The Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 10

The Glory of Divine Manifestations

On 5th July 2020, my dear Dad passed away and moved on to the next realm. The Bhagavad Gita, a book sacred to Hinduism, was by far his most cherished text and he studied it up to the very end. In his memory, I am committing to write 18 pieces - one for each chapter - and will attempt to capture the essence of this great text. No prior knowledge of Hinduism is necessary and I shall steer clear of jargon as much as possible. If you haven’t already, do subscribe below to get all the pieces straight to your inbox. Lastly if you are just joining and would like to start at the beginning, click here for Chapter 1

A quick recap

In Chapter 9 Krishna emphasises the need for having faith in Dharma. He speaks about how he is present in all beings. The ancient elixir of Soma Rasa is mentioned. Krishna says that all actions should be performed as an offering to him. The main theme of the Bhagavad Gita so far - action without attachment to the results - is stressed upon once again, along with the importance of having faith.

The Glory of Divine Manifestations

Krishna tells Arjuna to heed his advice - which he is imparting because Arjuna is very dear to him. He mentions that no-one truly knows his origins - even the Devas and the Sages - because He is the source of them.

“One who is undeluded among mortals - knows Me as unborn, without beginning and as the Supreme Lord of all worlds - is free of sins.”

“Intellect, wisdom, clarity of mind, patience, truth, self-restraint, peace of mind, pleasure, pain, existence, non-existence, fear, fearlessness, non-violence, equality, cheerfulness, austerity, charity, fame and disgrace - all of these different qualities of beings arise from Me alone.”

“The Seven Great Sages (Saptarishi), the four mind-born Sons of Brahma and the fourteen ancestors (Manus), were all born from My mind and originated in Me. From them emerged all creatures in this world. One who knows the truth of My opulence and Yogic power becomes united with Me. Of this there is no doubt.”

“I am the origin of all; the source from which everything emanates. The wise know this truth and worship me with complete devotion. With their minds focused on Me, with their life force centered in Me; inspiring each other and always speaking of Me, they live in contentment and bliss all the time. To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with immense love, I bestow upon them the discriminative wisdom (Buddhi Yoga), through which they come to Me. Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy the darkness of ignorance with the luminous lamp of knowledge.”

Arjuna says:

“I accept all of this and your Supreme nature. Please explain to Me your Divine Manifestations and your glory by which you dwell pervading the Three Worlds. How can I realise You through constant meditation? In what forms am I to meditate on You? Tell me again in detail of your Yogic power and glory.”

Krishna replies:

“Very well. I will indeed tell you about my auspicious manifestations, but only those that are prominent. There is no end to their extent.”

I am:

• The Self dwelling in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and also the end of all beings.

• Of the Adityas, I am Vishnu; of the luminous bodies, I am the Sun; of the winds I am Marichi; and among the stars I am the Moon.

• Of the Vedas, I am Sama Veda. Of the Devas I am Vasava. I am the mind (Manas) among the senses and among the living beings. I am consciousness.

• Of the Rudras, I am Shankara. I am Kubera among the Yakshas and the Rakshasas. Among the Vasus I am Agni. Among the mountains I am Meru.

• Among the priests, know Me to be the Chief Brihaspati. Among generals I am Skanda. I am the ocean among water bodies.

• Among the great Sages, I am Brighu. Among words, I am the syllable Om. Among Yajnas I am the Japa Yajna and among immovable things I am the Himalayas.

• Among trees I am Ashwatta. Among celestial Sages I am Narada. Among the Gandharvas I am Chitraratha & among the Siddhas I am Sage Kapila.

• Among horses know Me to be Uchchaishravas - the nectar born. I am Airavata among lordly elephants. And among men, I am the King.

• Among weapons I am the thunderbolt Vajra. Among cows I am Kamadhenu. Among progenitors I am Kandarpa. I am Vasuki among the serpants.

• Among the Naga serpants, I am Ananta. Among aquatic beings I am Varuna. Among the ancestors I am Aryama. I am Yama among the rulers.

• Among Daityas, I am Prahlada. Among reckoners, I am time. Among beasts I am the Lion, and among birds I am Garuda.

• Among purifying forces, I am the Wind. I am Rama among warriors. Among fishes I am the Shark (Makara), and among rivers I am Ganga.

• Of all the sciences I am the spiritual science of the Self. Among those who debate I am the discerning logic.

• Among letters I am the letter A; among compound words I am the dual (Dwandwa compound). I am indeed the imperishable time. I am the creator facing all directions.

• I am death, the destroyer of all. I am the origin of all beings yet to be born. Among feminine qualities I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, firmness and forgiveness. Among the Sama Veda hymns I am the Brihatsaamam, among the poetic meters, I am Gayatri. Among months I am Margashirsha and among seasons, I am Kusumakara - the flowery Spring.

• Among the fraudulent activities, I am gambling. I am the radiance of the radiant. I am victory, I am effort. I am the goodness of the good.

• Among Vrishnis I am Vasudeva. Among the Pandavas I am Dhananjaya. Among the Sages, I am Vyasa and among poets I am Ushana.

• I am the sceptre which metes out punishment. Among those who seek victory, I am justice. Among secrets, I am silence. And I am the wisdom of the wise.

• I am the seed of all existence. Without Me, nothing can exist - either moving or non-moving.

Krishna concludes:

“There is no limit to my Divine Manifestations. What I have told you is a mere indication of the extent of My infinite opulences. Know that all opulent, beautiful, and glorious qualities spring from but a spark of My splendour. But what need is there for all this extensive knowledge? I pervade and support the Universe with a tiny fragment of My being.”

Parting thoughts

Quite a Chapter, with Krishna the revealing a subset of his infinite manifestations. A person who can conceive of Krishna as the source of all manifestations will be freed from the cycle of rebirth. When a sage meditates, he enters into the state of union with God. This, Krishna explains, is a form of worship. The highest form of worship is to enter the state of divinity, understanding that Krishna is the source of all things.

Arjuna in this Chapter accepts Krishna to be the Supreme. But he wants some examples of Krishna’s manifestations which as you can see above is pretty exhaustive and stunning. Arjuna wants to know where to place his focus, and Krishna reminds him that by meditating on the Self, Arjuna worships Krishna.

When a person worships Krishna in actions, the God then gives that person wisdom as well. In this way the yoga of action leads to the yoga of understanding.

Lastly, Krishna stresses that all this knowledge is just for the sake of it. Ultimately he is beyond all the examples and truly is the Supreme.

I’d like to apologise for the delay in publishing this Chapter. I was sidetracked with a few things and as you can see above - hyperlinking everything to more exhaustive sources took longer than I thought.

Ready to proceed? Click here for Chapter 11

Deepak