Bhagavad-gita As It Is
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
CHAPTER TEN
Bg10.24
TEXT 24
purodhasam ca mukhyam mam
viddhi partha brhaspatim
senaninam aham skandah
sarasam asmi sagarah
purodhasam—of all priests; ca—also; mukhyam—chief; mam—Me; viddhi—understand; partha—O son of Prtha; brhaspatim—Brhaspati; senaninam—of all commanders; aham—I am; skandah—Kartikeya; sarasam—of all reservoirs of water; asmi—I am; sagarah—the ocean.
TRANSLATION
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.
PURPORT
Indra is the chief demigod of the heavenly planets and is known as the king of the heavens. The planet in which he reigns is called Indraloka. Brhaspati is Indra’s priest, and since Indra is the chief of all kings, Brhaspati is the chief of all priests. And as Indra is the chief of all kings, similarly Skanda, the son of Parvati and Lord Siva, is the chief of all military commanders. And of all bodies of water, the ocean is the greatest. These representations of Krsna only give hints of His greatness. Bg10.25 TEXT 25 maharsinam bhrgur aham giram asmy ekam aksaram yajnanam japa-yajno ’smi sthavaranam himalayah maharsinam—among the great sages; bhrguh—Bhrgu; aham—I am; giram—of vibrations; asmi—I am; ekam aksaram—pranava; yajnanam—of sacrifices; japa-yajnah—chanting; asmi—I am; sthavaranam—of immovable things; himalayah—the Himalayan mountains. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT Brahma, the first living creature within the universe, created several sons for the propagation of various kinds of species. The most powerful of his sons is Bhrgu, who is also the greatest sage. Of all the transcendental vibrations, the “om” (omkara) represents the Supreme. Of all the sacrifices, the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the purest representation of Krsna. Sometimes animal sacrifices are recommended, but in the sacrifice of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, there is no question of violence. It is the simplest and the purest. Whatever is sublime in the worlds is a representation of Krsna. Therefore the Himalayas, the greatest mountains in the world, also represent Him. The mountain named Meru was mentioned in a previous verse, but Meru is sometimes movable, whereas the Himalayas are never movable. Thus the Himalayas are greater than Meru. Bg10.26 TEXT 26 asvatthah sarva-vrksanam devarsinam ca naradah gandharvanam citrarathah siddhanam kapilo munih asvatthah—the banyan tree; sarva-vrksanam—of all trees; devarsinam—of all the sages amongst the demigods; ca—and; naradah—Narada; gandharvanam—the citizens of the Gandharva planet; citrarathah—Citraratha; siddhanam—of all those who are perfected; kapilah munih—Kapila Muni. TRANSLATION Of all trees I am the holy fig tree, and amongst 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. PURPORT The fig tree (asvattha) is one of the most beautiful and highest trees, and people in India often worship it as one of their daily morning rituals. Amongst the demigods they also worship Narada, who is considered the greatest devotee in the universe. Thus he is the representation of Krsna as a devotee. The Gandharva planet is filled with entities who sing beautifully, and among them the best singer is Citraratha. Amongst the perpetually living entities, Kapila is considered an incarnation of Krsna, and His philosophy is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Later on another Kapila became famous, but his philosophy was atheistic. Thus there is a gulf of difference between them. Bg10.27 TEXT 27 uccaihsravasam asvanam viddhi mam amrtodbhavam airavatam gajendranam naranam ca naradhipam uccaihsravasam—Uccaihsrava; asvanam—among horses; viddhi—know; mam—Me; amrta-udbhavam—produced from the churning of the ocean; airavatam—Airavata; gajendranam—of elephants; naranam—among human beings; ca—and; naradhipam—the king. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT The devotee demigods and the demons (asuras) once took a sea journey. On this journey, nectar and poison were produced, and Lord Siva drank the poison. From the nectar were produced many entities, of which there was a horse named Uccaihsrava. Another animal produced from the nectar was an elephant named Airavata. Because these two animals were produced from nectar, they have special significance, and they are representatives of Krsna. Amongst the human beings, the king is the representative of Krsna because Krsna is the maintainer of the universe, and the kings, who are appointed on account of their godly qualifications, are maintainers of their