mrityuh sarvaharashashchaaham udbhavashcha bhavishyataam
keertih shreervaakcha naareenaam smritirmedhaadhritih kshamaa // 10.34//
And I am all devouring death and the source of all that is to be; among the feminine qualities (I am) fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, firmness and forgiveness.
Death - It is the supreme leveler. Separateness and individuality are maintained only during life time due to one's relationship with other than oneself. After death all individualities vanish and all beings wise and ignorant, rich and poor, noble and ignoble, strong and weak etc. are reduced to the same dust wherein no distinction can be identified.
Source of all that is to be - The Lord is the source of all new creations that will have to come in future. In the scheme of life destruction is only a modification of the existing form into another new one to come in the future. The idea is that the Infinite, through the continuous process of destruction and creation, is in fact the finite Universe.
Fame, prosperity etc. - These qualities are such that through them one can visualize the Divine more clearly.
brihatsaama tathaa saamnaam gaayatree chhandasaamaham
maasaanam maargasheersho'ham ritoonaam kusumaakarah // 10.35 //
Among the hymns also I am the Brihat Saman; among the metres Gayatri am I; among months I am Margashirsha (December-January); among seasons (I am) the flowery spring.
Brihatsama - Songs of Sama Veda, consisting of various tunes and meters which require long and enduring practice to sing. Of all the meters in Sama Veda, the meter called `Brihati' is the most difficult one and the songs composed in this meter are called `Brihatsama'.
Gayatri - This meter is the most divine and powerful. The hymn composed in this meter (Om Gayatri Mantra) which glorifies the sun is recited every morning and evening by all. The Supreme is indicated in the Gayatri Mantra as All-pervading, Omniscient and Eternal. He who understands Gayatri in this way attains full and unending prosperity.
Margashirsha - End of hot season and beginning of cold.
Spring - Flowery season with all colors, beauty and charm around.
dyootaam chhalayataamasmi tejastejaswinaamaham
jayo'smi vyavasaayo'smi sattwam sattwavataamaham // 10.36 //
I am the gambling of the deceitful; I am the splendor of the splendid; I am victory, I am determination (of those who are determined); I am the goodness of the good.
Gambling - Most deceptive game of that time on account of which Pandavas had to undergo extreme sufferings. Splendor -It is the most satisfying experience. Victory, effort and goodness - Great qualities in an individual.
vrishneenaam vaasudevo'smi paandavaanaam dhananjayah
muneenaamapyaham vyaasah kaveenaamushanaa kavih // 10.37 //
Among the Vrishnis I am Vaasudeva; among the Pandavas (I am) Dhananjaya; also among the Munis I am Vyasa; and among the poets I am Ushana, the great seer.
Vrishni - Yadva clan, Vaasudeva - Sri Krishna whose father’s name was Vasudeva. Dhananjaya - Arjuna , the winner of wealth, the focal point among the five Pandava brothers but for whom nothing could have been achieved by them. Vyasa- Of all the men of reflection, The Lord is he who is behind all the Puranas, Vedas and Upanishads, sage Vyasa. Ushana - Sukracharya, the preceptor of demons.
dando damayataamasmi neetirasmi jigeeshataam
maunam chaivaasmi guhyaanaam jnaanam jnaanavataamaham // 10.38 //
Among those who chastise I am the scepter (rod of chastisement); among those who seek victory I am statesmanship; and also among the secrets I am silence; the wisdom among knowers am I.
Scepter - Symbol of the royal power to punish the guilty. Statesmanship - Finesse, skill, tact etc. in administration. Secret - Secret if expressed in any form, subtle or overt, remains no more a secret. Silence is therefore the best form of maintaining secrecy. Wisdom - The knowledge in the knower or the wisdom in the wise are the expressions of Divinity through individuals.
yacchaapi sarvabhootaanaam beejam tadahamarjuna
na tadasti vinaa yatsyaanmayaa bhootam charaacharam // 10.39 //
And whatsoever is the seed of all beings, that also am I, O Arjuna; there is no being, whether moving or unmoving that can exist without Me.
Self is the source of all creation just as the seed is the source of all trees. This idea is repeated in several ways. When the seed germinates it dies to become a tree. But this is not the case with the Self. Hence Sri Krishna says that He is the seed of the Universe and even after its germination and growth the tree (universe) is sustained by the seed (Self) just as all the waves during their appearance and disappearance are sustained by the ocean and without which waves cannot exist. Nothing can exist without the Self, which is the essence of everything like saying all cloth has come out of cotton and no cloth can exist without cotton.
naanto'sti mama divyaanaam vibhooteenaam parantapa
esha too'ddeshatah prokto vibhootervistaro mayaa // 10.40 //
There is no end to My Divine glories, O Parantapa; but this is a brief statement by Me of the particulars of My Divine Glories.
As the Lord is infinite so are His manifestations. Although there is no end to narrate all His glories the Lord has provided Arjuna with some specific examples in order to teach him the Art of seeing the Unseen through the Seen.
The implication is that one should meditate upon these ideas or examples and try to discover the Infinite Resplendency of The Lord in every finite shape and name.
yadyad vibhootimat sattwam shreemadoorjitameva vaa
tattadevaavagaccha twam mama tejom'shasambhavam // 10.41 //
Whatever that is glorious, prosperous or powerful in any being, you know that to be a manifestation of a part of My splendor.
The above examples illustrate clearly that The Lord is present in all names and forms revealing Himself as the glorious or the great or the mighty aspect in all beings and things. Sri Krishna summarizes his discourse on His several glories by saying whatever that is great or glorious or mighty is nothing but the expression of a ray of His infinite splendor. Each one of the examples given by The Lord indicates as either the great one in the whole species or the noblest and the most glorious thing or happening or the mightiest among the powerful. This indication is useful to the seekers to perceive the play of the Infinite among the finite and ever changing world of names and forms. “While all things are supported by God, things of beauty and splendor reveal Him more than others. Every deed of heroism, every life of sacrifice, every work of genius, is a revelation of the Divine. The epic moments of man's life are inexplicably beyond the finite mind of man”. Dr.S.Radhakrishnan
athavaa bahunaitena kim jnaatena tavaarjuna
vishtabhyaahamidam kritsnamekaamshena sthito jagat // 10.42 //
But of what use to you is the knowledge of all these details, O Arjuna? I exist supporting this whole world by one part of Myself.
Jagat - The sum total the world perceived by the sense organs and the worlds of ideas and emotions i.e. the entire field comprehended by the sense organs, the mind and intellect. Sri Krishna declares that the total world is supported and nourished by a fraction of Him or His glory. Not that the Divine glory is broken into fragments. This cosmos is but a partial revelation of the Infinite, is illumined by one ray of His shining light. The transcendent light of the Supreme dwells beyond all this cosmos, beyond time and space. Purusha Suktam makes out that all this is only a description of His greatness; the Purusha Himself is much greater than this.
om tat sat iti srimadbhagavadgeetaasu upanishatsu brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre sri krishnaarjuna samvaade vibhootiyogo naama dashamo'dhyaayah
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the tenth discourse entitled :The Yoga of the Divine Manifestations.
We shall have an analytical look at this Chapter next time.
Harih Om