8.1 Arjuna asks for definitions Arjuna speaks

किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम
अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते

kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣhottama
adhibhūtaṁ cha kiṁ proktam adhidaivaṁ kim uchyate

What is that Brahman? What is the self? What is action? What is called the ground of matter, and what the ground of the gods?

Explanation

Arjuna stops the teaching to ask what the words mean.

Chapter 7 ended by naming several things at speed, and he does not pretend to have followed. His question is a list:

Worth noticing that he asks for definitions, not for reassurance. The despair of chapter 1 has turned into something closer to study.