FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 8.19

భూతగ్రామ: స ఏవాయం భూత్వా భూత్వా ప్రలీయతే । రాత్ర్యాగమేఽవశ: పార్థ ప్రభవత్యహరాగమే ॥ ౧౯ ॥
bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ
[bhoota-graamah sa evaayam]
bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
[bhootvaa bhootvaa praleeyate]
rātry-āgame ’vaśaḥ pārtha
[raatry-aagame ’vashah paartha]
prabhavaty ahar-āgame
[prabhavaty ahar-aagame]
Word-for-word
bhūta - grāmaḥ — the aggregate of all living entities saḥ — these eva — certainly ayam — this bhūtvā bhūtvā — repeatedly taking birth pralīyate — is annihilated rātri — of night āgame — on the arrival avaśaḥ — automatically pārtha — O son of Pṛthā prabhavati — is manifest ahaḥ — of daytime āgame — on the arrival .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ
bhūta - grāmaḥ
the aggregate of all living entities
saḥ
these
eva
certainly
ayam
this
bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
bhūtvā bhūtvā
repeatedly taking birth
pralīyate
is annihilated
rātry-āgame ’vaśaḥ pārtha
rātri
of night
āgame
on the arrival
prabhavaty ahar-āgame
avaśaḥ
automatically
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
prabhavati
is manifest
ahaḥ
of daytime
āgame
on the arrival .
Important Words
  • bhūta - grāmaḥ — the aggregate of all living entities
    Bhūta (being) + grāma (village). The 'village' of beings. A communal image for what could have been named as a mere collection — the Sanskrit treats all embodied entities as a single social aggregate, manifesting and dissolving together.
  • bhūtvā bhūtvā — repeatedly taking birth
    Doubled absolutive of bhū — 'having-become, having-become'. The grammar performs the repetition the verse names. Reduplication in Sanskrit always signals iteration, intensity, or distribution — here it signals the unwearying repetition of cosmic birthings.
  • pralīyate — is annihilated
    Pra + lī, passive. 'Is dissolved'. The singular subject (bhūta-grāmaḥ) takes the passive verb — the aggregate is dissolved, not dissolving itself. The grammar registers the cosmic helplessness.
  • avaśaḥ — automatically
    A (not) + vaśa (will). 'Without will, against will, helplessly'. The hinge word of the verse and arguably of the whole pralaya teaching. The beings have no choice in either their manifestation or their dissolution — Kṛṣṇa names the central indignity of saṁsāra in one word.
  • pārtha — O son of Pṛthā
    Vocative. Kṛṣṇa is calling Arjuna by his mother's name precisely at a verse about being helpless in the cycle of rebirth — gently signaling that this concerns him personally, not just as cosmology.
  • ahaḥ - āgame — on the arrival of daytime
    Same compound as in 8.18 — āgama, the arrival. The day comes and the beings come with it; the night comes and they go with it. Beings ride the diurnal cosmic rhythm without authoring any of its terms.
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.
Purport

The less intelligent, who try to remain within this material world, may be elevated to higher planets and then again must come down to this planet earth. During the daytime of Brahmā they can exhibit their activities on higher and lower planets within this material world, but at the coming of Brahmā’s night they are all annihilated. In the day they receive various bodies for material activities, and at night they no longer have bodies but remain compact in the body of Viṣṇu. Then again they are manifest at the arrival of Brahmā’s day. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate: during the day they become manifest, and at night they are annihilated again. Ultimately, when Brahmā’s life is finished, they are all annihilated and remain unmanifest for millions and millions of years. And when Brahmā is born again in another millennium they are again manifest. In this way they are captivated by the spell of the material world. But those intelligent persons who take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness use the human life fully in the devotional service of the Lord, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Thus they transfer themselves, even in this life, to the spiritual planet of Kṛṣṇa and become eternally blissful there, not being subject to such rebirths.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
19. In this way all the moving and non-moving entities, having appeared, disappear at the coming of night, beyond their control, and reappear at the approach of day.
Commentary

