Bhagavad Gita

VERSE 1

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
भूय एव महाबाहो शृणु मे परमं वचः ।
यत्तेऽहं प्रीयमाणाय वक्ष्यामि हितकाम्यया ॥१॥

śrī bhagavān uvāca –
bhūya eva mahā-bāho śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ
yat te’haṁ prīyamāṇāya vakṣyāmi hita-kāmyayā

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: Listen to these supreme teachings once more, O mighty-armed one. Because I desire your welfare, I shall speak them to you because you are very dear to Me.

VERSE 2

न मे विदुः सुरगणाः प्रभवं न महर्षयः ।
अहमादिर्हि देवानां महर्षीणां च सर्वशः ॥२॥

na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ prabhavaṁ na maharṣayaḥ
aham ādir hi devānāṁ maharṣīṇāṁ ca sarvaśaḥ

The demigods and great sages do not know My origin. Indeed, I am the origin of the demigods and the great sages.

VERSE 3

यो मामजमनादिं च वेत्ति लोकमहेश्वरम् ।
असम्मूढः स मर्त्येषु सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते ॥३॥

yo mām ajam anādiṁ ca vetti loka-maheśvaram
asammūḍhaḥ sa martyeṣu sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate

One who knows Me as the birthless, beginningless Supreme Controller of all worlds is not bewildered amongst mortals, and is free from all karma.

Anuvṛtti

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is unknown and unknowable. He is adhokṣaja – beyond the reach of the senses, beyond the comprehension of the mind and intelligence. No amount of ascending endeavours on the part of the living beings can reach Kṛṣṇa, but in an instant He can descend to reveal Himself. Though Kṛṣṇa is their origin, not even the demigods and the great sages such as Brahmā, Indra, Sanaka, Durvāsā, Marīci and others know Kṛṣṇa as He is. But one who is Kṛṣṇa’s devotee, the bhakti-yogī, knows Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Person situated in the core of his heart.

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky-apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati

The topmost dharma for mankind is that by which they can attain devotion unto the Supreme Person, who is adhokṣaja and who cannot be known by the material senses. Such bhakti-yoga must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to fully satisfy the self. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.2.6)

Kṛṣṇa gives birth to creation and to all things, but He Himself is without birth. Still, when Kṛṣṇa appears on Earth, as He did some 5,000 years ago to speak Bhagavad-gītā, He accepts His devotees Vasudeva and Devakī as His parents and appears as the sun seems to manifest from the ocean at the beginning of each day. Kṛṣṇa first revealed Himself in the heart of Vasudeva and then transferred Himself to the heart of Devakī. From there He appeared from her heart into the world. It is inconceivable, but Kṛṣṇa appears in the world without taking birth.

The great Bhagavad-gītā commentator Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī says that the power of Kṛṣṇa to be eternally unborn and at the same time take birth is due to Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable energy (acintya-śakti). If Kṛṣṇa were not inconceivable (acintya) then He would not be the Supreme Person. Viśvanātha confirms that one who understands this is never bewildered and is free from all karma.

VERSE 4-5

बुद्धिर्ज्ञानमसम्मोहः क्षमा सत्यं दमः शमः ।
सुखं दुःखं भवोऽभावो भयं चाभयमेव च ॥४॥
अहिंसा समता तुष्टिस्तपो दानं यशोऽयशः ।
भवन्ति भावा भूतानां मत्त एव पृथग्विधाः ॥५॥

buddhir jñānam asaṁmohaḥ kṣamā satyaṁ damaḥ śamaḥ
sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhavo’bhāvo bhayaṁ cābhayam eva ca
ahiṁsā samatā tuṣṭis tapo dānaṁ yaśo’yaśaḥ
bhavanti bhāvā bhūtānāṁ matta eva pṛthag-vidhāḥ

Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from delusion, tolerance, truthfulness, self-control, pleasure, misery, birth, death, fear and fearlessness, non-violence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and infamy – all these various conditions of the living beings arise from Me alone.

