Yoga through Appreciating the Infinite Opulences of God

The Blessed Lord said, Again, O mighty-armed Arjuna, listen to my supreme word which I will declare to you, who are beloved, for your welfare.

I shall repeat what I said before (in the seventh and the ninth discourses). My essential nature and My manifestations have already been pointed out. As it is very difficult to understand the divine nature, I shall…

Neither the hosts of the gods nor the great sages know My origin; for I am the source of all the gods and the great sages in every way.

Prabhavam Origin. It may also mean great lordly power.Maharshis great sages like Bhrigu.As I am the source of all these gods, sages and living beings, it is very difficult for them to know Me.Sarvasah In every way -- not…

He who knows Me as unborn and beginningless, as the great Lord of the worlds, he among mortals is undeluded and is liberated from all sins.

As the Supreme Being is the cause of all the worlds, He is beginningless. As He is the source of the gods and the great sages, there is no source for His existence. As He is beginningless He is unborn. He is the great…

Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, truth, self-restraint, calmness, happiness, pain, existence or birth, non-existence or death, fear, and also fearlessness.

Intellect is the power which the Antahkarana (the fourfold inner instrument -- the mind, the subconscious mind, intellect and egoism) has of understanding subtle objects. Wisdom is knowledge of the Self. Nondelusion is…

Non-injury, equanimity, contentment, austerity, beneficence, fame, and ill-fame—these different qualities of beings arise from Me alone.

Ahimsa is noninjury to living beings in thought, word and deed. Samata is that state wherein there is neither Raga (like) nor Dvesha (dislike), when one gets pleasant or unpleasant objects. There is neither exhilaration…

The seven great sages, the ancient four, and the Manus, possessing powers like Mine (due to their minds being fixed on Me), were born from My mind; from them, these creatures have been born in this world.

In the beginning I was alone and from Me came the mind and from the mind were produced the seven sages (such as Bhrigu, Vasishtha and others), the ancient four Kumaras (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata), as…

He who truly knows these manifold manifestations of My Being and this Yoga-power of Mine, becomes established in unshakable Yoga; there is no doubt about it.

Knowledge of the glory of the Lord is really conducive to Yoga. He who knows in essence the immanent pervading power of the Lord by which He causes the manifestations, and His diverse manifestations (Vibhutis), unites…

I am the source of all; from me everything evolves; Understanding this, the wise, endowed with meditation, worship me.

Waves originate in water, depend on water and dissolve in water. The only support for the waves is water. Even so the only support for the whole world is the Lord. Realising this, feeling the omnipresence of the Lord,…

With their minds and lives wholly absorbed in Me, they enlighten each other and ever speak of Me, being satisfied and delighted.

The characteristics of a devotee who has attained the realisation of oneness are described in this verse. The devotee constantly thinks of the Lord. His very life is absorbed in Him. He has consecrated his whole life to…

To those who are ever steadfast, worshipping me with love, I give the yoga of discrimination, by which they come to me.

The devotees who have dedicated themselves to the Lord, who are ever harmonious and selfabiding, who are ever devout and who adore Him with intense love (not for attaining any selfish purpose), obtain the divine grace.…

Out of mere compassion for them, I, dwelling within their selves, destroy the darkness born of ignorance with the luminous lamp of knowledge.

Luminous lamp of knowledge The Lord dwells in the heart of the devotees who constantly think of Him and destroys the veil or the darkness born of ignorance due to the absence of discrimination, by the luminous lamp of…

Arjuna said, "You are the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode, the supreme purifier, eternal, divine Person, the primeval God, unborn, and omnipresent."

Param Brahma The highest Self. The word Param indicates the pure and attributeless Absolute, free from the limiting adjuncts. It is Satchidananda Brahman. The inferior Brahman is the Brahman with alities (Saguna) or…

All the sages have thus declared Thee, as also the divine sage Narada; so also Asita, Devala, and Vyasa; and now Thou Thyself dost say so to me.

Rishi is a holy sage of disciplined mind and senses.Devarshi A divine sage more highly evolved than a Rishi.

I believe all that You have said to me to be true, O Krishna; indeed, O blessed Lord! Neither the gods nor the demons know Your manifestation (origin).

Bhagavan is He, in whom ever exist the six attributes in their fullness, viz., Jnana (wisdom), Vairagya (dispassion), Aisvarya (lordship), Dharma (virtue), Sri (wealth) and Bala (omnipotence). Also, He Who knows the…

Verily, Thou Thyself knowest Thyself by Thyself, O Supreme Person, O source and Lord of all beings, O God of gods, O ruler of the world!

