In this class (Class 63 on Sunday, Jan. 18th, 2026), we discuss 8.16–22 of the Bhagavad Gita, along with Sri Aurobindo’s commentary on these verses (in the chapter “The Supreme Divine” from his Essays on the Gita).
Study Questions for Class 63 (based on 8.5–22 of the Gita):
1. In the Gospel, Sri Ramakrishna says: "According to the Gita, one becomes afterwards what one thinks of at the time of death. King Bharata thought of his deer and became a deer in his next life. Therefore one must practise sadhana in order to realize God. If a man thinks of God day and night, he will have the same thought in the hour of death" (Oct. 2, 1884). He seems here to agree with the Gītā’s view that one must engage in spiritual practices throughout one’s life in order to be able to think of God at the moment of death. However, he also says: “Anyone who dies in Benares, whether a brahmin or a prostitute, will become Siva” (June 17, 1883). Do you find these two teachings of Sri Ramakrishna to be contradictory? Why or why not? Please discuss.
2. In Gītā 8.20–22, Lord Krishna distinguishes two types of “unmanifest” (avyakta). Summarize Sri Aurobindo’s explanation of these two types of unmanifest.
3. Summarize Śaṅkara’s explanation of these two types of unmanifest in 8.20–22.
4. Summarize Rāmānuja’s explanation of these two types of unmanifest in 8.20–22.
5. Summarize Swami Tapasyananda’s explanation of these two types of unmanifest in 8.20–22.
6. Please compare these four interpretations of the two “avykatas” in 8.20–22. Which interpretation do you prefer, and why?
7. Do you have any questions about the reading? Did you have difficulty understanding anything? Do you have any doubts or confusions?