Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna:
O Arjuna! Again listen to my discourse. I will reveal to you for your benefit now that you are inspired by my rendering. (X; 1)
Neither the deities of heaven nor the great saints know my origin, for I am the source of the deities and the saints. (X; 2)
He who knows me as the causeless, without beginning, and also as the Supreme Being, he is freed from delusion and delivered from all sins. (X; 3)
How can the one who is the cause of everything have a cause?
Kabir says:
“It is not human or divine,
It is not the holy one demanding service,
It is neither a yogi nor an angel,
It is neither a householder nor an ascetic,
It is neither a Hindu nor a Muslim,
None saw it being born or die.”
He himself is the seen and himself is the unseen.
Wisdom, knowledge, forgiveness, lucid perception, patience, truth, balance, self-discipline; pleasure and pain, being and non-being, fear and fearlessness, non-violence, even-mindedness, contentment, penance, charity, fame, and disrepute are the diverse aspects of beings that arise from me alone. (X; 4-5)
The seven great sages of yore, and the four Manus, were born from my mind, and from them are born all these beings in the world. (X; 6)
According to Hindu scriptures, the four primeval Beings who were the ancestors of the human race are called Manus. They are said to be the presiding deities of the universe they govern. An era presided over by Manu is described as Manvantra.
He who perceives the inherent nature of this supreme power of mine doubtlessly becomes united to me through yoga. (X; 7)
I am the source of everything; from me, everything emanates. Realizing this, the enlightened ones worship me with complete faith. (X; 8)
The mind likes to live cocooned in the comfort zone of cause and effect. It tries to solve the effect by trying to solve the cause, and thus swings like a pendulum between cause and effect. If we go beyond the cause, then there is no effect. The creator himself is the cause and the effect. Hence, if we surrender to him, we transcend both cause and effect.
With their mind absorbed in me, their Prana (life force) surrendered to me, elevating each other in my praise and contemplating on me; they are fulfilled and abide in me. (X; 9)
Prana is the life force that activates the body. Dedicate every breath of the Prana to the Supreme Being. Our two eyes are not enough to witness his marvels, but with every breath devoted to him, we become its part and parcel. Thereafter, the only desire is to love others and help them see the reality.
Those who worship me with love and fervent devotion, I bless them with the enlightenment whereby they attain me. (X; 10)
The All-pervading power of love thrives in a pure heart. Without purity, its waves of love cannot reflect.
Says the Sufi poet, Yunus Emre:
“People think that they are alive
because of their soul,
But I am alive because I have love within.”
Out of compassion for such persons, I abide in their inner being to dispel the veil of ignorance with the shining light of Truth. (X; 11)
God is the ocean of compassion. Each moment, its waves uplift us towards our ascent. If we swim one step towards him, he takes us ten steps further. However, due to our limited vision, we cling to the shores. His compassion tries to pull us out, but we resist.
His power of compassion is such that it does not transgress our free will, and unless we develop a rapport with it, it does not intervene.
But the ego does not accept Divine intervention because it thinks it is on its own, and hence, has to be responsible for everything. It spins a mental web, and human attention gets trapped in it.
However, a seeker intuitively knows that there is a reality beyond his mental web. As he aspires to get there, he gets caught in the mental web. So how does he escape?
He cannot escape till he cracks the code of his ego. He applies his intellect to crack its code but does not succeed because the intellect is hard-wired to the ego.
To rescue him out of the catch-22 situation, the kundalini shines her light in his attention and shows him the way forward.
Arjuna addresses Lord Krishna:
You are the Supreme Being, the supreme abode, the greatest purifier, the eternal, the primordial Divinity, the unborn, all-permeating.
All sages proclaim your Divinity, as the Divine sages Narada, Devala, Asita, Vyasa, and also as you yourself have revealed it to me. (X; 12-13)
O Lord! All that you have revealed to me I uphold as the Truth. Neither the deities nor the demons know your manifestation. (X; 14)
O Supreme Being! You are the source of all beings, the God of the Gods, and the Lord of the universe. You are known to yourself by your own self. (X: 15)
It is not surprising if the modern generation has lost faith in God because of the bigotry of those who have taken charge of him. However, it makes no difference if they do not conceive him but believe in collective consciousness. As we know the fragrance of Mother Earth from flowers, likewise we know consciousness from God. After all, as consciousness becomes collective, they will know about God anyway.
A great debate broke out among the clerics that if the three pillars of religion – scriptures, worship, and charity – were stamped out, they would lose their importance.
The Spirit laughed, “Not to worry, as men will attain me, it will work out greater things than all your pillars.”
They asked, “By what method would they attain thee?”
She smiled, “Self-knowledge!”
It resonates with the inscription in the Temple of Delphi:
“Man, know thyself and thou will know the universe and the Gods.”
That is, the Spirit knows itself in its own consciousness.
