In Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita, known as Akshara-Parabrahma Yoga (The Imperishable Absolute), Lord Krishna explains the ultimate nature of reality, the significance of remembering the Divine at the time of death, and the eternal, imperishable Brahman. From the Advaita Vedanta perspective, this chapter reinforces the truth that the individual self (Jiva) and the Supreme (Brahman) are one and the same—only ignorance (Avidya) creates the illusion of separation. The chapter emphasizes that true liberation (Moksha) is not about reaching a different realm but realizing one’s eternal oneness with Brahman, the infinite, unchanging reality beyond birth and death.

Krishna describes Akshara Brahman (the Imperishable Absolute), which is beyond all names, forms, and changes. In Advaita, this is none other than the Nirguna Brahman (Brahman without attributes), the absolute non-dual reality. When Krishna says, “Whoever remembers Me at the time of death attains My nature” (8.5-8.6), an Advaitin would interpret this not as traveling to a separate Vaikuntha or spiritual realm, but as the dissolution of the ego and the realization that the Self was never separate from Brahman. The idea of Krishna as the supreme refuge is not about devotion to a deity but about transcending name and form to see the Self as non-different from the infinite consciousness.

Krishna also explains the two paths—the Path of Light (Shukla Gati) and the Path of Darkness (Krishna Gati) (8.23-8.26). While dualistic schools interpret these as routes to different afterlife destinies, Advaita Vedanta sees this teaching as symbolic of Knowledge (Jnana) and Ignorance (Ajnana). The true seeker of Advaita must transcend both and realize that the journey itself is illusory—for the Self was never bound to begin with. The cycle of rebirth is only for those who remain in ignorance; the one who knows “Aham Brahmasmi” (I am Brahman) dissolves the illusion of time and space itself.

Thus, Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita, through the lens of Advaita, is a call to transcend all dualities—life and death, light and dark, God and devotee. The teaching is not about attaining a future liberation but realizing the eternal, ever-free nature of the Self here and now. The final truth is that Brahman alone exists, beyond birth, beyond dissolution, beyond even the concept of seeking.