Swami Nirviseshananda Tirtha
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10
Swami Nirviseshananda Tirtha
Lord Krishna said: Listen again, O Arjuna (Mahābāhu), my ultimate words. I tell you these, because I am fond of you and desirous of your welfare.
Neither the host of gods nor the Maharshis (ascetic Seers) know My origin. I am, in all ways, the source of all gods as well as the ascetic Seers.
Whoever knows Me, the supreme Reality, as unborn and beginningless, and also as the very Lord of the Universe, he, among the humans, becomes free of all delusion, and gets freed of all blemishes.
Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from delusion, tolerance, truthfulness, sensory restraint, calmness of mind, happiness, unhappiness, existence, non-existence, fear as well as fearlessness; non-hurting, equality, contentment, austerity, charitable acts, fame, ill-fame – all these are various expressions in humans arising from Me (the Supreme) alone.
Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from delusion, tolerance, truthfulness, sensory restraint, calmness of mind, happiness, unhappiness, existence, non-existence, fear as well as fearlessness; non-hurting, equality, contentment, austerity, charitable acts, fame, ill-fame – all these are various expressions in humans arising from Me (the Supreme) alone.
The seven Rishis of ancient origin and the four Manus, from whom have emanated all these people in the world, are born of My mind.
Whoever knows My this divine manifestation and the yoga (yogic power and transcendence) in their essential truth, he gets established in his true being through unswerving yoga; no doubt.
I, the Supreme, am the source of everything; from Me alone all are activated. Knowing thus, the wise people worship Me with all their feelings and emotions.
With their minds engrossed in Me (the Supreme), life resigned to Me, enlightening one another and speaking variously about Me, they (the devotees) are ever contented and joyful.
To those who constantly worship Me (the Supreme) with fondness, I bestow buddhi-yoga, by dint of which they attain Me (the Supreme).
Out of compassion for them, remaining as their very Self, I (the Supreme) destroy the darkness of ignorance, by means of the effulgent lamp of wisdom.
Arjuna said: You are the supreme Reality, the supreme Abode, the pure and Ultimate, eternal Puruṣa, resplendent, premier of gods, unborn and all-pervading.
All Rishis as well as Devarshi Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa speak of You in the same manner. You also state that this is so.
I do consider all You have told me as true, O Keshava. Neither the angels nor the demons know Your being, O Lord.
O supreme Purusha (dweller in the body), You alone know Yourself by dint of Yourself. You are the source of all beings, the Lord of all creation, God of gods, Ruler of the entire world.
You owe to state in full the divine glories of the Self, by virtue of which You exist pervading all these worlds.
How shall I know You, O Yogin, by constantly thinking about You? In what all forms of manifestation, O Lord, are You to be contemplated upon by me?
Narrate, O Janardana (Krishna), in detail again about Yoga, Your inscrutable power, and its manifest glory. I do not feel satisfied by listening to Your nectarine words.
Lord Krishna said: Ah, I shall tell you about some prominent divine attributes of the Self, the Supreme. O best among the Kurus (Arjuna), there is no end to my vast manifoldness.
O Conqueror of sleep (Arjuna), I am the Self seated in the core of the very ideational process of all beings. I am the beginning, middle and also the end of all beings.
Of all Adityas, I (the Supreme) am Viṣṇu; of the luminaries, the Sun; of the Maruts (winds), the wind-god Mareechi; of all the Nakshatras (asterisms), the moon.
Among the Vedas, I (the Supreme) am Sāma-veda; among the gods, I am Vāsava (Indra). Of the senses, I am mind (the sixth sense). In all the living beings, I am Consciousness (making everyone conscious of himself as well as others).
I (the Supreme) am Shankara (Shiva) among the Rudras. Of Yakshas and Rakshasas, I am Kubera (lord of wealth). Of the Vasus I am Pāvaka (fire), and amidst mountains with illustrious peaks, I am Meru.