VERSE 6

महर्षयः सप्त पूर्वे चत्वारो मनवस्तथा ।
मद्भावा मानसा जाता येषां लोक इमाः प्रजाः ॥६॥

maharṣayaḥ sapta pūrve catvāro manavas tathā
mad bhāvā mānasā jātā yeṣāṁ loka imāḥ prajāḥ

The Seven Sages, the Four Kumāras and the Manus, from whom all the living beings of this world have descended, are all manifest from My mind.

VERSE 7

एतां विभूतिं योगं च मम यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ।
सोऽविकम्पेन योगेन युज्यते नात्र संशयः ॥७॥

etāṁ vibhūtiṁ yogaṁ ca mama yo vetti tattvataḥ
so’vikampena yogena yujyate nātra saṁśayaḥ

One who knows the truth of My splendour and the process of yoga becomes resolutely united with Me. Of this there is no doubt.

Anuvṛtti

All things, good and bad, happiness and distress, fame and infamy etc. arise from Kṛṣṇa, but this is not to encourage a fatalistic approach to life. The bhakti-yogī is encouraged to use his intelligence to discriminate between favourable and unfavourable situations, accepting that which is favourable for bhakti-yoga and rejecting that which is unfavourable.

ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam

One should accept those things that are favourable for bhakti and reject those things that are unfavourable. (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.417)

The Seven Sages are Marīci, Bhṛgu, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasiṣṭha. The Four Kumāras are Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumāra. There are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā. These Manus are progenitors of mankind that populate life throughout the universe. All these personalities manifest from the mind of Kṛṣṇa and appear in the material world as the sons of Brahmā.

These are all wonderful activities and cannot be understood by ordinary people. Only Kṛṣṇa’s most confidential devotee can understand His true nature. Such a yogī is free from duality, is united with Kṛṣṇa and sees Him in all things as the Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṇa assures us that of this, there is no doubt.

VERSE 8

अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो मत्तः सर्वं प्रवर्तते ।
इति मत्वा भजन्ते मां बुधा भावसमन्विताः ॥८॥

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

I am the source of everything. All things emanate from Me. Understanding this, the wise who are endowed with love, worship Me with all their heart.

VERSE 9

मच्चित्ता मद्गतप्राणा बोधयन्तः परस्परम् ।
कथयन्तश्च मां नित्यं तुष्यन्ति च रमन्ति च ॥९॥

mac-cittā mad gata-prāṇā bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca

Those who are always thinking of Me, who have dedicated their lives to Me, enlighten each other and feel great satisfaction and joy by always speaking about Me.

VERSE 10

तेषां सततयुक्तानां भजतां प्रीतिपूर्वकम् ।
ददामि बुद्धियोगं तं येन मामुपयान्ति ते ॥१०॥

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te

To those who are constantly devoted to Me and worship Me with love, I continue to bestow upon them devotional inspiration by which they may come to Me.

VERSE 11

तेषामेवानुकम्पार्थमहमज्ञानजं तमः ।
नाशयाम्यात्मभावस्थो ज्ञानदीपेन भास्वता ॥११॥

teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy-ātma-bhāvastho jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā

Out of compassion for them, I appear in their hearts and destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness that is born from ignorance.

Anuvṛtti

Verses eight to eleven of this chapter are said to contain the ontological substance of Bhagavad-gītā. Herein, Śrī Kṛṣṇa establishes Himself as the source of the material and spiritual worlds, and the origin of Brahman and Paramātmā. By the use of the word sarvasya, meaning ‘everything’, He also establishes Himself as the origin of Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭha (the Master of all potencies).

In the pantheon of demigods we find that Brahmā is master of Satya-loka, Śiva is the master of Śiva-loka, Indra the master of Indra-loka, but nowhere do we find it said that anyone is master and origin of everyone and everything except Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The understanding that Kṛṣṇa is sarvasya compels the wise to worship Kṛṣṇa in love with all their hearts.

Kṛṣṇa says, mac-cittā – always think of Me and meditate on Me; mad-gata-prāṇā – dedicate your life to Me. In association with the wise engage in discussions about Me (kathayanta), enlivening and enlightening each other (bodhayanta). This is the proper way of meditation and engagement for the mind and senses.

