An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1062 words)
rishna.[FN#l6]
Hear farther yet, thou Long-Armed Lord! these latest words I say--
Uttered to bring thee bliss and peace, who lovest Me alway--
Not the great company of gods nor kingly Rishis know
My Nature, Who have made the gods and Rishis long ago;
He only knoweth-only he is free of sin, and wise,
Who seeth Me, Lord of the Worlds, with faith-enlightened eyes,
Unborn, undying, unbegun. Whatever Natures be
To mortal men distributed, those natures spring from Me!
Intellect, skill, enlightenment, endurance, self-control,
Truthfulness, equability, and grief or joy of soul,
And birth and death, and fearfulness, and fearlessness, and shame,
And honour, and sweet harmlessness,[FN#17] and peace which is the
same
Whate'er befalls, and mirth, and tears, and piety, and thrift,
And wish to give, and will to help,--all cometh of My gift!
The Seven Chief Saints, the Elders Four, the Lordly Manus set--
Sharing My work--to rule the worlds, these too did I beget;
And Rishis, Pitris, Manus, all, by one thought of My mind;
Thence did arise, to fill this world, the races of mankind;
Wherefrom who comprehends My Reign of mystic Majesty--
That truth of truths--is thenceforth linked in faultless faith to Me:
Yea! knowing Me the source of all, by Me all creatures wrought,
The wise in spirit cleave to Me, into My Being brought;
Hearts fixed on Me; breaths breathed to Me; praising Me, each to each,
So have they happiness and peace, with pious thought and speech;
And unto these--thus serving well, thus loving ceaselessly--
I give a mind of perfect mood, whereby they draw to Me;
And, all for love of them, within their darkened souls I dwell,
And, with bright rays of wisdom's lamp, their ignorance dispel.
Arjuna.
Yes! Thou art Parabrahm! The High Abode!
The Great Purification! Thou art God
Eternal, All-creating, Holy, First,
Without beginning! Lord of Lords and Gods!
Declared by all the Saints--by Narada,
Vyasa Asita, and Devalas;
And here Thyself declaring unto me!
What Thou hast said now know I to be truth,
O Kesava! that neither gods nor men
Nor demons comprehend Thy mystery
Made manifest, Divinest! Thou Thyself
Thyself alone dost know, Maker Supreme!
Master of all the living! Lord of Gods!
King of the Universe! To Thee alone
Belongs to tell the heavenly excellence
Of those perfections wherewith Thou dost fill
These worlds of Thine; Pervading, Immanent!
How shall I learn, Supremest Mystery!
To know Thee, though I muse continually?
Under what form of Thine unnumbered forms
Mayst Thou be grasped? Ah! yet again recount,
Clear and complete, Thy great appearances,
The secrets of Thy Majesty and Might,
Thou High Delight of Men! Never enough
Can mine ears drink the Amrit[FN#18] of such words!
Krishna.
Hanta! So be it! Kuru Prince! I will to thee unfold
Some portions of My Majesty, whose powers are manifold!
I am the Spirit seated deep in every creature's heart;
From Me they come; by Me they live; at My word they depart!
Vishnu of the Adityas I am, those Lords of Light;
Maritchi of the Maruts, the Kings of Storm and Blight;
By day I gleam, the golden Sun of burning cloudless Noon;
By Night, amid the asterisms I glide, the dappled Moon!
Of Vedas I am Sama-Ved, of gods in Indra's Heaven
Vasava; of the faculties to living beings given
The mind which apprehends and thinks; of Rudras Sankara;
Of Yakshas and of Rakshasas, Vittesh; and Pavaka
Of Vasus, and of mountain-peaks Meru; Vrihaspati
Know Me 'mid planetary Powers; 'mid Warriors heavenly
Skanda; of all the water-floods the Sea which drinketh each,
And Bhrigu of the holy Saints, and OM of sacred speech;
Of prayers the prayer ye whisper;[FN#19] of hills Himala's snow,
And Aswattha, the fig-tree, of all the trees that grow;
Of the Devarshis, Narada; and Chitrarath of them
That sing in Heaven, and Kapila of Munis, and the gem
Of flying steeds, Uchchaisravas, from Amrit-wave which burst;
Of elephants Airavata; of males the Best and First;
Of weapons Heav'n's hot thunderbolt; of cows white Kamadhuk,
From whose great milky udder-teats all hearts' desires are strook;
Vasuki of the serpent-tribes, round Mandara entwined;
And thousand-fanged Ananta, on whose broad coils reclined
Leans Vishnu; and of water-things Varuna; Aryam
Of Pitris, and, of those that judge, Yama the Judge I am;
Of Daityas dread Prahlada; of what metes days and years,
Time's self I am; of woodland-beasts-buffaloes, deers, and bears-
The lordly-painted tiger; of birds the vast Garud,
The whirlwind 'mid the winds; 'mid chiefs Rama with blood imbrued,
Makar 'mid fishes of the sea, and Ganges 'mid the streams;
Yea! First, and Last, and Centre of all which is or seems
I am, Arjuna! Wisdom Supreme of what is wise,
Words on the uttering lips I am, and eyesight of the eyes,
And "A" of written characters, Dwandwa[FN#20] of knitted speech,
And Endless Life, and boundless Love, whose power sustaineth each;
And bitter Death which seizes all, and joyous sudden Birth,
Which brings to light all beings that are to be on earth;
And of the viewless virtues, Fame, Fortune, Song am I,
And Memory, and Patience; and Craft, and Constancy:
Of Vedic hymns the Vrihatsam, of metres Gayatri,
Of months the Margasirsha, of all the seasons three
The flower-wreathed Spring; in dicer's-play the conquering
Double-Eight;
The splendour of the splendid, and the greatness of the great,
Victory I am, and Action! and the goodness of the good,
And Vasudev of Vrishni's race, and of this Pandu brood
Thyself!--Yea, my Arjuna! thyself; for thou art Mine!
