Shloka

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् |
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ||८-४||

Transliteration

adhibhūtaṃ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaścādhidaivatam .
adhiyajño.ahamevātra dehe dehabhṛtāṃ vara ||8-4||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

8.4. The changing nature is the lord of the material beings; the Person alone is the lord of the divinites; I am alone the Lord of sacrifices and I, the best of the embodied (Souls), dwell in this body.

Shri Purohit Swami

8.4 Matter consists of the forms that perish; Divinity is the Supreme Self; and He who inspires the spirit of sacrifice in man, O noblest of thy race, is I Myself, Who now stand in human form before thee.

Sri Abhinav Gupta

8.4 Adhibhutam etc. The world of material beings, like pot etc., is of changing nature, because it flows or gushes forth with its innate nature of changes etc. Person : Self. It is the lord of the devinities, as all deities are established in It (or all deities get their perfections in It). On the same reason it is only Myself, the Supreme Soul, Who remain lording - as an enjoyer of sacrifice in its entirty - over sacrifices i.e. actions that are to be performed inevitably; and it is I only Who dwell in the body. Thus, a pair of estions have been decided by single effort. Now, the other estion that remains to be answered viz., ‘How are You to be realised at the time of departure ?’, the Lord decides as :

Sri Ramanuja

8.4 The perishable existences which have been declared as fit to be known by the seekers of wealth, power etc., form the Adhibhuta. They are superior material entities that remain in ether or space and other elements. They are the evolutes of material elements and are perishable in their nature. They are also of the nature of sound, touch etc., supported by their basic subtle elements but different from, and finer than, ordinary sound etc., and are of many kinds. Sound, touch, form, taste and smell on this kind, which are manifold and rooted in their several bases, are to be gained by the seekers after prosperity and should be contemplated upon by them.

Adhidaivata connotes Purusa. The Purusa is superior to divinities like Indra, Prajapati and others, and is the experiencer of sound etc., which are different from, and superior to, the multitude of enjoyments of Indra, Prajapati etc. The condition of being such an enjoyer is to be contemplated upon by the seekers after prosperity, as the end to be attained.

I alone am connoted by the term Adhiyajna (sacrifice). Adhiyajna denotes one who is propitiated in sacrifices. Indra and others, to whom sacrifices are made, form My body. I dwell as their Self and I alone am the object of worship by sacrifice. In this manner the three groups of alified devotees should contemplate at the time of the practice of periodical and occasional rituals like the great sacrificies.

This is also common to all the three groups of devotees.

Sri Shankaracharya

8.4 Adhibhutam, that which exists in the physical plane, i.e. that which exists by comprising all creatures;-what is it?-it consists of the ksarah bhavah, mutable entity. Ksarah is that which is mutable, which is destructible; bhavah means anything whatsoever that has orgination. This is meaning. Purusah means the Person, derived in the sense of he by whom all things are pervaded; or, he who lies in every heart. He is Hiranyagarbha, who resides in the Sun and sustains the organs of all creatures. He is adhi-daivatam, the entity existing in the divine plane. Deha-bhrtam-vara, O best among the embodied beings; adhiyajnah, the entity existing in sacrifices, is the Deity, called Visnu, presiding over all sacrifices-which agrees with the Vedic text, ‘Sacrifice is indeed Vishu’ (Tai, Sam. 1.7.4). Aham eva, I Myself, who am that very Visnu; am adhiyajnah, the entity existing in the sacrifice; which is going on atra dehe, in this body. Since a sacrfice is performed with body, therefore it is closely associated with the body. In this sense it is said to be going on in the body.

Swami Adidevananda

8.4 The 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 in this body.

8.4 Adhibhuta (knowledge of the elements) pertains to My perishable Nature and the Purusha or the Soul is the Adhidaiva; I alone am the Adhiyajna here in this body, O best among the embodied (men).

8.4 Adhibhutam, that which exists in the physical plane, i.e. that which exists by comprising all creatures;-what is it?-it consists of the ksarah bhavah, mutable entity. Ksarah is that which is mutable, which is destructible; bhavah means anything whatsoever that has orgination. This is meaning. Purusah means the Person, derived in the sense of he by whom all things are pervaded; or, he who lies in every heart. He is Hiranyagarbha, who resides in the Sun and sustains the organs of all creatures. He is adhi-daivatam, the entity existing in the divine plane. Deha-bhrtam-vara, O best among the embodied beings; adhiyajnah, the entity existing in sacrifices, is the Deity, called Visnu, presiding over all sacrifices-which agrees with the Vedic text, ‘Sacrifice is indeed Vishu’ (Tai, Sam. 1.7.4). Aham eva, I Myself, who am that very Visnu; am adhiyajnah, the entity existing in the sacrifice; which is going on atra dehe, in this body. Since a sacrfice is performed with body, therefore it is closely associated with the body. In this sense it is said to be going on in the body.

Swami Gambirananda

8.4 The 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 in this body.

Swami Sivananda

8.4 Adhibhuta (knowledge of the elements) pertains to My perishable Nature and the Purusha or the Soul is the Adhidaiva; I alone am the Adhiyajna here in this body, O best among the embodied (men).

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

8.4 अधिभूतम् Adhibhuta? क्षरः perishable? भावः nature? पुरुषः the soul? च and? अधिदैवतम् Adhidaivata? अधियज्ञः Adhiyajna? अहम् I? एव alone? अत्र here? देहे in the body? देहभृताम् of the embodied? वर O best.Commentary Adhibhuta the perishable nature the changing universe of the five elements with all its objects all the material objects everything that has birth the changing world of names and forms.Adhidaiva Purusha literally means that by which everything is filled (pur to fill). It may also mean that which lies in this body. It is Hiranyagarbha or the universal soul or the sustainer from whom all living beings derive their sensepower. It is the witnessing consciousness.Adhiyajna Consciousness the presiding deity of sacrifice. The Lord of all works and sacrifice isVishnu. Lord Vishnu identifies Himself with all sacrificial acts. Yajna is verily Vishnu? says the Taittiriya Samhita of the Veda. Lord Krishna says? I am the presiding deity in all acts of sacrifice in the body. All sacrifices are done by the body and so it may be said that they rest in the body.