Discussing about Kṛṣṇa is called kṛṣṇa-kathā, or śravaṇa and kīrtana – hearing and chanting. This means to hear and chant Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and other such literature and to perform saṅkīrtana, the congregational chanting of the mahā-mantra:

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

This hearing and chanting of the name and activities of Kṛṣṇa constitutes the topmost system of yoga. Kṛṣṇa verifies in the Padma Purāṇa that He resides wherever His name is chanted:

nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi vaikuṇṭhe yogināṁ hṛdayeṣu vā
tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad bhaktāḥ

I do not reside in Vaikuṇṭha, nor in the hearts of the lesser yogīs. I remain where My devotees engage in glorifying My activities and chanting My name. (Padma Purāṇa)

Altogether, there are nine processes in bhakti-yoga to fully engage oneself in devotion to Kṛṣṇa. Of these, hearing and chanting are the first and foremost:

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣanā

Hearing and chanting the mahā-mantra and the activities of Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, remembering Him, serving His lotus feet, offering Him respectful worship, offering prayers to Him, becoming His servant, considering Him as one’s dearest friend, and surrendering everything to Him. These nine processes are accepted as bhakti-yoga. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.5.23)

In verse 10 we find the word prīti-pūrvakam. Prīti means love, but this love should not be confused with the love and affections of this material world which are shared between conditioned living beings. Prīti is the state of pure affection wherein no expression of selfishness or mundane lust can be found. Such love is the requirement for worshipping Kṛṣṇa and such love is the key to an eternal bond with Him. Those who have attained such love for Kṛṣṇa by bhakti-yoga are continuously empowered by Him with the inspiration of pure devotion (buddhi-yoga), by which they may come to Him.

Kṛṣṇa dwells in the hearts of all living beings as the Paramātmā, the Super Consciousness, and directs the wanderings of everyone. When one desires to know Kṛṣṇa, to serve Kṛṣṇa and to enter into an eternal relationship with Him, then out of compassion for them, Kṛṣṇa personally manifests in their hearts and destroys with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance. It is said that Kṛṣṇa is light and ignorance is darkness:

kṛṣṇa-sūrya-sama māyā haya andhakāra
yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra

Kṛṣṇa is compared to the sun and māyā (ignorance) is like the darkness. Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa there can never be any darkness. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.31)

Wherever light appears darkness is vanquished. Thus, when Kṛṣṇa personally appears in the heart of the bhakti-yogī, all darkness and despair vanish and one is supremely enlightened. This is the quintessence of Bhagavad-gītā.

VERSE 12-13

अर्जुन उवाच
परं ब्रह्म परं धाम पवित्रं परमं भवान् ।
पुरुषं शाश्वतं दिव्यमादिदेवमजं विभुम् ॥१२॥
आहुस्त्वामृषयः सर्वे देवर्षिर्नारदस्तथा ।
असितो देवलो व्यासः स्वयं चैव ब्रवीषि मे ॥१३॥

arjuna uvāca –
paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam ādidevam ajaṁ vibhum
āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve devarṣir nāradas tathā
asito devalo vyāsaḥ svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me

Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme refuge, and the most pure. You are the eternal Supreme Person, the most effulgent, the original divinity, unborn and all-pervading. All the sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa have stated this, just as You have declared this unto me.

VERSE 14

सर्वमेतदृतं मन्ये यन्मां वदसि केशव ।
न हि ते भगवन्व्यक्तिं विदुर्देवा न दानवाः ॥१४॥

sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yan māṁ vadasi keśava
na hi te bhagavan vyaktiṁ vidur devā na dānavāḥ

O Keśava, everything You have told me I accept as truth. O Master of all splendour, neither Demigods nor Dānavas can fully understand Your personality.

VERSE 15

स्वयमेवात्मनात्मानं वेत्थ त्वं पुरुषोत्तम ।
भूतभावन भूतेश देवदेव जगत्पते ॥१५॥

svayam evātmanātmānaṁ vettha tvaṁ puruṣottama
bhūta-bhāvana bhūteśa deva-deva jagat-pate

O Supreme Person, O Creator of all creatures, O Controller of all living beings, O Master of the demigods, O Master of the universe – You alone truly know Yourself.

