6 They move in me as the winds move in every direction in space.
7 At the end of the eon these creatures return to unmanifested matter; at the beginning of the next cycle I send them forth again.
8 Controlling my prakriti, again and again I bring forth these myriad forms and subject them to the laws of prakriti.
9 None of these actions binds me, Arjuna. I am unattached to them, so they do not disturb my nature.
10 Under my watchful eye the laws of nature take their course. Thusis the world set in motion; thus the animate and the inanimate are created.
11 The immature do not look beyond physical appearances to see mytrue nature as the Lord of all creation.
12 The knowledge of such deluded people is empty; their lives are fraught with disaster and evil, and their work and hopes are all in vain.
13 But truly great souls seek my divine nature. They worship me with a one-pointed mind, having realized that I am the eternal source of all.
14 Constantly striving, they make firm their resolve and worship me without wavering. Full of devotion, they sing of my divine glory.
15 Others follow the path of jnana, spiritual wisdom. They see that where there is One, that One is me; where there are many, all are me; they see my face everywhere.
16 I am the ritual and the sacrifice; I am true medicine and themantram. I am the offering and the fire which consumes it, and the one to whom it is offered.
17 I am the father and mother of this universe, and its grandfathertoo; I am its entire support. I am the sum of all knowledge, the purifier, the syllable Om; I am the sacred scriptures, the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas.
18 I am the goal of life, the Lord and support of all, the innerwitness, the abode of all. I am the only refuge, the one true friend; I am the beginning, the staying, and the end of creation; I am the womb and the eternal seed.
19 I am heat; I give and withhold the rain. I am immortality and I amdeath; I am what is and what is not.
20 Those who follow the rituals given in the Vedas, who offersacrifices and take soma, free themselves from evil and attain the vast heaven of the gods, where they enjoy celestial pleasures.
21 When they have enjoyed these fully, their merit is exhausted and they return to this land of death. Thus observing Vedic rituals but caught in an endless chain of desires, they come and go.
22 Those who worship me and meditate on me constantly, withoutany other thought – I will provide for all their needs.
23 Those who worship other gods with faith and devotion alsoworship me, Arjuna, even if they do not observe the usual forms.
24 I am the object of all worship, its enjoyer and Lord. But those who fail to realize my true nature must be reborn.
25 Those who worship the devas will go to the realm of the devas; those who worship their ancestors will be united with them after death. Those who worship phantoms will become phantoms; but my devotees will come to me.
26 Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart – a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water – I accept with joy.
27 Whatever you do, make it an offering to me – the food you eat, the sacrifices you make, the help you give, even your suffering.
28 In this way you will be freed from the bondage of karma, and from its results both pleasant and painful. Then, firm in renunciation and yoga, with your heart free, you will come to me.
29 I look upon all creatures equally; none are less dear to me andnone more dear. But those who worship me with love live in me, and I come to life in them.
30 Even sinners become holy when they take refuge in me alone.
31 Quickly their souls conform to dharma and they attain to boundless peace. Never forget this, Arjuna: no one who is devoted to me will ever come to harm.
32 All those who take refuge in me, whatever their birth, race, sex, or caste, will attain the supreme goal; this realization can be attained even by those whom society scorns.
33 Kings and sages too seek this goal with devotion. Therefore, having been born in this transient and forlorn world, give all your love to me.
34 Fill your mind with me; love me; serve me; worship me always. Seeking me in your heart, you will at last be united with me.
Chapter Ten, Divine Splendor
Krishna goes deeper into the revelation of his divine being, revealing himself as the source from which all things come, the One who is the reality behind the many. Though the source of all virtues, he is also the ultimate reality that transcends all opposites. Thus he is both happiness and suffering, birth and death, being and nonbeing. Like the Brahman of the Upanishads, he is beyond duality, utterly beyond the constricting categories of the things of this world. His true nature is beyond the reach of thought. He can only be known in the state of samadhi, where knower and known become one.
Arjuna calls Krishna Purushottama, “the supreme Purusha, the supreme Person.” Krishna is now no human charioteer but Bhagavan, “the munificent Lord”; and Arjuna, leaving his warrior persona behind, now stands revealed as a seeker after truth. At Arjuna’s request, Krishna now reveals a few of his divine powers and attributes (vibhutis).
From this point on the chapter becomes difficult because of the many unfamiliar names that are mentioned. In whatever category, Krishna is the chief, the best, the most intense, the most beautiful, the most awesome, the essence. Many of the allusions will be familiar – for example, among rivers Krishna is the Ganges. But many of the names come from Hindu mythology and are not well known. There is no room here to explain every name, but the following paragraphs will highlight a few of importance.
First, Krishna is the Atman, the inner Self in all beings. It is fitting that this be mentioned first, for of all his myriad manifestations this is the most important, at least to the struggling spiritual aspirant that is Arjuna. Krishna is Arjuna’s innermost Self, and that is how he is to be known in contemplation. Of all the forms in which to meditate upon Krishna, the Atman is mentioned first.
Krishna is Vishnu, the great compassionate, sustaining God of the Hindu faith. It is Vishnu who cares so much about the sufferings of Mother Earth and her children that he comes to earth again and again, in age after age, to relieve oppression and renew righteousness.
Krishna is the sun, worshipped in India since ancient times. He is Indra, the chief of the Vedic gods, the lord of storm and battle, who hurls the thunderbolt against the enemies of the gods. In Vedic religion he is a mighty lord, not to be trifled with, but later on he must admit defeat at the hands of Krishna, who protects the people from Indra’s stormy wrath.
Krishna is also Shankara, the more beneficent aspect of the awesome deity Rudra, better known as Shiva. Among mountains Krishna is Meru, the high mountain home of Shiva and the other gods, the highest peak and center of the world. Krishna is consciousness, the syllable Om, and the mantram or holy name. He is the mythic horse and the fabulous elephant that were produced when the cosmic ocean was churned for the elixir of immortality.
Krishna is Ananta, the cosmic serpent on which Lord Vishnu sleeps. He is Varuna, Vedic god of the oceans, and Yama, the god of death; among demons (asuras) he is Prahlada, who, though born in the race of demons, was devoted to God and never swayed in his love, even when his own father tried to kill him. And of course Krishna is Rama, the great warriorprince – also an incarnation of Vishnu – whose exploits are told in the immortal epic, the Ramayana.
Of all fields of knowledge, Krishna says, he is knowledge of the Self.
The study of Sanskrit and its grammar were important in ancient India, and Krishna doesn’t neglect this field. He is A among letters; among compound words he is the dvandva, which joins equals. He is the Gayatri – a particular meter found in the poetry of the Vedas, but generally taken to be a famous prayer from the Rig Veda (iii.62.10) composed in that meter, which has been chanted every morning by countless worshippers for three thousand years.
It is fitting that among seasons Krishna is the spring, the season of flowers. Less easily understood is his claim to be the gambling of gamblers. Krishna has a sense of play, and as gambling is the obsession of the gambler, it seems natural that Krishna might claim this as a vibhuti. Also, in ancient India gambling was considered a royal pastime, and no king of repute would refuse a friendly game of dice.
In the human realm, Krishna is the “son of Vasudeva,” a prince of the Vrishni line – in other words, the human form that is Arjuna’s friend and charioteer. He is also Arjuna! And he is Vyasa, the composer of the Gita – indeed, of the whole Mahabharata.
Wherever Arjuna finds strength, beauty, or power, Krishna concludes, he should recognize it as coming from a spark of Krishna’s glory. Then, after overwhelming Arjuna with this stupendous list of divine powers and revelations, Krishna asks casually, “But what use is it to
