Chapter 10

Krishna spoke again: “Listen further, mighty-armed one, to these final words I have for you—words I speak to bring you peace and joy, because you love me always. Neither the great host of gods nor the royal Rishis truly know my nature, for I myself made the gods and Rishis long ago. Only the one who sees me as the unborn, undying Lord of the Worlds, without beginning, with eyes opened by faith—only he is wise and free from sin.

“Whatever qualities are distributed among mortals come from me: intelligence, skill, enlightenment, endurance, self-control, truthfulness, evenness of mind, joy and sorrow, birth and death, fear and fearlessness, shame and honor, gentle harmlessness, the peace that stays steady whatever happens, mirth and tears, piety and thrift, the desire to give and the will to help—all of these are my gift.

“The Seven Great Sages, the Four Elders, and the Lordly Manus, who share in my work of governing the worlds—I begot them too. The Rishis, the Pitris, the Manus, all sprang from a single thought of my mind, and from them came the races of humankind that fill this world. Whoever understands this mystic reign of mine—this truth of truths—is from that moment bound to me in flawless faith. Knowing me as the source of all, knowing that all creatures are made by me, the wise in spirit cling to me and are drawn into my being. Their hearts are fixed on me, their breath devoted to me, and they praise me to one another, finding happiness and peace in their pious thought and speech. To these who serve me well and love me without ceasing, I give a mind of perfect attunement, by which they come closer to me. And out of love for them, I dwell within their darkened souls and, with the bright rays of wisdom’s lamp, dispel their ignorance.”

Arjuna replied: “Yes! You are Parabrahm, the highest abode, the great purification. You are God eternal, all-creating, holy, first, without beginning, Lord of Lords and Gods. All the saints have declared this—Narada, Vyasa, Asita, and Devala—and now you yourself declare it to me. I know now, Kesava, that what you have said is true: neither gods nor men nor demons understand your mystery as you have shown it, most divine one. You alone know yourself, Supreme Maker, Master of all that lives, Lord of Gods, King of the Universe. Only you can tell the heavenly excellence of the perfections with which you fill these worlds of yours, you who pervade and dwell within all. How shall I learn to know you, supreme mystery, even though I meditate continually? Under which of your countless forms can you be grasped? Tell me again, clearly and fully, of your great manifestations, the secrets of your majesty and might, you who are the highest delight of humankind. My ears can never drink enough of the nectar of such words.”

Krishna said: “So be it, Prince of the Kurus! I will unfold for you some portions of my majesty, since its powers are manifold. I am the Spirit seated deep in every creature’s heart; from me they come, by me they live, and at my word they depart. Among the Adityas, those Lords of Light, I am Vishnu; among the Maruts, kings of storm and blight, I am Maritchi. By day I shine as the golden sun of cloudless noon; by night I glide among the constellations as the dappled moon. Of the Vedas I am the Sama-Veda; of the gods in Indra’s heaven, I am Vasava; of the faculties given to living beings, I am the mind that apprehends and thinks; of the Rudras I am Sankara; of Yakshas and Rakshasas I am Vittesh; of the Vasus I am Pavaka; of mountain peaks, Meru. Among planetary powers I am Vrihaspati; among heavenly warriors, Skanda; of all the waters, the sea that drinks them all; among holy saints, Bhrigu; of sacred speech, OM; of prayers, the prayer whispered in silence; of mountains, snowy Himalaya; of trees, the Aswattha fig. Among the Devarshis, Narada; among heavenly singers, Chitrarath; among Munis, Kapila; among flying steeds, Uchchaisravas, who burst forth from the wave of nectar; among elephants, Airavata; among males, the best and first; among weapons, heaven’s hot thunderbolt; among cows, white Kamadhuk, whose milky udders pour forth all hearts’ desires.

“Of serpents I am Vasuki, coiled round Mandara; and I am thousand-fanged Ananta, on whose broad coils Vishnu reclines. Of water-creatures I am Varuna; of the Pitris, Aryam; of those who judge, I am Yama the Judge. Of Daityas, I am dread Prahlada; of all that measures days and years, I am Time itself. Of woodland beasts—buffalo, deer, and bear—I am the lordly tiger; of birds, the great Garuda; of winds, the whirlwind; of chiefs, blood-stained Rama; of sea-fish, the Makar; of streams, the Ganges. I am, Arjuna, the first, the last, and the center of all that is or seems. I am the supreme wisdom of the wise, the words on the uttering lips, the sight in the eyes; I am the letter ‘A’ among written characters, the dwandwa among compound words, endless life and boundless love which sustains all things; and bitter death that seizes all, and joyous sudden birth that brings all earthly beings to light.

“Among the unseen virtues I am fame, fortune, song, memory, patience, craft, and constancy. Of Vedic hymns I am the Vrihatsam; of meters, the Gayatri; of months, Margasirsha; of the three seasons, the flower-wreathed spring; in the gambler’s game, the winning Double-Eight. I am the splendor of the splendid and the greatness of the great. I am victory and action; the goodness of the good. Of Vrishni’s race, I am Vasudev; of the Pandu brood, I am you yourself—yes, my Arjuna, you yourself, for you are mine. Of poets I am Usana; of saints, the divine sage Vyasa; the strategy of conquerors, the power of kings, the great unbroken silence in the secret things of learning, the lore of the learned, the seed of all that springs forth.

“Living or lifeless, still or stirring, whatever beings exist, none of them in all the worlds exists except by me. There is no tongue, Arjuna, that could tell, nor end to the telling, of these boundless glories of mine—of which I have taught you only a few. For wherever there is wondrous work, majesty, or might, it has all proceeded from me. Receive this truth rightly. Yet how, O Prince, could you receive the vastness of this teaching? I, who am all and who made it all, dwell still as its separate Lord.”

Here ends Chapter X of the Bhagavad-Gita, titled “Vibhuti Yog,” or “The Book of Religion by the Heavenly Perfections.”