VERSE 16

वक्तुमर्हस्यशेषेण दिव्या ह्यात्मविभूतयः ।
याभिर्विभूतिभिर्लोकानिमांस्त्वं व्याप्य तिष्ठसि ॥१६॥

vaktum arhasy-aśeṣeṇa divyā hy-ātma-vibhūtayaḥ
yābhir vibhūtibhir lokān imāṁs tvaṁ vyāpya tiṣṭhasi

Please describe to me completely Your divine powers by which You pervade all the worlds.

VERSE 17

कथं विद्यामहं योगिंस्त्वां सदा परिचिन्तयन् ।
केषु केषु च भावेषु चिन्त्योऽसि भगवन्मया ॥१७॥

kathaṁ vidyām ahaṁ yogiṁs tvāṁ sadā paricintayan
keṣu keṣu ca bhāveṣu cintyo’si bhagavan mayā

How can I constantly be absorbed in thoughts of You, O Master of all mystic powers, How can I know You and how should I meditate upon You?

VERSE 18

विस्तरेणात्मनो योगं विभूतिं च जनार्दन ।
भूयः कथय तृप्तिर्हि शृण्वतो नास्ति मेऽमृतम् ॥१८॥

vistareṇātmano yogaṁ vibhūtiṁ ca janārdana
bhūyaḥ kathaya tṛptir hi śṛṇvato nāsti me’mṛtam

O Janārdana, kindly explain to me again in detail Your mystic powers and opulence. Hearing such nectar about You, I am never satiated.

Anuvṛtti

Arjuna accepts all that Śrī Kṛṣṇa has said and says that only Kṛṣṇa actually knows Himself. The Absolute Truth is infinite and the living beings, like Arjuna, are finite and thus are inherently unable to fully comprehend the splendour of Kṛṣṇa. Yet for Arjuna to hear of such splendours is spiritual food for meditation.

Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa as yogī, the Master of mystic powers, and asks how he should meditate upon Him. In the remaining verses of this chapter Kṛṣṇa outlines how one should think of Him. But in the last verse He concludes by saying that there is no necessity of thinking of Him in an indirect or abstract way, because with just a mere portion of His Self, He supports the entire universe. Thus Kṛṣṇa indicates to Arjuna that to meditate on His personal form is the ultimate meditation.

VERSE 19

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
हन्त ते कथयिष्यामि दिव्या ह्यात्मविभूतयः ।
प्राधान्यतः कुरुश्रेष्ठ नास्त्यन्तो विस्तरस्य मे ॥१९॥

śrī bhagavān uvāca –
hanta te kathayiṣyāmi divyā hy-ātma-vibhūtayaḥ
prādhānyataḥ kuru-śreṣṭha nāsty-anto vistarasya me

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: Listen, O best of the Kuru Dynasty, there is no end to the extent of My powers, but I shall explain to you those divine opulences of Mine that are most prominent.

VERSE 20

अहमात्मा गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयस्थितः ।
अहमादिश्च मध्यं च भूतानामन्त एव च ॥२०॥

aham ātmā guḍākeśa sarva-bhūtāśaya-sthitaḥ
aham ādiś ca madhyaṁ ca bhūtānām anta eva ca

O conqueror of sleep, I am the Super Consciousness that resides in all living beings. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all creatures.

VERSE 21

आदित्यानामहं विष्णुर्ज्योतिषां रविरंशुमान् ।
मरीचिर्मरुतामस्मि नक्षत्राणामहं शशी ॥२१॥

ādityānām ahaṁ viṣṇur jyotiṣāṁ ravir aṁśumān
marīcir marutām asmi nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī

Of the Ādityas I am Viṣṇu. Of lights I am the blazing sun. Of the Marutas I am Marīci. Of celestial bodies I am the moon.

VERSE 22

वेदानां सामवेदोऽस्मि देवानामस्मि वासवः ।
इन्द्रियाणां मनश्चास्मि भूतानामस्मि चेतना ॥२२॥

vedānāṁ sāma-vedo’smi devānām asmi vāsavaḥ
indriyāṇāṁ manaś cāsmi bhūtānām asmi cetanā

Of the Vedas I am the Sāma Veda. Of the demigods I am Indra. Of the senses I am the mind. Of living beings I am consciousness.

