Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 10

Yoga through Appreciating the Infinite Opulences of God

10.1Krishna tells Arjuna to listen again to his highest teaching. He says he is sharing it because Arjuna is dear to him and he wants what is best for him.Krishna
10.2Krishna says even the gods and the great sages (Rishis) do not know where he came from. This is because he is the source of all of them.Krishna
10.3Krishna says that anyone who truly understands him as never born, without beginning, and the great Lord of the world is free from confusion. Such a person is freed from all sin.Krishna
10.4Krishna begins listing qualities found in living beings. They include understanding, wisdom, clear thinking, forgiveness, truth, self-control, calm, pleasure and pain, being and not being, fear and courage.Krishna
10.5Krishna finishes the list: not hurting others, staying balanced, contentment, self-discipline, generosity, fame and disgrace. He says all these different qualities in beings come from him.Krishna
10.6Krishna says the seven great sages, the four ancient ones and the Manus, the first fathers of humankind, were born from his mind. All people come from them.Krishna
10.7Krishna says that whoever truly understands his greatness and power becomes steady in yoga, which means spiritual union with God, that never wavers. There is no doubt about it.Krishna
10.8Krishna says he is the source of everything, and everything grows out of him. Wise people who understand this worship him with deep love and feeling.Krishna
10.9Krishna describes people who love God. They keep their minds on Him and give their lives to Him. They help each other understand and always enjoy talking about Him, and this makes them happy and at peace.Krishna
10.10Krishna says that to people who stay steady and worship Him with love, He gives the wisdom to tell what is real from what is not. This understanding leads them to Him.Krishna
10.11Krishna says that out of kindness, He lives inside the hearts of those who love Him. There He drives away the darkness of not knowing, like a bright lamp lighting up a dark room.Krishna
10.12Arjuna praises Krishna. He calls Him the highest eternal Being, the final home of all, perfectly pure, the first God, never born, and the Lord of all.Arjuna
10.13Arjuna says that the great sages, called Rishis, have all said this about Krishna. Famous wise men like Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa said it too, and now Krishna Himself is telling him.Arjuna
10.14Arjuna tells Krishna, here called Keshava, that he believes everything Krishna has said. He adds that neither the gods nor the demons, called Danavas, truly understand who Krishna is.Arjuna
10.15Arjuna says that only Krishna truly knows Himself. He calls Krishna the Supreme Person (Purushottama), the source and ruler of all beings, God of the gods, and Lord of the world.Arjuna
10.16Arjuna asks Krishna to tell him fully about His divine glories. These are the powers by which Krishna fills and lives in all the worlds.Arjuna
10.17Arjuna asks Krishna how he can come to know Him by always thinking of Him. He wants to know in what forms or things he should think of Krishna.Arjuna
10.18Arjuna asks Krishna, called Janardana, to explain His power and glory again in detail. He says he never gets tired of hearing Krishna's words, which give him life.Arjuna
10.19Krishna blesses Arjuna and agrees to tell him about His divine glory. But He says He will only name the main examples, because there is no end to them.Krishna
10.20Krishna tells Arjuna, called Gudakesha, that He is the Self living in the heart of every being. He is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all living things.Krishna
10.21Krishna begins listing the best things in which He shows Himself. Among the sky gods called Adityas, He is Vishnu. Among lights, He is the sun. Among the storm gods called Maruts, He is Marichi. Among the stars at night, He is the moon.Krishna
10.22Krishna says that among the holy books called Vedas, He is the Sama Veda, the book of sacred songs. Among the gods, He is Indra (Vasava). Among the senses, He is the mind. In living beings, He is the power of awareness and intelligence.Krishna
10.23Krishna says that among the Rudras, gods of storm and change, He is Shankara (Shiva). Among nature spirits and giants, He is Kubera (Vittesha), lord of wealth. Among the Vasus, gods of the elements, He is fire. Among tall mountains, He is the sacred Mount Meru.Krishna
10.24Krishna tells Arjuna, called Partha, that among priests He is Brihaspati, the chief priest of the gods. Among army leaders, He is Skanda, the war god. Among bodies of water, He is the ocean.Krishna
10.25Krishna says that among great sages He is Bhrigu. Among words, He is the one sacred syllable Om. Among offerings, He is the quiet repeating of a holy name or prayer. Among things that do not move, He is the Himalaya mountains.Krishna
10.26Krishna says that among trees He is the sacred fig tree (Ashvattha). Among divine sages, He is Narada. Among heavenly musicians (Gandharvas), He is Chitraratha. Among perfect beings, He is the sage Kapila.Krishna
10.27Krishna says that among horses He is Uchchaishravas, the heavenly horse born when the ocean was churned for nectar. Among royal elephants, He is Airavata. Among people, He is the king.Krishna
10.28Krishna says that among weapons He is the thunderbolt. Among cows, He is Kamadhuk, the magic cow that grants every wish. Among those who create life, He is Kandarpa, the god of love. Among serpents, He is Vasuki, the serpent king.Krishna
10.29Krishna keeps naming the best of each group to show where God can be seen. Among serpents he is Ananta, the endless snake. Among sea beings he is Varuna, god of the waters. Among ancestors he is Aryaman, and among those who judge he is Yama, the lord of death.Krishna
10.30Krishna says that among the Daityas, a race of demons, he is Prahlada, a boy famous for his devotion to God. Among things that measure, he is Time. Among wild animals he is the lion, and among birds he is Garuda (Vainateya), the great eagle who carries Vishnu.Krishna
10.31Krishna says that among things that make clean, he is the wind. Among warriors he is Rama, the hero king. Among sea creatures he is the Makara, a great sea animal, and among rivers he is the Ganga, India's holy river.Krishna
10.32Krishna tells Arjuna that he is the beginning, middle and end of everything that is made. Of all kinds of learning, he is the knowledge of the Self, our true inner being. In people who speak well, he is the reasoning in their speech.Krishna
10.33Krishna says he is the letter A, the first sound of the alphabet. In grammar he is the joining of two equal words. He is endless Time. He is the one who holds everything up and sees in every direction.Krishna
10.34Krishna says he is death, which takes everyone, and also the source of everything yet to be born. He is also seen in good qualities: a good name, wealth, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadiness and patience.Krishna
10.35Krishna says among sacred songs he is the Brihat Saman, a great hymn. Among poem rhythms he is the Gayatri, a holy chant. Among months he is Margashirsha, in late autumn, and among seasons he is spring, the season of flowers.Krishna
10.36Krishna says he is even the gambling of cheaters, the most powerful form of trickery. He is the shine in shining things. He is victory, firm effort, and the goodness in good people.Krishna
10.37Krishna says among his own family clan, the Vrishnis, he is Vasudeva, meaning Krishna himself. Among the Pandava brothers he is Arjuna (Dhananjaya). Among wise men he is Vyasa, the great sage, and among poets he is Ushana, a famous wise poet.Krishna
10.38Krishna says he is the power of rulers to punish and keep order. In people who want to win, he is good planning. Among secrets he is silence. In wise people he is their wisdom.Krishna
10.39Krishna tells Arjuna he is the seed from which every living being comes. Nothing at all, moving or still, can exist without him.Krishna
10.40Krishna says his divine powers have no end. What he has listed is only a small sample of his endless greatness.Krishna
10.41Krishna says that anything great, good, beautiful or powerful comes from just a small spark of his glory.Krishna
10.42Krishna tells Arjuna he does not need all these details. It is enough to know that Krishna holds up the whole universe with just one small part of himself, and still remains beyond it.Krishna