Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (79 page)

Kṛṣṇa first informs Arjuna that He is the Self or soul of the entire cosmic manifestation by dint of His primary expansion. Before the material creation, the Supreme Lord, by His plenary expansion, accepts the Puruṣa incarnations, and from Him everything begins. Therefore He is
ātmā,
the soul of the
mahat-tattva,
the universal elements. The total material energy is not the cause of the creation, but actually the Mahā-Visṇu enters into the
mahat-tattva,
the total material energy. He is the soul. When Mahā-Viṣṇu enters into the manifested universes, He again manifests Himself as the Supersoul in each and every entity. We have experience that the personal body of the living entity exists due to the presence of the spiritual spark. Without the existence of the spiritual spark, the body cannot develop. Similarly, the material manifestation cannot develop unless the Supreme Soul of Kṛṣṇa enters.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is existing as the Supersoul in all manifested universes. A description of the three
puruṣa-avatāras
is
given in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests three features, as Kāraṇodakaśāyī Visṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, in this material manifestation." The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, the cause of all causes, lies down in the cosmic ocean as Mahā-Viṣṇu or Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and therefore Kṛṣṇa is the beginning of this universe, the maintainer of the universal manifestation, and the end of all the energy.

Bg 10.21

TEXT 21

TEXT

ādityānām ahaṁ viṣṇur

jyotiṣāṁ ravir aṁśumān

marīcir marutām asmi

nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī

SYNONYMS

ādityānām
-of the Ādityas;
aham-
I am;
viṣṇuḥ-
the Supreme Lord;
jyotiṣām-
of all luminaries;
raviḥ-
the sun;
aṁśumān
-radiant;
marīciḥ-
Marīci;
marutām
-of the Marutas;
asmi
-I am;
nakṣatrāṇām
-of stars;
aham-
I am;
śaśī
-the moon.

TRANSLATION

Of the Ādityas I am Viṣṇu, of lights I am the radiant sun, I am Marīci of the Maruts, and among the stars I am the moon.

PURPORT

There are twelve Ādityas, of which Kṛṣṇa is the principal. And among all the luminaries twinkling in the sky, the sun is the chief, and in the
Brahma-saṁhitā
the sun is accepted as the glowing effulgence of the Supreme Lord and is considered to be one of His eyes. Marīci is the controlling deity of the heavenly spaces. Among the stars, the moon is most prominent at night, and thus the moon represents Kṛṣṇa.

Bg 10.22

TEXT 22

TEXT

vedānāṁ sāma-vedo 'smi

devānām asmi vāsavaḥ

indriyāṇāṁ manaś cāsmi

bhūtānām asmi cetanā

SYNONYMS

vedānām
-of all the
Vedas
;
sāma-vedaḥ-
the
Sāma-veda; asmi-
I am;
devānām
-of all the demigods;
asmi
-I am;
vāsavaḥ-
heavenly king;
indriyāṇām-
of all the senses;
manaḥ
-the mind;
ca
-also;
asmi
-I am;
bhūtānām
-of all living entities;
asmi-
I am;
cetanā
-the living force.

TRANSLATION

Of the Vedas I am the Sāma-veda; of the demigods I am Indra; of the senses I am the mind, and in living beings I am the living force [knowledge].

PURPORT

The difference between matter and spirit is that matter has no consciousness like the living entity; therefore this consciousness is supreme and eternal. Consciousness cannot be produced by a combination of matter.

Bg 10.23

TEXT 23

TEXT

rudrāṇāṁ śaṅkaraś cāsmi

vitteśo yakṣa-rakṣasām

vasūnāṁ pāvakaś cāsmi

meruḥ śikhariṇām aham

SYNONYMS

rudrāṇām-
of all the Rudras;
śaṅkaraḥ-
Lord Śiva;
ca-
also;
asmi-
I am;
vitteśaḥ-
the lord of the treasury;
yakṣa-rakṣasām-
of the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas;
vasūnām-
of the Vasus;
pāvakaḥ-
fire;
ca-
also;
asmi-
I am;
meruḥ-
Meru;
śikhariṇām-
of all mountains;
aham-
I am.

TRANSLATION

Of all the Rudras I am Lord Śiva; of the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas I am the lord of wealth [Kuvera]; of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of the mountains I am Meru.

PURPORT

There are eleven Rudras, of whom Śaṅkara, Lord Śiva, is predominant. He is the incarnation of the Supreme Lord in charge of the modes of ignorance in the universe. Among the demigods Kuvera is the chief treasurer, and he is a representation of the Supreme Lord. Meru is a mountain famed for its rich natural resources.

Bg 10.24

TEXT 24

TEXT

purodhasāṁ ca mukhyaṁ māṁ

viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim

senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ

sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ

SYNONYMS

purodhasām-
of all priests;
ca
-also;
mukhyam-
chief;
mām
-Me;
viddhi-
understand;
pārtha-
O son of Pṛthā;
bṛhaspatim-
Bṛhaspati;
senānīnām
-of all commanders;
aham
-I am;
skandaḥ
-Kārtikeya;
sarasām
-of all reservoirs of water;
asmi
-I am;
sāgaraḥ
-the ocean.

