Bhagavad Gita · Akshara Brahma YogaChapter 8, Shloka 8 (8.8)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना
परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन्
॥ 8.8 ॥
abhyāsayogayuktena cetasā nānyagāminā
paramaṃ puruṣaṃ divyaṃ yāti pārthānucintayan
Translation
"O Partha, with a mind joined to the yoga of practice and not straying elsewhere, constantly contemplating, (the seeker) attains that supreme divine Person."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. Abhyāsaḥ … mayi citta-samarpaṇa-viṣaya-bhūte ekasmin tulya-pratyayāvṛtti-lakṣaṇaḥ vilakṣaṇa-pratyayānantaritaḥ — practice = the repetition of the same thought on one single object, me, uninterrupted by any contrary thought (as in 6.35); divyaṃ divi sūrya-maṇḍale bhavam — divine, that is, present in the orb of the sun; anucintayan śāstrācāryopadeśam anudhyāyan — meditating in accordance with the teaching of the scriptures and the teacher.
Acharya Ramanuja — practice and yoga are different. Abhyāso nitya-naimittikāvirudveṣu sarveṣu kāleṣu manasā upāsya-saṃśīlanam (corpus: विरुद्वेषु — a scribal error for "viruddheṣu") — practice = contemplating the object of worship with the mind at all times, alongside the daily and occasional duties (without conflicting with them); yogaḥ tu aharahaḥ yoga-kāle anuṣṭhīyamānaṃ … upāsanam — yoga = the worship done every day at a fixed time set aside for yoga. The fruit: ādi-bharata-mṛgatva-prāpti-vat aiśvarya-viśiṣṭatayā mat-samānākāro bhavati — (like Bharata in the story of 8.5) he takes on a form like mine in sovereign power.
Ramanuja's practical distinction is useful: practice = light remembrance throughout the day; yoga = a fixed daily time for meditation.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.