VERSE 23

रुद्राणां शङ्करश्चास्मि वित्तेशो यक्षरक्षसाम् ।
वसूनां पावकश्चास्मि मेरुः शिखरिणामहम् ॥२३॥

rudrāṇāṁ śaṅkaraś cāsmi vitteśo yakṣa-rakṣasām
vasūnāṁ pāvakaś cāsmi meruḥ śikhariṇām aham

Of the Rudras I am Śaṅkara. Of the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas I am Kuvera. Of the Vasus I am Agni and of mountains I am Meru.

VERSE 24

पुरोधसां च मुख्यं मां विद्धि पार्थ बृहस्पतिम् ।
सेनानीनामहं स्कन्दः सरसामस्मि सागरः ॥२४॥

purodhasāṁ ca mukhyaṁ māṁ viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim
senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ

O Pārtha, know Me to be Bṛhaspati, the chief amongst priests. Of military generals I am Skanda. Of bodies of water I am the ocean.

VERSE 25

महर्षीणां भृगुरहं गिरामस्म्येकमक्षरम् ।
यज्ञानां जपयज्ञोऽस्मि स्थावराणां हिमालयः ॥२५॥

maharṣīṇāṁ bhṛgur ahaṁ girām asmy-ekam akṣaram
yajñānāṁ japa-yajño’smi sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ

Of great sages I am Bhṛgu. Of sounds I am the monosyllabic mantra oṁ. Of sacrifices I am japa. Of immovable things I am the Himālayas.

VERSE 26

अश्वत्थः सर्ववृक्षाणां देवर्षीणां च नारदः ।
गन्धर्वाणां चित्ररथः सिद्धानां कपिलो मुनिः ॥२६॥

aśvatthaḥ sarva-vṛkṣāṇāṁ devarṣīṇāṁ ca nāradaḥ
gandharvāṇāṁ citrarathaḥ siddhānāṁ kapilo muniḥ

Amongst all trees I am the banyan. Of celestial sages I am Nārada. Amongst Gandharvas I am Citraratha and amongst perfected beings I am Kapila Muni.

VERSE 27

उच्चैःश्रवसमश्वानां विद्धि माममृतोद्भवम् ।
ऐरावतं गजेन्द्राणां नराणां च नराधिपम् ॥२७॥

uccaiḥśravasam aśvānāṁ viddhi mām amṛtodbhavam
airāvataṁ gajendrāṇāṁ narāṇāṁ ca narādhipam

Of horses I am known as Uccaiḥśrava, who was born from the ocean of nectar. I am Airāvata, the king of elephants and I am the monarch amongst men.

VERSE 28

आयुधानामहं वज्रं धेनूनामस्मि कामधुक् ।
प्रजनश्चास्मि कन्दर्पः सर्पाणामस्मि वासुकिः ॥२८॥

āyudhānām ahaṁ vajraṁ dhenūnām asmi kāmadhuk
prajanaś cāsmi kandarpaḥ sarpāṇām asmi vāsukiḥ

Of weapons I am the thunderbolt. Of cows I am the Kāma-dhenu. Of progenitors I am Kāma, and of snakes I am Vāsuki.

VERSE 29

अनन्तश्चास्मि नागानां वरुणो यादसामहम् ।
पितॄणामर्यमा चास्मि यमः संयमतामहम् ॥२९॥

anantaś cāsmi nāgānāṁ varuṇo yādasām aham
pitṛṇām aryamā cāsmi yamaḥ saṁyamatām aham

Amongst the celestial Nāga-snakes I am Ananta. Amongst the inhabitants of the water I am Varuṇa. Amongst the forefathers I am Aryamā. Of chastisers I am Yama.

VERSE 30
प्रह्लादश्चास्मि दैत्यानां कालः कलयतामहम् ।
मृगाणां च मृगेन्द्रोऽहं वैनतेयश्च पक्षिणाम् ॥३०॥

prahlādaś cāsmi daityānāṁ kālaḥ kalayatām aham
mṛgāṇāṁ ca mṛgendro’haṁ vainateyaś ca pakṣiṇām

Amongst the daityas I am Prahlāda. Of constraints I am time. Of beasts I am the lion. Of birds I am Garuḍa.