O Partha, of all the priests, know Me (the Supreme) to be Brihaspati, the Chief. Of all army generals I am Skanda (Kartikeya). Of all collections of water, I am the ocean.
Of all Sages, I (the Supreme) am Bhrigu. Of all words, I am the single letter called OM. Of various Yajñas (sacrifices), I am japa-yajña (repetition of sacred words). Among the immovables, I am Himalayas.
Of all trees, I (the Supreme) am Ashvattha (Peepul tree). Among Devarshis, I am Narada, the devotional ascetic. I am Chitraratha among Gandharvas, and Kapila Muni among the Siddhas.
Among horses, I (the Supreme) am Ucchaiśravas that emerged when the milky ocean was churned for getting nectar. (I am) Airavata among powerful elephants, and King among human beings.
Among weapons, I (the Supreme) shine specially in thunderbolt; of all cows Kamadhenu embodies the Supreme best. I am Kandarpa (god of love and passion) among progenitors, to give birth to beings. Among serpents, I am Vasuki.
I (the Supreme) am specially in Ananta among the Nagas; in Varuna among water beings. I am Aryama among the manes, and amidst all controllers, I am Yama (the Lord of death).
I am Prahlada (the great devotee of the Lord) among the Daityas (Asuras, who decry the Lord). Of the various measuring units, I am Time. Amongst animals, I am the lordly lion; and Vainateya (Garuda, like eagle) among birds.
I (the Supreme) am the wind among purifiers, Rama among the wielders of weapons, alligator among fishes, and Ganga among rivers.
Of all created things, I (the Supreme) am the beginning, middle and the end, O Arjuna. Of all knowledges, I am the spiritual science; of debaters, I am logic itself.
Among all letters, I (the Supreme) am ‘A’ (the first vowel). Of all compounds (samāsas), I am the dual (dvandva). I am the never-ending Time, and the sustainer with faces everywhere.
I, the Supreme, am the all-wrenching death. Equally so, the source of everything and all to occur. I, the Supreme, am the fame, fortune, amiable speech, timely memory, wisdom, will and forbearance, all qualities found in women.
Of Sāma-veda hymns, I (the Supreme) feature specially in Bṛhat-sāma, among Vedic meters, in Gāyatrī; of the twelve months, in Mārgaśeersha; of seasons, in the flowering Vasanta.
Among the deceitful, I (the Supreme) am the game of deceptive dice (gambling). In the powerful, I am the power. I am victory and resoluteness. I am the sattva-guṇa in the sāttvika people.
I (the Supreme) am Vāsudeva (Krishna) among the Vrishnis, Dhananjaya (Arjuna) among the Pandavas. Among philosopher Saints, I am Vyasa, and among the sage-poets, Shukracharya the far-sighted.
Of enforcers of discipline and order, I (the Supreme) am the rod of chastisement. Among aspirants of victory, I am justice and propriety. Of secrets, I am Silence. Of knowledgeable people, I am knowledge itself.
Whatever is the seed of all beings, I (the Supreme) am all that. No mobile and immobile creation will be there, if it is to be without Me (the Supreme).
O scorcher of enemies (Arjuna), there is no end to My divine glories. Whatever is described by Me is but a brief rendering of the extensive glories the Self hosts in Itself.
Whatever appears or strikes as stupendous, unique, strong or powerful, know it as a spark of My manifold brilliance.
But, O Arjuna, of what use is there to know so much about all these details? Suffice it to say that I (as the Supreme) remain pervading and supporting this Universe by a small speck of My divine brilliance.
Om – the symbol of Brahman, tat – that singular Reality (Brahman), sat – the ever abiding presence (Brahman).
Thus ends the tenth chapter entitled Vibhūti Yoga, during the Srikrishna-Arjuna dialogue in Śrīmad Bhagavad Gita, constituting Yoga-śāstra, which falls within Brahmavidya as presented in the Vedic Upanishads.
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