Chapter 10. The Opulence
of the Absolute
Chapter 10,
Verse 1.
 The Supreme
Lord said: My dear friend, mighty-armed Arjuna, listen again to My supreme
word, which I shall impart to you for your benefit and which will give
you great joy.
Chapter 10,
Verse 2.
Neither
the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin, for, in every
respect, I am the source of the demigods and the sages.
Chapter 10,
Verse 3.
He who
knows Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as the Supreme Lord of all
the worlds--he, undeluded among men, is freed from all sins.
Chapter 10,
Verse 4-5.
Intelligence,
knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness,
self-control and calmness, pleasure and pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness,
nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and infamy
are created by Me alone.
Chapter 10,
Verse 6.
The seven
great sages and before them the four other great sages and the Manus [progenitors
of mankind] are born out of My mind, and all creatures in these planets
descend from them.
Chapter 10,
Verse 7.
He who
knows in truth this glory and power of Mine engages in unalloyed devotional
service; of this there is no doubt.
Chapter 10,
Verse 8.
I am
the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from
Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and
worship Me with all their hearts.
Chapter 10,
Verse 9.
The thoughts
of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and
they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing
about Me.
Chapter 10,
Verse 10.
To those
who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding
by which they can come to Me.
Chapter 10,
Verse 11.
Out of
compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining
lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.
Chapter
10, Verse 12-13.
Arjuna
said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and
purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the
primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading
beauty. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa proclaim
this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.
Chapter 10,
Verse 14.
O Krsna,
I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the gods nor
demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.
Chapter 10,
Verse 15.
Indeed,
You alone know Yourself by Your own potencies, O origin of all, Lord of
all beings, God of gods, O Supreme Person, Lord of the universe!
Chapter 10,
Verse 16.
Please
tell me in detail of Your divine powers by which You pervade all these
worlds and abide in them.
Chapter 10,
Verse 17.
How should
I meditate on You? In what various forms are You to be contemplated, O
Blessed Lord?
Chapter 10,
Verse 18.
Tell
me again in detail, O Janardana [Krsna], of Your mighty potencies and glories,
for I never tire of hearing Your ambrosial words.
Chapter 10,
Verse 19.
The Blessed
Lord said: Yes, I will tell you of My splendorous manifestations, but only
of those which are prominent, O Arjuna, for My opulence is limitless.
Chapter 10,
Verse 20.
I am
the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning,
the middle and the end of all beings.
Chapter 10,
Verse 21.
Of the
Adityas I am Visnu, of lights I am the radiant sun, I am Marici of the
Maruts, and among the stars I am the moon.
Chapter 10,
Verse 22.
Of the
Vedas I am the Sama-veda; of the demigods I am Indra; of the senses I am
the mind, and in living beings I am the living force [knowledge].
Chapter 10,
Verse 23.
Of all
the Rudras I am Lord Siva; of the Yaksas and Raksasas I am the Lord of
wealth [Kuvera]; of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am Meru.
Chapter 10,
Verse 24.
Of priests,
O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brhaspati, the lord of devotion. Of
generals I am Skanda, the lord of war; and of bodies of water I am the
ocean.
Chapter 10,
Verse 25.
Of the
great sages I am Bhrgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental om. Of sacrifices
I am the chanting of the holy names [japa], and of immovable things I am
the Himalayas.
Chapter 10,
Verse 26.
Of all
trees I am the holy fig tree, and among sages and demigods I am Narada.
Of the singers of the gods [Gandharvas] I am Citraratha, and among perfected
beings I am the sage Kapila.
Chapter 10,
Verse 27.
Of horses
know Me to be Uccaihsrava, who rose out of the ocean, born of the elixir
of immortality; of lordly elephants I am Airavata, and among men I am the
monarch.
Chapter 10,
Verse 28.
Of weapons
I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the surabhi, givers of abundant milk.
Of procreators I am Kandarpa, the god of love, and of serpents I am Vasuki,
the chief.
Chapter 10,
Verse 29.
Of the
celestial Naga snakes I am Ananta; of the aquatic deities I am Varuna.
Of departed ancestors I am Aryama, and among the dispensers of law I am
Yama, lord of death.
Chapter 10,
Verse 30.
Among
the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlada; among subduers I am time;
among the beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuda, the feathered
carrier of Visnu.
Chapter 10,
Verse 31.
Of purifiers
I am the wind; of the wielders of weapons I am Rama; of fishes I am the
shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges.
Chapter 10,
Verse 32.
Of all
creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O Arjuna.
Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the self, and among logicians
I am the conclusive truth.
Chapter 10,
Verse 33.
Of letters
I am the letter A, and among compounds I am the dual word. I am also inexhaustible
time, and of creators I am Brahma, whose manifold faces turn everywhere.
Chapter 10,
Verse 34.
I am
all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to be. Among
women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and
patience.
Chapter 10,
Verse 35.
Of hymns
I am the Brhat-sama sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am the Gayatri
verse, sung daily by Brahmanas. Of months I am November and December, and
of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.
Chapter 10,
Verse 36.
I am
also the gambling of cheats, and of the splendid I am the splendor. I am
victory, I am adventure, and I am the strength of the strong.
Chapter 10,
Verse 37.
Of the
descendants of Vrsni I am Vasudeva, and of the Pandavas I am Arjuna. Of
the sages I am Vyasa, and among great thinkers I am Usana.
Chapter 10,
Verse 38.
Among
punishments I am the rod of chastisement, and of those who seek victory,
I am morality. Of secret things I am silence, and of the wise I am wisdom.
Chapter 10,
Verse 39.
Furthermore,
O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being--moving
or unmoving--that can exist without Me.
Chapter 10,
Verse 40.
O mighty
conqueror of enemies, there is no end to My divine manifestations. What
I have spoken to you is but a mere indication of My infinite opulences.
Chapter 10,
Verse 41.
Know
that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark
of My splendor.
Chapter 10,
Verse 42.
But what
need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment
of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.
  
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