Purushottama means the best among all Purushas. He assumes the four forms, viz., the source of beings, the Lord of beings, God of gods and ruler of the world. Hence He is called Purushottama.Devadeva is He who is…

You should indeed tell, without reserve, of your divine glories by which you exist, pervading all these worlds. (No one else can do so.)

In this verse it appears that Arjuna is already satisfied with his understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. By Kṛṣṇa’s grace, Arjuna has personal experience, intelligence and knowledge and whatever…

How shall I, ever meditating, know you, O Yogin? In what aspects or things, O blessed Lord, should I think of you?

Arjuna says O Lord, how may I know Thee by constant meditation In what aspects art Thou to be thought of by me Even when I think of external objects I can meditate on Thee in Thy particular manifestations in them if I…

Tell me again in detail, O Krishna, of your yogic power and glory; for I am not satiated with what I have heard of your life-giving and nectar-like speech.

The Lord is called Janardana because all pray to Him for worldly success, prosperity and also salvation. Arjuna also prays to the Lord to explain His Yogic power and glory, for his salvation.Arjuna says to Lord Krishna…

The Blessed Lord said, "Very well! Now I will declare to you My divine glories in their prominence, O Arjuna; there is no end to their detailed description."

Now I will tell you of My most prominent divine glories. My glories are illimitable it is not possible to describe all of them.

I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings.

O Gudakesa I am the soul (Pratyagatma) which exists in the hearts of all beings and I am also the source or origin, the middle or stay, and the end of all created beings. I am the birth, the life and the death of all…

Among the twelve Adityas, I am Vishnu; among luminaries, the radiant sun; among the seven or forty-nine Maruts, I am Marichi; among stars, I am the moon.

Of the twelve Adityas I am the Aditya known as Vishnu, Dhata, Mitra, Aryama, Rudra, Varuna, Bhaga, Surya, Vivasvan, Pusham, Savita, Tvashta and Vishnu are the twelve Adityas. The twelve months of the year are the…

Among the Vedas, I am the Sama-Veda; among the gods, I am Vasava; among the senses, I am the mind; and among living beings, I am intelligence.

Vasava is Indra.Gods Such as Rudras, Adityas.Indriyas The five JnanaIndriyas or organs of knowledge, viz., ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose and the five KarmaIndriyas or organs of action, viz., speech, hands, feet,…

And among the Rudras, I am Sankara; among the Yakshas and Rakshasas, the Lord of Wealth (Kubera); among the Vasus, I am Pavaka (Fire); and among the seven mountains, I am Meru.

Rudras are eleven in number. The ten vital airs (Pranas and the UpaPranas, which are five each) and the mind are the eleven Rudras. They are so called because they produce grief when they depart from the body. They have…

And, among the household priests of kings, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati; among the army generals, I am Skanda; among lakes, I am the ocean.

Brihaspati is the chif priest of the gods. He is the househld priest of Indra.Skanda is Kartikeya or Lord Subramanya. He is the general of the hosts of the gods.Of things holding water -- natural reservoirs or lakes -- I…

Among the great sages, I am Bhrigu; among words, I am the one syllable (Om); among sacrifices, I am the sacrifice of silent repetition; among the immovable things, I am the Himalayas.

Manu has said Whatever else the Brahmana may or may not do, he attains salvation by Japa (silent repetition of a Mantra) alone.Bhrigu is one of the mindborn of the Creator.Himalaya The highest mountain range in the…

Among all the trees, I am the Peepul; among the divine sages, I am Narada; among the Gandharvas, I am Chitraratha; among the perfected, I am the sage Kapila.

Devarshis are gods and at the same time Rishis or seers of Mantras.Siddhas are the perfected ones those who at their very birth attained without any effort Dharma (virtue), Jnana (knowledge of the Self), Vairagya…

Know Me as Ucchaisravas, born of nectar, among horses; Airavata among lordly elephants; and the king among men.

Nectar was obtained by the gods by churning the ocean of milk. Ucchaisravas is the name of the royal horse which was born in that ocean of milk when it was churned for the nectar.Airavatam The offspring of Iravati, the…

Among weapons, I am the thunderbolt; among cows, I am the wish-fulfilling cow called Kamadhenu; I am the progenitor, the god of love; among serpents, I am Vasuki.

