक्तयः the manifested? सर्वाः all? प्रभवन्ति proceed? अहरागमे at the coming of day? रात्र्यागमे at the coming of night? प्रलीयन्ते dissolve? तत्र there? एव verily? अव्यक्तसंज्ञके in that which is called the Unmanifested.Commentary When Brahma awakes? all manifestations? moving and unmoving (animate and inanimate) stream forth at the coming of the day from the Avyakta or the Unmanifested. When Brahma goes to sleep? all the manifestations merge in the Unmanifested? for the cosmic night has set in.Coming of the day Commencement of creation.Coming of the night Commencement of dissolution. (Cf.IX.7and8)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
8.18 With the coming of day all manifested things emerge from the Unmanifest and when night comes they merge in that itself which is called the Unmanifested.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
8.18 At the dawning of that day all objects in manifestation stream forth from the Unmanifest, and when evening falls they are dissolved into It again.
Related values & verses
Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 9.7 BG 8.19 BG 14.3 SB 3.11.23 SB 3.10.14 SB 12.4.5 CC Madhya 20.261 CC Ādi 5.69 CC Madhya 21.9 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.1.7Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.1
Study Q&A referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Analogy

The beings at Brahmā's dawn rise like sleepers in a vast dormitory at the ringing of a single bell — manifest at once because the bell sounded, dissolved again at the closing bell of nightfall. None of them chose either bell.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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