Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 18 — Meaning & Life Application
Sanskrit Shloka (Original)
अव्यक्ताद् व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे | रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ||८-१८||
Transliteration
avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgame . rātryāgame pralīyante tatraivāvyaktasaṃjñake ||8-18||
Word-by-Word Meaning
📖 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.
।।8.18।। (ब्रह्माजी के) दिन का उदय होने पर अव्यक्त से (यह) व्यक्त (चराचर जगत्) उत्पन्न होता है; और (ब्रह्माजी की) रात्रि के आगमन पर उसी अव्यक्त में लीन हो जाता है।।
How to Apply This Verse in Modern Life
💼 At Work & Career
In your career, understand that projects, roles, and even entire industries have a cyclical nature, much like cosmic days and nights. Embrace change, knowing that every 'dissolution' (a project ending, a job transition, a business setback) creates space for new 'manifestations' (new opportunities, skills, or ventures). Cultivate detachment from specific outcomes, focusing instead on the process and learning, as all manifested efforts are temporary.
🧘 For Stress & Anxiety
Stress often arises from resisting change or clinging to permanence. This verse offers a profound perspective: all manifested problems and joys are transient. Difficult periods ('night') will eventually give way to ease ('day'), and vice-versa. Cultivate equanimity by recognizing the impermanence of all situations, allowing you to flow with life's natural rhythms rather than fighting them, reducing anxiety about the future and regret about the past.
❤️ In Relationships
Relationships, like all manifested forms, are subject to evolution, growth, and eventual transformation or dissolution. This understanding encourages deeper appreciation for present connections without clinging, and acceptance when relationships change or end. It helps to navigate personal loss or shifts in dynamics with greater grace, knowing that while specific forms may dissolve, the underlying essence of connection or new relationships can manifest again.
When to Chant/Recall This Verse
Solves These Life Problems
Key Message in One Line
“All manifested forms in creation emerge from and return to the Unmanifested in an eternal cycle, affirming the impermanence of phenomena and the persistent reality of the source.”
🕉️ Council of Sages
Compare interpretations from revered Acharyas and scholars
🌍 English Interpretations
Swami Sivananda
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)
Shri Purohit Swami
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.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
8.18. While the day approaches, all manifestations issue forth from the unmanifest and while the night approaches they dissolve into the same that bears the name 'the unmanifest.'
Swami Adidevananda
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. 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. 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:
Swami Gambirananda
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.
🇮🇳 Hindi Interpretations
Swami Chinmayananda
।।8.18।। See Commentary under 8.19.,
Swami Ramsukhdas