Vajram the thunderbolt weapon made of the bones of Dadhichi an implement of warfare which can only be handled by Indra who has fininshed a hundred sacrifices.Kamadhuk The cow Kamadhenu of the great sage Vasishtha which…

I am Ananta among the Nagas; I am Varuna among water-deities; Aryaman among the Manes; I am Yama among the governors.

Ananta is the king of hooded serpents or cobras. He is firecoloured.Varuna is the king of the watergods.Waterdeities The gods connected with waters.Aryaman is the king of the manes.I am Yama, the witness of the acts of…

And I am Prahlada among the demons, I am Time among reckoners, I am the lion among beasts, and Vainateya (Garuda) among birds.

Prahlada, though he was the son of a demon (Hiranyakasipu), was a great devotee of the Lord.

Among the purifiers, I am the wind; among the warriors, I am Rama; among the fishes, I am the shark; among the streams, I am the Ganga.

The holy river Ganga (spelt Ganges in English) was swallowed by Jahnu when she was being brought down by Bhagiratha from heaven. Hence the name Jahnavi for Ganga.

Among creations I am the beginning, the middle, and the end, O Arjuna; among the sciences, I am the science of the Self; and I am the logic among controversialists.

I am the metaphysics among all sciences. I am knowledge of the Self among all branches of knowledge. I am the argument of dators. I am the logic of disputants. I am the speech of orators.In verse 20 above the Lord says,…

Among the letters of the alphabet, I am the letter 'A' and the dual among compounds. I am verily the inexhaustible and everlasting time; I am the dispenser of the fruits of actions, having faces in all directions.

Among the alphabets I am the letter A. Among the various kinds of compounds used in Sanskrit language I am the Dvandva (union of the two), the copulative.Time here refers to the moment, the ultimate element of time or to…

And I am the all-devouring Death, and the source of prosperity for those who are to be prosperous; among the feminine qualities, I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, firmness, and forgiveness.

I am also the allsnatching death that destroys everything. Death is of two kinds, viz., he who seizes wealth and he who seizes life. Of them he who seizes life is the allseizer and,hence he is called Sarvaharah. I am…

Among the hymns, I am the Brihatsaman; among meters, I am Gayatri; among months, I am Margasirsha; among seasons, I am the flowery season.

Brihatsaman is the chief of the hymns of the SamaVeda. Brihat means big.Margasirsha From the middle of December to the middle of January. This has a temperate climate. In olden days it was usual to start with this month…

I am the gambling of the deceitful; I am the splendor of the splendid; I am victory; I am the resolve of the resolute; I am the goodness of the good.

Of the methods of defrauding others I am gambling such as diceplay. Gambling is My manifestation. I am the power of the powerful. I am the victoyr of the victorious. I am the effort of those who make that effort.I am…

Among the Vrishnis, I am Vaasudeva; among the Pandavas, I am Arjuna; among the sages, I am Vyasa; among the poets, I am Usanas, the poet.

Vrishnis are Yadavas or the descendants of Yadu. I am the foremost among them.Usanas is Sukracharya, the preceptor of the demons.

Of those who punish, I am the scepter; among those who seek victory, I am statesmanship; and among secrets, I am silence; I am knowledge among knowers.

Niti Diplomacy, polity.Maunam The silence produced by constant meditation on Brahman or the Self.Jnanam Knowledge of the Self.

And whatever is the seed of all beings, that too am I, O Arjuna; there is no being, be it moving or unmoving, that can exist without Me.

I am the primeval seed from which all creation has come into existence. I am the seed of everything. I am the Self of everything. Nothing can exist without Me. Everything is of My nature. I am the essence of everything.…

There is no end to My divine glories, O Arjuna, but this is a brief statement by Me of the particulars of My divine glory.

It is impossible for anyone to describe or know the exact extent of the divine gloreis of the Lord. There is no limit to His powers or glories. What could be expressed of Him is nothing when compared to His infinte…

Whatever being there is glorious, prosperous, or powerful, know that to be a manifestation of a part of My splendor.

Any glorious or beautiful existence should be understood to be but a fragmental manifestation of Kṛṣṇa’s opulence, whether it be in the spiritual or material world. Anything extraordinarily opulent should be considered…

But, of what avail is the knowledge of all these details to you, O Arjuna? I exist, supporting this whole world with one part of Myself.

The Lord concludes Having established or pervaded this whole world with one fragment of Myself, I remain.This verse is based on the declaration in the Purusha Sukta (RigVeda10.90.3) that One quarter of Him is all the…