Arjuna addresses Lord Krishna:
You alone are capable of revealing your divine attributes. Pray reveal to me your Divine manifestations, through which you pervade this world and beyond. (X; 16)
O blessed Lord! How may I, engrossed in constant meditation, know you? In what form are you to be contemplated upon by me? (X; 17)
O Lord! Please narrate to me again your wondrous powers and manifestations, for my thirst is not quenched with hearing your ambrosial speech. (X; 18)
The Blessed Lord said:
O Arjuna! I will narrate to you my divine manifestations, those which are most important, for they are unlimited. (X; 19)
O Arjuna! I am the Spirit seated in the heart of all beings. I am the origin, the middle, and the end of all beings. (X; 20)
The heart is not just a piece of flesh. According to Lord Krishna, it is the abode of the Spirit. The Spirit is the reflection of God Almighty. For instance, when one mirror faces another mirror, the object placed between them has infinite reflections. Instead of counting them, we start enjoying them.
Of the Adityas, I am Vishnu; among the Luminous, I am the effulgent sun; I am the force of the Maruts; among the constellation of stars, I am the Moon. (X; 21)
- Adityas were the twelve sons of Aditi, the Mother of the Gods.
Among the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda; among the deities, I am Indra; among the senses, I am the mind; and among the beings, I am consciousness. (X; 22)
- Indra is the King of heaven.
- Sama Veda is considered to be the most important of the four Vedas.
Of the Rudras, I am Shankara; of the Yakshas and Rakshas, I am Kubera; of the eight Vasus, I am Agni (fire); and of the mountain peaks, I am Meru. (X; 23)
- Rudras are the eleven powers of destruction of Lord Shiva.
- Yakshas and Rakshas are entities of the collective subconscious. Rakshas are involved in anti-Divine activities.
- Kubera is the God of wealth.
- Mount Meru is the highest of the seven peaks.
O Arjuna! Among the priests, I am the highest – Brihaspati; among the army commanders, I am Skanda; and among the water bodies, I am the ocean. (X; 24)
Brihaspati is the chief priest of heaven. Skanda is another name for Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva, the invincible master of warfare.
Among the great sages, I am Bhrigu; among the incantations, I am the syllable AUM; among the sacrifices, I am meditation; among the immovables, I am the Himalaya. (X; 25)
- Sage Bhrigu had performed great austerities and was held in the highest esteem.
- ‘AUM’ is the sacred single syllable. Lord Krishna had explained its power in earlier chapters.
Among the trees, I am Asvattha; among the divine sages, I am Narada; among the Gandharvas (heavenly musicians), I am Chitraratha; and among the Siddhas (perfected ones), I am sage Kapila. (X; 26)
- The Asvattha is the tree of paradise, sought for its sweet fragrance.
- Sage Narada, the wisest of sages, is known to wander freely in the three worlds, playing a single-string instrument and singing the glory of Lord Vishnu. He is a fountain of wisdom; even the deities seek his advice.
- Chitraratha was the greatest among the heavenly musicians known as Gandharvas.
- The Siddhas were perfected beings who had earned powers (siddhis) through penance. Sage Kapila was foremost among them, known for his teachings of Samkhya philosophy.
Among the horses, I am Ucchaisravas, born of ambrosia; among the majestic elephants, I am Airavata; and among men, I am the Sovereign. (X; 27)
- Ucchaisravas was the swiftest of horses. Lord Krishna refers to the ambrosia secured from the churning of the ocean during the process of creation. This churning of the ocean also occurs within us to bring forth ambrosia.
- Airavata was the wisest and mightiest elephant.
Among the weapons, I am Vajra (thunderbolt); among the cows, I am Kamadhenu; among the progenitors, I am Kamadeva; among the serpents, I am Vasuki. (X; 28)
- The thunderbolt of Lord Indra, the King of Heaven, is the most dreaded weapon, called Vajra.
- Kamadhenu is the wish-fulfilling cow, an incarnation of Adi Shakti, hence cows are revered by Hindus.
- Vasuki, the chief of serpents, offered his services as the rope during the churning of the ocean and adorns the neck of Lord Shiva.
- Kamadeva is the God of Love.
Among the Nagas (serpents), I am Ananta; among the dwellers of water, I am Varuna; among the ancestors (Pitra), I am Aryaman; among the keepers of law and vigil, I am Yama. (X; 29)
- Ananta or Shesha is the thousand-headed serpent God who incarnates to remove the world’s woes.
- Varuna is the Sea God.
- Aryaman is the chief of the departed ancestors.
- Yama is the God of death who keeps vigil over all beings and punishes them for misdeeds. He also plays the role of a Guru, as timely death can sometimes save a man from himself and bring him back to Dharma in his next birth.
As Dharma implies self-limitation necessary for evolution, Yama is also known as Dharma Raja. Similarly, Lord Krishna serves this function. As a Guru, he guides, instructs, and corrects, and also punishes when necessary, as punishment deters misdeeds and aids in correction.