।।8.18।। व्याख्या--'अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः ৷৷. तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके'--मात्र प्राणियोंके जितने शरीर हैं, उनको यहाँ 'व्यक्तयः'और चौदहवें अध्यायके चौथे श्लोकमें 'मूर्तयः' कहा गया है। जैसे, जीवकृत सृष्टि अर्थात् 'मैं' और 'मेरापन' को लेकर जीवकी जो सृष्टि है, जीवके नींदसे जगनेपर वह सृष्टि जीवसे ही पैदा होती है और नींदके आ जानेपर वह सृष्टि जीवमें ही लीन हो जाती है। ऐसे ही जो यह स्थूल समष्टि सृष्टि दीखती है, वह सब-की-सब ब्रह्माजीके जगनेपर उनके सूक्ष्मशरीरसे अर्थात् प्रकृतिसे पैदा होती है और ब्रह्माजीके सोनेपर उनके सूक्ष्मशरीरमें ही लीन हो जाती है। तात्पर्य यह हुआ कि ब्रह्माजीके जगनेपर तो 'सर्ग' होता है और ब्रह्माजीके सोनेपर 'प्रलय' होता है। जब ब्रह्माजीकी सौ वर्षकी आयु बीत जाती है, तब 'महाप्रलय' होता है, जिसमें ब्रह्माजी भी भगवान्में लीन हो जाते हैं। ब्रह्माजीकी जितनी आयु होती है, उतना ही महाप्रलयका समय रहता है। महाप्रलयका समय बीतनेपर ब्रह्माजी भगवान्से प्रकट हो जाते हैं तो 'महासर्ग' का आरम्भ होता है (गीता 9। 7 8)।
Swami Tejomayananda
।।8.18।। (ब्रह्माजी के) दिन का उदय होने पर अव्यक्त से (यह) व्यक्त (चराचर जगत्) उत्पन्न होता है; और (ब्रह्माजी की) रात्रि के आगमन पर उसी अव्यक्त में लीन हो जाता है।।
📜 Sanskrit Commentaries
Sri Madhavacharya
।।8.17 -- 8.19।।मां प्राप्य न पुनरावृत्तिरिति स्थापयितुं अव्यक्ताख्यात्मसामर्थ्यं दर्शयितुं प्रलयादि दर्शयति -- सहस्रयुगेत्यादिना। सहस्रशब्दोऽत्रानेकवाची। ब्रह्मपरम्। सा विश्वरूपस्य रजनी इति श्रुतिः। द्विपरार्धप्रलय एवात्र विवक्षितः।अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः [8।18] इत्युक्तेः। उक्तं च महाकौर्मेअनेकयुगपर्यन्तं महाविष्णोस्तथा निशा। रात्र्यादौ लीयते सर्वमहरादौ तु जायते इति च।यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु [8।20] इति वाक्यशेषाच्च।
Sri Anandgiri
।।8.18।।यतः प्रजापतेरहस्तद्युगसहस्रपरिमितं या च तस्य रात्रिः सापि तथेति कालविदामभिप्रायमनुसृत्य ब्राह्मस्याहोरात्रस्य कालपरिमाणं दर्शयित्वा तत्रैव विभज्य कार्यं कथयति -- प्रजापतेरिति। अव्यक्तमव्याकृतमिति शङ्कां वारयति -- अव्यक्तमित्यादिना। जातिप्रतियोगिभूता व्यक्तीर्व्यावर्तयति -- स्थावरेति। असदुत्पत्तिप्रसक्तिं प्रत्यादिशति -- अभिव्यज्यन्त इति। पूर्वोक्तमव्यक्तसंज्ञकं स्वापावस्थं ब्रह्म प्रजापतिशब्दितं तस्मिन्निति यावत्।
Sri Vallabhacharya
।।8.18।।परं समष्टिभूतस्याह। पुनरागमे व्यष्टिभूतानां व्यक्तिप्रभवो नैमित्तिकश्च रात्र्यागमे लयस्तमाह -- अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तय इति। अक्षरात्मकात्तत उद्भूतात् परमेष्ठिपुरुषात् समष्टिमूलभूतात्तत्प्रकृत्यन्वितात् दैवेच्छया निराकाराणां चेतनानां जीवानां ब्रह्मण्यनुशयितानां व्यक्तयो व्यष्टयो देहाद्या योनयो लोकाश्च प्रभवन्ति आविर्भवन्ति। तिरोभावात्मकं लयमाह। रात्र्यागमे तथाभूते तस्मिन्नेवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके प्रलीयन्ते तिरोभवन्ति।
Sridhara Swami
।।8.18।। ततः किमत आह -- अव्यक्तादिति। कार्यस्याव्यक्तं रूपं कारणात्मकं तस्मादव्यक्तात्कारणरूपाद्व्यज्यन्तेऽभिव्यज्यन्त इति व्यक्तयश्चराचराणि भूतानि प्रादुर्भवन्ति। कदा। अहरागमे ब्रह्मणो दिनस्योपक्रमे। तथा रात्रेरागमे ब्रह्मशयने तस्मिन्नेवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके कारणरूपे प्रलयं यान्ति। यद्वा तेऽहोरात्रविद इत्येतन्न विधीयते किंतु ते प्रसिद्धा अहोरात्रविदो जना यद्ब्रह्मणोऽहविंदुस्तस्याह्न आगमे अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः प्रभवन्ति यां च रात्रिं विदुस्तस्या,रात्रेरागमे प्रलीयन्त इति द्वयोरन्वयः।