VERSE 31

पवनः पवतामस्मि रामः शस्त्रभृतामहम् ।
झषाणां मकरश्चास्मि स्रोतसामस्मि जाह्नवी ॥३१॥

pavanaḥ pavatām asmi rāmaḥ śastra-bhṛtām aham
jhaṣāṇāṁ makaraś cāsmi srotasām asmi jāhnavī

Of purifiers I am the wind. Of the wielders of weapons I am Rāmacandra. Amongst aquatics I am the makara and of rivers I am the Gaṅgā.

VERSE 32

सर्गाणामादिरन्तश्च मध्यं चैवाहमर्जुन ।
अध्यात्मविद्या विद्यानां वादः प्रवदतामहम् ॥३२॥

sargāṇām ādir antaś ca madhyaṁ caivāham arjuna
adhyātma-vidyā vidyānāṁ vādaḥ pravadatām aham

O Arjuna, in creation I am the beginning, the middle and the end. Of wisdom I am knowledge of the self and I am the doctrine of philosophers.

VERSE 33

अक्षराणामकारोऽस्मि द्वन्द्वः सामासिकस्य च ।
अहमेवाक्षयः कालो धाताहं विश्वतोमुखः ॥३३॥

akṣarāṇām akāro’smi dvandvaḥ sāmāsikasya ca
aham evākṣayaḥ kālo dhātāhaṁ viśvato-mukhaḥ

Of letters I am the letter A. Amongst compound words I am the dual. I alone am the eternal flow of the time factor and I am the Creator, who gazes in all directions.

VERSE 34

मृत्युः सर्वहरश्चाहमुद्भवश्च भविष्यताम् ।
कीर्तिः श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृतिः क्षमा ॥३४॥

mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham udbhavaś ca bhaviṣyatām
kīrtiḥ śrīr vāk ca nārīṇāṁ smṛtir medhā dhṛtiḥ kṣamā

I am death, the destroyer of all things. I am the manifestation of all things yet to be. Of women I am Kīrtī, Śrī, Vāk, Smṛti, Medhā, Dhṛti and Kṣamā.

VERSE 35

बृहत्साम तथा साम्नां गायत्री छन्दसामहम् ।
मासानां मार्गशीर्षोऽहमृतूनां कुसुमाकरः ॥३५॥

bṛhat-sāma tathā sāmnāṁ gāyatrī chandasām aham
māsānāṁ mārga-śīrṣo’ham ṛtūnāṁ kusumākaraḥ

Of the songs of the Sāma Veda I am the Bṛhat-Sāma. Of Vedic rhythms I am the Gāyatrī. Of months I am Mārga-śīrṣa and amongst seasons I am the flower-bearing spring.

VERSE 36

द्यूतं छलयतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ।
जयोऽस्मि व्यवसायोऽस्मि सत्त्वं सत्त्ववतामहम् ॥३६॥

dyūtaṁ chalayatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham
jayo’smi vyavasāyo’smi sattvaṁ sattvavatām aham

I am the gambling of cheaters and of the splendid I am splendour. I am victory and determination. I am the might of the mighty.

VERSE 37

वृष्णीनां वासुदेवोऽस्मि पाण्डवानां धनञ्जयः ।
मुनीनामप्यहं व्यासः कवीनामुशना कविः ॥३७॥

vṛṣṇīnāṁ vāsudevo’smi pāṇḍavānāṁ dhanañjayaḥ
munīnām apy-ahaṁ vyāsaḥ kavīnām uśanā kaviḥ

I am Vāsudeva amongst the Vṛṣṇi Dynasty. I am Arjuna amongst the Pāṇḍavas. Of philosophers I am Vyāsa and amongst scholars I am Uśanā.

VERSE 38

दण्डो दमयतामस्मि नीतिरस्मि जिगीषताम् ।
मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां ज्ञानं ज्ञानवतामहम् ॥३८॥

daṇḍo damayatām asmi nītir asmi jigīṣatām
maunaṁ caivāsmi guhyānāṁ jñānaṁ jñānavatām aham

I am the punishment enforced by those who chastise. I am the conduct of those that desire victory. I am the silence of secrets and I am the knowledge of the wise.