Thus, all the moving and non-moving living entities (bhūtā-grāmaḥ), after appearing, repeated disappear.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
19. In this way all the moving and non-moving entities, having appeared, disappear at the coming of night, and reappear at the approach of day, under control of karma.
Commentary

But if they all disappear, they may not appear again. This fear arises from the logic that once being destroyed a thing will not manifest again. This verse refutes that idea. All moving and non-moving beings under the control of their karmas (avaśaḥ) appear at the commencement of the day. The meaning here is that the intelligent person will become detached from this world, understanding that the world is disturbed by such a flow of birth and death.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

This is explained to us to break our attachments to the material world and the temporary things within it. From the highest planets of this material world (Brahmaloka) to the lowest, they are all places of misery, because of this fact: created, destroyed, created, deatroyed,... on and on. And each and every destruction rips from us, everyone of our material attachments. Birth and death, birth and death, repeatedly. Krsna kindly gives us this perspective to awaken within us a desire for material renunciation and material detachment, knowing that there is no proper situation within this material world, for the eternal soul. Srila Prabhupada says in his Purport: "Ultimately, when Brahma's life is finished, they are all annihilated and remain unmanifest for millions and millions of years. And when Brahma is born again in another millennium they are again manifest. In this way they are captivated by the spell of the material world. But those intelligent persons who take to Krsna consciousness use the human life fully in the devotional service of the Lord, chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Thus they transfer themselves, even in this life, to the spiritual planet of Krsna and become eternally blissful there, not being subject to rebirths." After hearing about this continuously, unavoidable creations and anihilations, Krsna says,

[ 2 . Beyond the manifest and unmanifest nature of the material world is the supreme spiritual abode which is eternal, transcendental, and infallible. Once having gone there, one never returns. Although the Lord is all pervading, He is present in that abode and attainable by unalloyed devotion. (20‑22) ]

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
8.19 O son of Prtha, bhutva, after being born again and again at the approach of day; sah eva, that very-not any other; bhutagramah, multitude of beings, consisting of the moving and the non-moving objects that existed in the earlier cycle of creation; praliyate, disappears repeatedly; avasah, in spinte of itself, [For they are impelled by their own defects] without any independence whatever; ratri-agame, at the approach of night, at the close of the day. Prabhavati, it comes to life, verily in spite of itself; ahar-agame, at the approach of day. The means for the attainment of that Immutable which was introduced has been pointed out in, 'He who departs by leaving the body while uttering the single syllable, viz Om, which is Brahman, ' etc. (13). Now, with a vies to indicating the real nature of that very Immutable, this is being said-that It is to be reached through this path of yoga:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
8.19 The same multitude of beings, controlled by Karma, evolves again and again, undergoing dissolution at the coming of night. Again at the coming of the day it comes forth. Similarly, at the end of the life span of Brahma which consists of a hundred years of three hundred and sixty days each, each Brahma-day being a thousand Caturyugas, all the worlds including that of Brahma and Brahma himself dissolve into Me in accordance with the order thus described in the Srutis: 'The earth is dissolved into the waters, the waters are dissolved into light' etc., (Su. U., 2). The process of involution ends, after passing through all the other stages of dissolution, with the Avyakta, Akasa and Tamas. Therefore, for every other entity except Myself, origination and annihilation are unavoidable. So for those who seek Aisvarya (prosperity and power) birth and dissolution according to the above mentioned time arrangement are unavoidable. But in the case of those who attain to Me, there is no return again to Samsara. [The immense duration of time, according to ancient thinkers, is as follows: Catur-yuga, or a unit of the four yugas of Krta, Treta, Dvapara and Kali, has a cumulative duration of 4,320,000 human years. A thousand such periods constitute a day time of Brahma and a similar period his night. Periodic creation and dissolution of the universe take place in these two periods respectively. One year of Brahma consists of 360 such diurnal period. A Brahma has a life-span of 100 such years - i.e., 311, 040, 000,000,000 human years. At the end of it, there is a Mahapralaya, and a new Brahma comes into being. Time thus goes on endlessly]. Now Sri Krsna teaches that there is no return to Samsara even for those who have attained Kaivalya (isolation of the self).
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
8.17-19 Sahasra-etc., upto aharagama. Those who could see afar (great seers), see [actually] the night and day even in the case of Brahma as being marked [respectively] by the destruction and creation [of the world]. Accordingly, having risen from sleep, the same [Selves] continue their own respective activities every day; they theyselves, putting an end to their activities every night, remain exclusively in the form of Energy [of the Absolute]. In this manner they come to be again and again at the time of creation and of dissolution. No new, but only the self-same personal Souls are let loose. Their mutual difference in the form of the idea of the long and short lives is based only on the concept of time. This delimitation is unavoidable even in the case of the Prajapatis. Hence it is established that they too are cetainly of the nature of having evolution and dissolution. [The Lord] clarifies His [own] statement : 'People do return from each and every world; but having attained Me, the Supreme Lord, they do not do so.'
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
8.19 This same multitude of beings, being born again and again, is dissolved, helplessly, O Arjuna (into the Unmanifested) at the coming of the night and comes forth at the coming of the day.
Commentary