TRANSLATION

Of priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Bṛhaspati, 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. Bṛhaspati is Indra's priest, and since Indra is the chief of all kings, Bṛhaspati is the chief of all priests. And as Indra is the chief of all kings, similarly Skanda, the son of Pārvatī and Lord Śiva, is the chief of all military commanders. And of all bodies of water, the ocean is the greatest. These representations of Kṛṣṇa only give hints of His greatness.

Bg 10.25

TEXT 25

TEXT

maharṣīṇāṁ bhṛgur ahaṁ

girām asmy ekam akṣaram

yajñānāṁ japa-yajño 'smi

sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ

SYNONYMS

maharṣīṇām-
among the great sages;
bhṛguḥ-
Bhṛgu;
aham
-I am;
girām
-of vibrations;
asmi-
I am;
ekam akṣaram-praṇava; yajñānām-
of sacrifices;
japa-yajñaḥ-
chanting;
asmi-
I am;
sthāvarāṇām-
of immovable things;
himālayaḥ-
the Himalayan mountains.

TRANSLATION

Of the great sages I am Bhṛgu; 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

Brahmā, 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 Bhṛgu, 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 Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is the purest representation of Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes animal sacrifices are recommended, but in the sacrifice of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, there is no question of violence. It is the simplest and the purest. Whatever is sublime in the worlds is a representation of Kṛṣṇa. 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.

Bg 10.26

TEXT 26

TEXT

aśvatthaḥ sarva-vṛkṣāṇāṁ

devarṣīṇāṁ ca nāradaḥ

gandharvāṇāṁ citrarathaḥ

siddhānāṁ kapilo muniḥ

SYNONYMS

aśvatthaḥ-
the banyan tree;
sarva-vṛkṣāṇām-
of all trees;
devarṣīṇām
-of all the sages amongst the demigods;
ca-
and;
nāradaḥ-
Nārada;
gandharvāṇām-
the citizens of the Gandharva planet;
citrarathaḥ-
Citraratha;
siddhānām-
of all those who are perfected;
kapilaḥ muniḥ-
Kapila Muni.

TRANSLATION

Of all trees I am the holy fig tree, and amongst sages and demigods I am Nārada. Of the singers of the gods [Gandharvas] I am Citraratha, and among perfected beings I am the sage Kapila.

PURPORT

The fig tree (
aśvattha
) 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 Nārada, who is considered the greatest devotee in the universe. Thus he is the representation of Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa, and His philosophy is mentioned in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Later on another Kapila became famous, but his philosophy was atheistic. Thus there is a gulf of difference between them.

Bg 10.27

TEXT 27

TEXT

uccaiḥśravasam aśvānāṁ

viddhi mām amṛtodbhavam

airāvataṁ gajendrāṇāṁ

narāṇāṁ ca narādhipam

SYNONYMS

uccaiḥśravasam-
Uccaiḥśravā;
aśvānām-
among horses;
viddhi-
know;
mām-
Me;
amṛta-udbhavam-
produced from the churning of the ocean;
airāvatam-
Airāvata;
gajendrāṇām-
of elephants;
narāṇām-
among human beings;
ca-
and;
narādhipam-
the king.

TRANSLATION

Of horses know Me to be Uccaiḥśravā, who rose out of the ocean, born of the elixir of immortality; of lordly elephants I am Airāvata, 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 Śiva drank the poison. From the nectar were produced many entities, of which there was a horse named Uccaiḥśravā. Another animal produced from the nectar was an elephant named Airāvata. Because these two animals were produced from nectar, they have special significance, and they are representatives of Kṛṣṇa.

Amongst the human beings, the king is the representative of Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa 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 Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Lord Rāma 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.

Bg 10.28

TEXT 28

TEXT

āyudhānām ahaṁ vajraṁ

dhenūnām asmi kāmadhuk

prajanaś cāsmi kandarpaḥ

sarpāṇām asmi vāsukiḥ

SYNONYMS

āyudhānām
-of all weapons;
aham
-I am;
vajram
-the thunderbolt;
dhenūnām
-of cows;
asmi
-I am;
kāmadhuk
-the
surabhi
cows;
prajanaḥ
-for begetting children;
ca
-and;
asmi-
I am;
kandarpaḥ
-Cupid;
sarpāṇām
-of all snakes;
asmi
-I am;
vāsukiḥ
-Vāsuki.

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 Vāsuki, the chief.

PURPORT

The thunderbolt, indeed a mighty weapon, represents Kṛṣṇa's power. In Kṛṣṇaloka 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 Kṛṣṇaloka. 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 Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes sex is engaged in only for sense gratification; such sex does not represent Kṛṣṇa. But sex for the generation of good children is called Kandarpa and represents Kṛṣṇa.

Bg 10.29

TEXT 29

TEXT

anantaś cāsmi nāgānāṁ

varuṇo yādasām aham

pitṝṇām aryamā cāsmi

yamaḥ saṁyamatām aham

SYNONYMS

anantaḥ-
Ananta;
ca-
also;
asmi-
I am;
nāgānām-
of all serpents;
varuṇaḥ-
the demigod controlling the water;
yādasām-
of all aquatics;
aham-
I am;
piṭṝnām-
of the ancestors;
aryamā-
Aryāma;
ca-
also;
asmi-
I am;
yamaḥ-
the controller of death;
saṁyamatām-
of all regulators;
aham
-I am.