VERSE 39

यच्चापि सर्वभूतानां बीजं तदहमर्जुन ।
न तदस्ति विना यत्स्यान्मया भूतं चराचरम् ॥३९॥

yac cāpi sarva-bhūtānāṁ bījaṁ tad aham arjuna
na tad asti vinā yat syān mayā bhūtaṁ carācaram

I am the seed of all living beings, O Arjuna. There is nothing moving or non-moving, that can exist without Me.

VERSE 40

नान्तोऽस्ति मम दिव्यानां विभूतीनां परन्तप ।
एष तूद्देशतः प्रोक्तो विभूतेर्विस्तरो मया ॥४०॥

nānto ‘sti mama divyānāṁ vibhūtīnāṁ parantapa
eṣa tūddeśataḥ prokto vibhūter vistaro mayā

O conqueror of the enemy, My divine glories are unlimited. Only a fraction of their extent has been explained by Me.

VERSE 41

यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा ।
तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम् ॥४१॥

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā
tat tad evāvagaccha tvaṁ mama tejo’ṁśa sambhavam

Whatever exists that is wonderful, beautiful or glorious, know that it has manifest from but a particle of My power.

VERSE 42

अथवा बहुनैतेन किं ज्ञातेन तवार्जुन ।
विष्टभ्याहमिदं कृत्स्नमेकांशेन स्थितो जगत् ॥४२॥

athavā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat

But what is the necessity of knowing all this, O Arjuna? I support the entire universe simply by a portion of Myself.

Anuvṛtti

In the above verses Śrī Kṛṣṇa has stated that all these great and wonderful things of the world represent Him. Kṛṣṇa states this so that we will understand that whatever is famous, beautiful and glorious in this world is manifest from Him alone. The splendour of Kṛṣṇa is unlimited, but ultimately Kṛṣṇa says that there is no necessity for Arjuna to perform indirect meditation when the Absolute Truth is standing in front of him. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa suggests to Arjuna that he simply meditate on that form.

There is no form of Kṛṣṇa superior to that which was standing in front of Arjuna at Kurukṣetra, save and except for the form of Kṛṣṇa when He appeared as a youth in the forest of Vṛndāvana on the banks of the River Yamunā, casting sidelong glances, His flute in hand and His transcendental body bending in three places.

smerāṁ bhaṅgī-traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṇa-dṛṣṭiṁ
vaṁśī-nyastādhara-kiśalayām ujjvalāṁ candrakeṇa
govindākhyāṁ hari-tanum itaḥ keśi-tīrthopakaṇṭhe
mā prekṣiṣṭhās tava yadi sakhe bandhu-saṅge ‘sti raṅgaḥ

O friend, if you are attached to your companions in this world, then do not gaze on the enchanting smile of Govinda as He stands on the bank of the Yamunā at Keśī-ghāṭa. Casting sidelong glances, He places His flute to His lips, which are compared to newly blossomed buds. His divine body, bending in three places, appears most effulgent in the light of the moon. (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.239),

Kṛṣṇa, appeared in Vṛndāvana, India, 5,237 years ago and performed His pastimes of love with His devotees and with those who had reached perfection through bhakti-yoga. The pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana are recorded in the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and have inspired the students of bhakti-yoga for the past fifty centuries.

In the final chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa will inform Arjuna that whoever surrenders unto Him will attain the Supreme Abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana.

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमहाभारते शतसाहस्रयां संहितायां
वैयासिक्यां भीष्मपर्वणि
श्रीमद्भगवदीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायं योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे
विभूतियोगो नाम दशमोऽध्यायः।।

oṁ tat saditi śrī-mahābhārate-śata-sāhasryāṁ saṁhitāyāṁ
vaiyāsikyāṁ bhīṣma-parvāṇi
śrīmad bhagavad-gītāsūpaniṣatsu
brahma-vidyāyāṁ yoga-śāstre śrī kṛṣṇārjuna-saṁvāde
vibhūti-yogo nāma daśamo’dhyāyaḥ

OṀ TAT SAT – Thus ends Chapter Ten entitled Vibhūti Yoga from the conversation between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna in the Upaniṣad known as Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, the yoga-śāstra of divine knowledge, from the Bhīṣma-parva of Mahābhārata, the literature revealed by Vyāsa in one hundred thousand verses.