The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran

chapter eight
╭ The Eternal Godhead
T his chapter alludes briefly to
several important concepts presented more fully in the Upanishads,
and it will be helpful to quote the Upanishads to elucidate
these points. Also, this chapter presents a very ancient
view of the soul’s journey after death. These ideas about the
afterlife did not originate in the Gita, and are even more
ancient than the Upanishads. Another ancient concept here is
that of a cyclical universe, which is elaborated in other Hindu
scriptures in great detail; this chapter merely refers to it in
passing.
The chapter begins with Arjuna asking what appear to be
questions of theology, but the role of theologian does not fit
him naturally. These questions are asked in response to the
technical terms mentioned in the last verse of chapter 7. The
sense of Krishna’s answer is in accord with what he said earlier
about his maya: he is God immanent in all things as well
as God transcendent.
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