kingdoms. Kings like Maharaja Yudhisthira, Maharaja Pariksit and Lord Rama were all highly righteous kings who always thought of the citizens’ welfare. In Vedic literature, the king is considered to be the representative of God. In this age, however, with the corruption of the principles of religion, monarchy decayed and is now finally abolished. It is to be understood that in the past, however, people were more happy under righteous kings. Bg10.28 TEXT 28 ayudhanam aham vajram dhenunam asmi kamadhuk prajanas casmi kandarpah sarpanam asmi vasukih ayudhanam—of all weapons; aham—I am; vajram—the thunderbolt; dhenunam—of cows; asmi—I am; kamadhuk—the surabhi cows; prajanah—for begetting children; ca—and; asmi—I am; kandarpah—Cupid; sarpanam—of all snakes; asmi—I am; vasukih—Vasuki. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT The thunderbolt, indeed a mighty weapon, represents Krsna’s power. In Krsnaloka in the spiritual sky there are cows which can be milked at any time, and they give as much milk as one likes. Of course such cows do not exist in this material world, but there is mention of them in Krsnaloka. The Lord keeps many such cows, which are called surabhi. It is stated that the Lord is engaged in herding the surabhi cows. Kandarpa is the sex desire for presenting good sons; therefore Kandarpa is the representative of Krsna. Sometimes sex is engaged in only for sense gratification; such sex does not represent Krsna. But sex for the generation of good children is called Kandarpa and represents Krsna. Bg10.29 TEXT 29 anantas casmi naganam varuno yadasam aham pitrnam aryama casmi yamah samyamatam aham anantah—Ananta; ca—also; asmi—I am; naganam—of all serpents; varunah—the demigod controlling the water; yadasam—of all aquatics; aham—I am; pitrnam—of the ancestors; aryama—Aryama; ca—also; asmi—I am; yamah—the controller of death; samyamatam—of all regulators; aham—I am. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT Among the many celestial Naga serpents, Ananta is the greatest, as is Varuna among the aquatics. They both represent Krsna. There is also a planet of trees presided over by Aryama, who represents Krsna. There are many living entities who give punishment to the miscreants, and among them Yama is the chief. Yama is situated in a planet near this earthly planet, and after death those who are very sinful are taken there, and Yama arranges different kinds of punishments for them. Bg10.30 TEXT 30 prahladas casmi daityanam kalah kalayatam aham mrganam ca mrgendro ’ham vainateyas ca paksinam prahladah—Prahlada; ca—also; asmi—I am; daityanam—of the demons; kalah—time; kalayatam—of subduers; aham—I am; mrganam—of animals; ca—and; mrgendrah—the lion; aham—I am; vainateyah—Garuda; ca—also; paksinam—of birds. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT Diti and Aditi are two sisters. The sons of Aditi are called Adityas, and the sons of Diti are called Daityas. All the Adityas are devotees of the Lord, and all the Daityas are atheistic. Although Prahlada was born in the family of the Daityas, he was a great devotee from his childhood. Because of his devotional service and godly nature, he is considered to be a representative of Krsna. There are many subduing principles, but time wears down all things in the material universe and so represents Krsna. Of the many animals, the lion is the most powerful and ferocious, and of the million varieties of birds, Garuda, the bearer of Lord Visnu, is the greatest. Bg10.31 TEXT 31 pavanah pavatam asmi ramah sastra-bhrtam aham jhasanam makaras casmi srotasam asmi jahnavi pavanah—the wind; pavatam—of all that purifies; asmi—I am; ramah—Rama; sastra-bhrtam—of the carriers of weapons; aham—I am; jhasanam—of all aquatics; makarah—shark; ca asmi—I am also; srotasam—of flowing rivers; asmi—I am; jahnavi—the River Ganges. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT Of all the aquatics the shark is one of the biggest and is certainly the most dangerous to man. Thus the shark represents Krsna. And of rivers, the greatest in India is the Mother Ganges. Lord Ramacandra, of the Ramayana, an incarnation of Krsna, is the mightest of warriors. Bg10.32 TEXT 32 sarganam adir antas ca madhyam caivaham arjuna adhyatma-vidya vidyanam vadah pravadatam aham sarganam—of all creations; adih—beginning; antah—end; ca—and; madhyam—middle; ca—also; eva—certainly; aham—I am; arjuna—O Arjuna; adhyatma-vidya—spiritual knowledge; vidyanam—of all education; vadah—natural conclusion; pravadatam—of arguments; aham—I am. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT Among created manifestations, the total material elements are first created by Maha-Visnu and are annihilated by Lord Siva. Brahma is the secondary creator. All these created elements are different incarnations of the material qualities of the Supreme Lord; therefore He is the beginning, the middle and the end of all creation. Regarding the spiritual science of the Self, there are many literatures, such as the four Vedas, the Vedanta-sutra and the Puranas, the Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Gita. These are all representatives of Krsna. Among logicians there are different stages of argument. The presentation of evidence is called japa. The attempt to defeat one another is called vitanda, and the final conclusion is called vada. The conclusive truth, the end of all reasoning processes, is Krsna. Bg10.33 TEXT 33 aksaranam a-karo ’smi dvandvah samasikasya ca aham evaksayah kalo dhataham visvato-mukhah aksaranam—of letters; akarah—the first; asmi—I am; dvandvah—dual; samasikasya—compounds; ca—and; aham—I am; eva—certainly; aksayah—eternal; kalah—time; dhata—creator; aham—I am; visvato-mukhah—Brahma. TRANSLATION Of letters I am the letter A, and among compounds I am the dual word. I am also inexhaustable time, and of creators I am Brahma, whose manifold faces turn everywhere. PURPORT Akara, the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, is the beginning of the Vedic literature. Without akara, nothing can be sounded; therefore it is the beginning of sound. In Sanskrit there are also many compound words, of which the dual word, like Rama-krsna, is called dvandvah. For instance, Rama and Krsna have the same rhythm and therefore are called dual. Among all kinds of killers, time is the ultimate because time kills everything. Time is the representative of Krsna because in due course of time there will be a great fire and everything will be annihilated. Among the creators and living entities, Brahma is the chief. The various Brahmas exhibit four, eight, sixteen, etc., heads accordingly, and they are the chief creators in their respective universes. The Brahmas are representatives of Krsna. Bg10.34 TEXT 34 mrtyuh sarva-haras caham udbhavas ca bhavisyatam kirtih srir vak ca narinam smrtir medha dhrtih ksama mrtyuh—death; sarva-harah—all-devouring; ca—also; aham—I am; udbhavah—generation; ca—also; bhavisyatam—of the future; kirtih—fame; srih vak—beautiful speech; ca—also; narinam—of women; smrtih—memory; medha—intelligence; dhrtih—faithfulness; ksama—patience. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT As soon as a man is born, he dies at every moment. Thus death is devouring every living entity at every moment, but the last stroke is called death itself. That death is Krsna. All species of life undergo six basic changes. They are born, they grow, they remain for some time, they reproduce, they dwindle and finally vanish. Of these changes, the first is deliverance from the womb, and that is Krsna. The first generation is the beginning of all future activities. The six opulences listed are considered to be feminine. If a woman possesses all of them or some of them she becomes glorious. Sanskrit is a perfect language and is therefore very glorious. After studying, if one can remember the subject matter, he is gifted with good memory, or smrti One need not read many books on different subject matters; the ability to remember a few and quote them when necessary is also another opulence. Bg10.35 TEXT 35 brhat-sama tatha samnam gayatri chandasam aham masanam marga-sirso ’ham rtunam kusumakarah brhat-sama—the Brhat-sama; tatha—also; samnam—of the Sama-veda song; gayatri—the Gayatri hymns; chandasam—of all poetry; aham—I am; masanam—of months; marga-sirso ’ham—the month of November-December; aham—I am; rtunam—of all seasons; kusumakarah—spring. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT It has already been explained by the Lord that amongst all the Vedas, the Sama-veda is rich with beautiful songs played by the various demigods. One of these songs is the Brhat-sama, which has an exquisite melody and is sung at midnight. In Sanskrit, there are definite rules that regulate poetry; rhyme and meter are not written whimsically, as in much modern poetry. Amongst the regulated poetry, the Gayatri mantra, which is chanted by the duly qualified brahmanas, is the most prominent. The Gayatri mantra is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because the Gayatri mantra is especially meant for God realization, it represents the Supreme Lord. This mantra is meant for