8.19 भूतग्रामः multitude of beings? सः that? एव verily? अयम् this? भूत्वा भूत्वा being born again and again? प्रलीयते dissolves? रात्र्यागमे at the coming of night? अवशः helpless? पार्थ O Partha? प्रभवति comes forth? अहरागमे at the coming of day.Commentary Avidya (ignorance)? Kama (desire) and Karma (action) are the three knots that bind the individual to Samsara. Desire is born of Avidya. Man exerts to attain and enjoy the objects of his desires. During this activity he favours some and injures others through the force of RagaDvesha (love and hatred or attraction and repulsion). Therefore he is caught in the wheel of Samsara or transmigration. He has to take birth again and again to reap the fruits of his own actions. He repeatedly comes forths and dissolves through the force of his own Karma.The individual souls have lost their independence as they are bound by ignorance? desire and activity. Therefore they are subject to the sorrows? miseries and pains of this Samsara. In order to create dispassion in their minds and a longing for liberation in their hearts? and to remove the fallacious belief that a man reaps the fruits of what he has not done or that he does not reap the fruits of what he has done? the Lord has said that all creatures involuntarily come into being again and again at the coming of the day and dissolve at the coming of the night (on account of the actions or Karmas caused by desire born of ignorance).

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
8.19 O son of Prtha, after being born again and again, that very multitude of beings disappears in spite of itself at the approach of night. It comes to life at the approach of day.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
8.19 The same multitude of beings, which have lived on earth so often, all are dissolved as the night of the universe approaches, to issue forth anew when morning breaks. Thus is it ordained.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 8.18 BG 9.8 BG 9.3 SB 11.22.39 SB 3.31.1 SB 5.14.1 CC Madhya 19.138 CC Madhya 20.117 CC Madhya 22.13 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.7Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.7
Study Q&A referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Analogy

The aggregate of beings — bhūta-grāma — is like a single tide rising and falling. Each grain of sand on the shore imagines itself a separate event, but the tide is one motion, one rhythm. The verse compresses the cosmos to a single repeated breath, and the helplessness — avaśaḥ — of every grain is its central word.

Stories
Mārkaṇḍeya's vision

The Bhāgavatam records the sage Mārkaṇḍeya's vision of the cosmic dissolution — wandering in the waters of pralaya, he saw the entire universe rolled up, found at last a banyan leaf on which the infant Lord rested, and entered the child's mouth to find another universe inside.

The vision is the Sanskrit doctrine of bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate in narrative form: cosmic creation and dissolution, again and again, with the Lord present through every wave. The helplessness Kṛṣṇa names in 8.19 is what Mārkaṇḍeya saw with his own eyes; the only refuge from the helplessness is the Person on the leaf.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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