Of poets Usana, of saints Vyasa, sage divine;
The policy of conquerors, the potency of kings,
The great unbroken silence in learning's secret things;
The lore of all the learned, the seed of all which springs.
Living or lifeless, still or stirred, whatever beings be,
None of them is in all the worlds, but it exists by Me!
Nor tongue can tell, Arjuna! nor end of telling come
Of these My boundless glories, whereof I teach thee some;
For wheresoe'er is wondrous work, and majesty, and might,
From Me hath all proceeded. Receive thou this aright!
Yet how shouldst thou receive, O Prince! the vastness of this word?
I, who am all, and made it all, abide its separate Lord!
HERE ENDETH CHAPTER X. OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA,
Entitled "Vibhuti Yog,"
Or "The Book of Religion by the Heavenly Perfections."
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
The shift from experiencing life as random events to recognizing meaningful connections and patterns in everyday experiences.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to shift perspective from seeing isolated problems to recognizing meaningful patterns and connections in daily life.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you feel disconnected or overwhelmed, then ask yourself: 'What larger pattern or purpose does this moment serve?' Look for one way your actions connect to something beyond yourself.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Whatever Natures be To mortal men distributed, those natures spring from Me!"
Context: Krishna is explaining that every human quality and characteristic originates from him.
This radically reframes how we see human differences. Instead of judging people for their traits, we can recognize that all qualities - even difficult ones - come from the same source. It promotes acceptance and understanding.
In Today's Words:
Every personality trait, every strength and weakness people have - that all comes from me.
"He only knoweth-only he is free of sin, and wise, Who seeth Me, Lord of the Worlds, with faith-enlightened eyes"
Context: Krishna is explaining what it means to truly understand his divine nature.
True wisdom isn't about accumulating facts, but about seeing the sacred in everything. This perspective transforms how we relate to the world and frees us from judgment and separation.
In Today's Words:
The only people who really get it are those who can see the divine in everything around them.
"Hearts fixed on Me; breaths breathed to Me; praising Me, each to each, So have they happiness and peace"
Context: Krishna describes how people who recognize his presence everywhere find fulfillment.
This isn't about worship but about perspective. When you see the sacred in everything, life becomes meaningful and peaceful. You're not struggling alone but participating in something magnificent.
In Today's Words:
People who focus on this bigger picture and share it with others - they find real happiness and inner peace.
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Krishna reveals his true identity as the source of all existence, showing Arjuna that identity isn't just personal but cosmic
Development
Evolved from earlier questions about duty and role to fundamental questions about the nature of existence itself
In Your Life:
You might struggle with feeling insignificant until you recognize how your actions connect to larger purposes and patterns.
Connection
In This Chapter
Everything in existence is shown to be interconnected through divine presence rather than separate and isolated
Development
Builds on earlier themes of duty and relationship to show ultimate unity underlying apparent separation
In Your Life:
You might feel alone in your struggles until you see how your challenges connect you to the universal human experience.
Recognition
In This Chapter
Arjuna finally grasps the true magnitude of who he's been speaking with and what that means about reality
Development
Culmination of growing awareness throughout previous chapters about the nature of his guide and teacher
In Your Life:
You might miss the significance of people and opportunities in your life until you learn to see beyond surface appearances.
Perspective
In This Chapter
The chapter demonstrates how shifting perspective from limited to expanded view transforms understanding of everything
Development
Develops from earlier discussions of different ways of seeing duty, action, and consequence
In Your Life:
You might feel overwhelmed by daily chaos until you step back and see the larger patterns your life participates in.
Meaning
In This Chapter
Ordinary aspects of life are revealed to contain extraordinary significance when seen through the right lens
Development
Transforms earlier themes about finding purpose in action into recognition of inherent meaning in existence
In Your Life:
You might feel your work or life is meaningless until you recognize how it connects to something larger than yourself.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
When Krishna lists all the things he represents - the sun among lights, the ocean among waters, the mind among faculties - what is he trying to help Arjuna understand about how the world works?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Arjuna respond with awe when he finally grasps what Krishna is showing him? What shifted in his understanding?
analysis • medium - 3
Think about your workplace or daily routine. Where do you see this pattern of connection that Krishna describes - moments when separate things reveal themselves as part of something larger?
application • medium - 4
When you're dealing with difficult people or frustrating situations, how might Krishna's perspective about divine presence in everything change your response?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter suggest about the difference between feeling isolated versus feeling connected to something meaningful? How does this apply to finding purpose in ordinary work?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Practice Sacred Seeing
Choose one routine part of your day that usually feels mundane or disconnected. Using Krishna's framework, identify three ways this activity connects to something larger or more meaningful. Look for the 'extraordinary within the ordinary' - how does this moment serve others, contribute to a system, or express something valuable about human experience?
Consider:
- •Focus on connection rather than personal benefit - how does this serve something beyond yourself?
- •Look for patterns and systems rather than isolated events - what larger process are you part of?
- •Consider both immediate and long-term impacts - how do small actions ripple outward?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you suddenly saw deeper meaning or connection in something you had previously dismissed as ordinary. What changed your perspective, and how did that shift affect your experience?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 11: The Vision of Universal Form
Overwhelmed by this revelation, Arjuna makes a bold request that will change everything - he asks to see Krishna's true cosmic form with his own eyes. What he's about to witness will be both terrifying and magnificent beyond human comprehension.