spiritually advanced people, and when one attains success in chanting it, he can enter into the transcendental position of the Lord. One must first acquire the qualities of the perfectly situated person, the qualities of goodness according to the laws of material nature, in order to chant the Gayatri mantra. The Gayatri mantra is very important in Vedic civilization and is considered to be the sound incarnation of Brahman. Brahma is its initiator, and it is passed down from him in disciplic succession. The months of November and December are considered the best of all months because in India grains are collected from the fields at this time, and the people become very happy. Of course spring is a season universally liked because it is neither too hot nor too cold, and the flowers and trees blossom and flourish. In spring there are also many ceremonies commemorating Krsna’s pastimes; therefore this is considered to be the most joyful of all seasons, and it is the representative of the Supreme Lord Krsna. Bg10.36 TEXT 36 dyutam chalayatam asmi tejas tejasvinam aham jayo ’smi vyavasayo ’smi sattvam sattvavatam aham dyutam—gambling; chalayatam—of all cheats; asmi—I am; tejah—splendid; tejasvinam—of everything splendid; aham—I am; jayah—victory; asmi—I am; vyavasayah—adventure; asmi—I am; sattvam—strength; sattvavatam—of all the strong; aham—I am. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT There are many kinds of cheaters all over the universe. Of all cheating processes, gambling stands supreme and therefore represents Krsna. As the Supreme, Krsna can be more deceitful than any mere man. If Krsna chooses to deceive a person, no one can surpass Him in His deceit. His greatness is not simply one-sided—it is all-sided. Among the victorious, He is victory. He is the splendor of the splendid. Among enterprising industrialists, He is the most enterprising. Among adventurers, He is the most adventurous, and among the strong, He is the strongest. When Krsna was present on earth, no one could surpass Him in strength. Even in His childhood He lifted Govardhana Hill. No one can surpass Him in cheating, no one can surpass Him in splendor, no one can surpass Him in victory, no one can surpass Him in enterprise, and no one can surpass Him in strength. Bg10.37 TEXT 37 vrsninam vasudevo ’smi pandavanam dhananjayah muninam apy aham vyasah kavinam usana kavih vrsninam—of the descendants of Vrsni; vasudevah—Krsna in Dvaraka; asmi—I am; pandavanam—of the Pandavas; dhananjayah—Arjuna; muninam—of the sages; api—also; aham—I am; vyasah—Vyasa, the compiler of all Vedic literature; kavinam—of all great thinkers; usana—Usana; kavih—the thinker. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT Krsna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Vasudeva is the immediate expansion of Krsna. Both Lord Krsna and Baladeva appear as the sons of Vasudeva. Amongst the sons of Pandu, Arjuna is famous and valiant. Indeed, he is the best of men and therefore represents Krsna. Among the munis, or learned men conversant in Vedic knowledge, Vyasa is the greatest because he explained Vedic knowledge in many different ways for the understanding of the common mass of people in this age of Kali. And Vyasa is also known as an incarnation of Krsna; therefore Vyasa also represents Krsna. Kavis are those who are capable of thinking thoroughly on any subject matter. Among the kavis, Usana was the spiritual master of the demons; he was extremely intelligent, far-seeing, political and spiritual in every way. Thus Usana is another representative of the opulence of Krsna. Bg10.38 TEXT 38 dando damayatam asmi nitir asmi jigisatam maunam caivasmi guhyanam jnanam jnanavatam aham dandah—punishment; damayatam—of all separation; asmi—I am; nitih—morality; asmi—I am; jigisatam—of the victorious; maunam—silence; ca—and; eva—also; asmi—I am; guhyanam—of secrets; jnanam—knowledge; jnanavatam—of the wise; aham—I am. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT There are many suppressing agents, of which the most important are those that cut down the miscreants. When miscreants are punished, the rod of chastisement represents Krsna. Among those who are trying to be victorious in some field of activity, the most victorious element is morality. Among the confidential activities of hearing, thinking and meditating, silence is most important because by silence one can make progress very quickly. The wise man is he who can discriminate between matter and spirit, between God’s superior and inferior natures. Such knowledge is Krsna Himself. Bg10.39 TEXT 39 yac capi sarva-bhutanam bijam tad aham arjuna na tad asti vina yat syan maya bhutam caracaram yat—whatever; ca—also; api—may be; sarva-bhutanam—of all creations; bijam—the seed; tat—that; aham—I am; arjuna—O Arjuna; na—not; tat—that; asti—there is; vina—without; yat—that; syat—exists; maya—by Me; bhutam—created; caracaram—moving and unmoving. TRANSLATION Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being—moving or unmoving—that can exist without Me. PURPORT Everything has a cause, and that cause or seed of manifestation is Krsna. Without Krsna’s energy, nothing can exist; therefore He is called omnipotent. Without His potency, neither the movable nor the unmovable can exist. Whatever existence is not founded on the energy of Krsna is called maya, that which is not. Bg10.40 TEXT 40 nanto ’sti mama divyanam vibhutinam parantapa esa tuddesatah prokto vibhuter vistaro maya na—nor; antah—a limit; asti—is there; mama—of My; divyanam—divine; vibhutinam—opulences; parantapa—O conquerer of the enemies; esah—all this; tu—that; uddesatah—examples; proktah—spoken; vibhuteh—opulences; vistarah—expanded; maya—by Me. TRANSLATION 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. PURPORT As stated in the Vedic literature, although the opulences and energies of the Supreme are understood in various ways, there is no limit to such opulences; therefore not all the opulences and energies can be explained. Simply a few examples are being described to Arjuna to pacify his inquisitiveness. Bg10.41 TEXT 41 yad yad vibhutimat sattvam srimad urjitam eva va tat tad evavagaccha tvam mama tejo-’msa-sambhavam yat yat—whatever; vibhuti—opulences; mat—having; sattvam—existence; srimat—beautiful; urjitam—glorious; eva—certainly; va—or; tat tat—all those; eva—certainly; avagaccha—you must know; tvam—you; mama—My; tejah—splendor; amsa—partly; sambhavam—born of. TRANSLATION Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor. PURPORT Any glorious or beautiful existence should be understood to be but a fragmental manifestation of Krsna’s opulence, whether it be in the spiritual or material world. Anything extraordinarily opulent should be considered to represent Krsna’s opulence. Bg10.42 TEXT 42 atha va bahunaitena kim jnatena tavarjuna vistabhyaham idam krtsnam ekamsena sthito jagat athava—or; bahuna—many; etena—by this kind; kim—what; jnatena—knowing; tava—you; arjuna—O Arjuna; vistabhya—entire; aham—I; idam—this; krtsnam—all manifestations; eka—one; amsena—part; sthithah—situated; jagat—in the universe. TRANSLATION But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe. PURPORT The Supreme Lord is represented throughout the entire material universes by His entering into all things as the Supersoul. The Lord here tells Arjuna that there is no point in understanding how things exist in their separate opulence and grandeur. He should know that all things are existing due to Krsna’s entering them as Supersoul. From Brahma, the most gigantic entity, on down to the smallest ant, all are existing because the Lord has entered each and all and is sustaining them. Worship of demigods is discouraged herein because even the greatest demigods like Brahma and Siva only represent part of the opulence of the Supreme Lord. He is the origin of everyone born, and no one is greater than Him. He is samata, which means that no one is superior to Him and that no one is equal to Him. In the Visnu-mantra it is said that one who considers the Supreme Lord Krsna in the same category with demigods—be they even Brahma or Siva—becomes at once an atheist. If, however, one thoroughly studies the different descriptions of the opulences and expansions of Krsna’s energy, then one can understand without any doubt the position of Lord Sri Krsna and can fix his mind in the worship of Krsna without deviation. The Lord is all-pervading by the expansion of His partial representation, the Supersoul, who enters into everything that is. Pure devotees, therefore, concentrate their minds in Krsna consciousness in full devotional service; therefore they are always situated in the transcendental position. Devotional service and worship of Krsna are very clearly indicated in this chapter in verses eight to eleven. That is the way of pure devotional service. How one can attain the highest devotional perfection of association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead has been thoroughly explained in this chapter. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Tenth Chapter of the Srimad-Bhagavad-gita in the matter of the Opulence of the Absolute.