Among the demon-born, I am Prahlada; among calculations, I am time; among the beasts, I am Mrigendra (lion); among the winged ones, I am Garuda. (X; 30)
- Prahlada was the son of Hiranyakashipu, the demon king. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. Despite his father’s attempts to dissuade him from worshipping the Lord, Prahlada remained steadfast in his devotion.
- The lion, Mrigendra, is the king of the animal world.
- The eagle, Garuda, is the vehicle of Lord Vishnu and the son of Virata.
Among the purifiers, I am wind; among the warriors, I am Rama; among the fish, I am the crocodile (Makara); and among the rivers, I am Ganges. (X; 31)
- Shri Rama, the supreme among wielders of weapons, was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was the eldest son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya and was sent to exile at the behest of his stepmother. During his exile, he slew many demons, including Ravana, and rescued his wife Sita from him.
- During her descent to Earth, the river Ganges was swallowed by King Jahnu but was later released from his body by the Gods.
Tulsidas pays homage to the River Ganges:
“I do homage to Ganges who is holy and performs enchanting roles.
It washes away the sin of him who bathes in it and drinks its holy waters.”
O Arjuna! Of creation, I am the beginning, the middle, and also the end. Of sciences, I am the science of self. Of those who debate, I am the synthesis. (X; 32)
Our value of time and space is relative to the value we attach to it. According to Quantum mechanics, space and time have no meaning unless there is a conscious observer. If there is no observer to measure space, there is no need for space to exist.
For instance, what is important to us at 4:00 a.m. is not important at 4:00 p.m. It goes to show that both past and future only exist as ideas in the mind. In the present, there is no mind.
Zen talks of ‘spontaneity’, but we cannot be spontaneous if we fast-forward everything. If we are futuristic, how can we be in the present? The present goes into thinking of the future, and the future goes into thinking of the future. When are we actually in the present?
In fact, we only live in the imagination of a future that does not exist. The mind survives in the cusp of thoughts. We live in the thought of becoming something. But thoughts are fluctuating, so where are we?
At a party hosted in our honor, we are the most important guest and feel on top of the world. When the party is over, we are reduced to a nonentity, and so our image changes.
What were we in the various periods of the day? Who was the one who had an engagement, and who was the one at the party? It seems that in each situation, there was a different ‘us.’
The ‘us’ is the mind that changes each moment, but we are not the mind – we are the Spirit. The Spirit is eternal. It is beyond time and space and hence has no beginning, middle, or end.
Of the letters, I am the letter ‘A’; of the compounds, I am dual; I am the eternal time and the Creator whose face is everywhere. (X; 33)
I am the devouring death, I am the origin and the potential of things. Of women, I am fame, grace, eloquence, poise, memory, endurance, and forgiveness. (X; 34)
Of hymns, I am Brihatsaman; of mantras, I am Gayatri; of months, I am Margasirsa; and of seasons, I am the blossom time (spring). (X; 35)
Of deceit, I am gambling; of the magnificent, I am the radiance; in the winners, I am victory; I am effort and the virtue of the virtuous. (X; 36)
Of the Vrisnis, I am Vasudeva; of the Pandavas, I am Dhananjaya; of the sages, I am Vyasa; and of the seers, I am Usana. (X; 37)
- Vasudeva is another name for Lord Krishna as the scion of the Vrisnis clan.
- Dhananjaya is another name for Arjuna, meaning the winner of wealth.
- Sage Vyasa is the author of the Mahabharata.
- The seer Ushanacharya is the wisest of seers.
I am the scepter of those who chastise; of those who seek success, I am expediency; of secrets, I am silence; and of the wise, I am wisdom. (X; 38)
O Arjuna! Whatever is the seed of all existence, that I am. No being in motion or inert can exist without being sustained by Me. (X; 39)
The word Krishna sources from the word ‘Krishi’, meaning agriculture or the sowing of seeds. Thus, Lord Krishna sows the seed of human awareness by which we can become witnesses of the play. But he cannot germinate the seed – the power of germination lies in the seed itself. Only after germination do we attain the witness state and enjoy the play.
O Arjuna! My Divine manifestations are endless. Whatever I have narrated is only a fraction of it. (X; 40)
Whatever being there is that surpasses in excellence, élan, and valor, know that to be born from a wee fraction of My magnificence. (X; 41)
When the rays of the Sun fall on the desert sands, they sparkle. Likewise, men are not born great, but they gain luster when the rays of Divine Grace fall upon them. Lord Krishna, in His modesty, refers to it as a wee fraction of Himself, but in reality, even a fleeting glance of the Divine is sufficient for one’s fortune to rise.
God is what He is; we cannot analyze His magnificence. Says Kabir:
“How can I say He is like this or that?
If I say He is within me, the outer world blushes;
If I say He is outside, it is falsehood.
For Him, the inner and outer worlds,
The conscious and the unconscious are indivisible.
He is neither revealed nor hidden;
There are no words that can describe Him.”