BHAGAVAD GITA as it is                          
Chapter Ten             The Opulence of the Absolute                        

   THE SUPREME LORD said:

1  Again, O mighty-armed Arjuna, listen to My supreme word, which I shall
   impart to you for your benefit and which will give you great joy.

2  Neither the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin,
   For in every respect, I am the source of the demigods and the sages.

3  He who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as the Supreme Lord of
   all the worlds - he, undeluded among men, is freed from all sins.

4-5 Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness,
   truthfulness, self-control, calmness, pleasure and pain, birth, death,
   fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity,
   charity, fame and infamy are created by Me alone.

6  The seven great sages and before them the four other great sages and the
   Manus [progenitors of mankind] are born out of My mind,
   and all creatures in these planets descend from them.

7  He who knows in truth this glory and power of Mine engages in unalloyed
   devotional service; of this there is no doubt.

8  I am the source of everything; from Me the entire creation flows.
   Knowing this, the wise worship Me with all their hearts.

9  Their thoughts dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me,
   and they derive great satisfaction and bliss,
   enlightening one another and conversing about Me.

10 To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love,
   I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

11 Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with
   the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.

   ARJUNA said:

12-13 You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and
   purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person.
   You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and you are the
   unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita,
   Devala and Vyasa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring
   it to me.

14 O Krsna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me.
   Neither the gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.

15 Indeed, You alone know Yourself by Your own potencies, O origin of all,
   Lord of all beings, God of gods, O Supreme Person, Lord of the universe!

16 Please tell me in detail of Your divine powers,
   by which You pervade all these worlds and abide in them.

17 How should I meditate on You?
   In what various forms are You to be contemplated, O Blessed Lord?

18 Tell me again in detail, O Janardana [Krsna], of Your mighty potencies and
   glories, for I never tire of hearing Your ambrosial words.

   THE BLESSED LORD said:

19 Yes, I shall tell you of My splendourous manifestations, but only of those
   which are prominent, O Arjuna, for My opulence is limitless.

20 I am the Self, O conqueror of sleep, seated in the hearts of all creatures.
   I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.

21 Of the Adityas I am Visnu, of lights I am the radiant sun,
   I am Marici of the Maruts, and among stars I am the moon.

22 Of the Vedas I am the Sama Veda, of the demigods I am Indra,
   of the senses I am the mind, and in living beings I am consciousness.

23 Of all the Rudras I am Lord Siva, of the Yaksas and Raksasas I am the lord
   of wealth [Kuvera], of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am
   Meru.

24 Of priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brhaspati, the lord of
   devotion. Of generals I am Skanda, the lord of war, and of bodies of
   water I am the ocean.

25 Of the great sages I am Bhrgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental om.
   Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa],
   and of immovable things I am the Himalayas.

26 Of all trees I am the holy fig tree, and among sages and demigods I am
   Narada. Of the singers of the demigods [Gandharvas] I am Citraratha,
   and among perfected beings I am the sage Kapila.

27 Of horses know Me to be Uccaihsrava, who rose out of the ocean,
   born of the elixir of immortality; of lordly elephants I am Airavata,
   and among men I am the monarch.

28 Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the Surabhi,
   givers of abundant milk. Of procreators I am Kandarpa,
   the god of love, and of serpents I am Vasuki, the chief.

29 Of the celestial Naga snakes I am Ananta; of the aquatic deities I am
   Varuna. Of departed ancestors I am Aryama, and among the dispensers of law
   I am Yama, lord of death.

30 Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlada, among subduers I am
   time, among the beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuda,
   the feathered carrier of Visnu.

31 Of purifiers I am the wind, of the wielders of weapons I am Rama,
   of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges.

32 Of all creations I am the beginning and the end, and also the middle,
   O Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the self,
   and among logicians I am the conclusive truth.

33 Of letters I am the Letter A, and among compounds I am the dual word.
   I am also inexhaustible time, and of creators I am Brahma, whose
   manifold faces turn everywhere.

34 I am all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to be.
   Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence,
   faithfulness and patience.

35 Of hymns I am the Brhat-sama sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am
   the Gayatri verse, sung daily by brahmanas. Of months I am November and
   December, and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.

36 I am also the gambling of cheats, and of the splendid I am the splendour.
   I am victory,I am adventure, and I am the good quality in all superior men.

37 Of the descendants of Vrsni I am Vasudeva, and of the Pandavas I am Arjuna.
   Of the sages I am Vyasa, and among great thinkers I am Usana.

38 Among punishments I am the rod of chastisement, and of those who seek
   victory, I am morality. Of secret things I am silence,
   and of the wise I am wisdom.

39 Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences.
   There is no being - moving or unmoving - that can exist without Me.

40 O mighty conqueror of enemies, there is no end to My divine manifestations.
   What I have spoken to you is but a mere indication of My infinite
   opulences.

41 Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from
   but a spark of My splendour.

42 But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge?
   With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire
   universe.

   End of Chapter Ten