The Bhagavad-Gita

THE TENTH TEACHING

FRAGMENTS OF
DIVINE POWER

Lord Krishna

Great Warrior, again hear
my word in its supreme form;
desiring your good,
I speak to deepen your love.

Neither the multitude of gods
nor great sages know my origin,
for I am the source of all
the gods and great sages.

A mortal who knows me
as the unborn, beginningless
great lord of the worlds
is freed from delusion and all evils.

Understanding, knowledge, nondelusion,
patience, truth, control, tranquility,
joy, suffering, being, nonbeing,
fear, and fearlessness . . .

Nonviolence, equanimity, contentment,
penance, charity, glory, disgrace,
these diverse attitudes
of creatures arise from me.

The seven ancient great sages
and the four ancestors of man
are mind-born aspects of me;
their progeny fills the world.

The man who in reality knows
my power and my discipline
is armed with unwavering discipline;
in this there is no doubt.

I am the source of everything,
and everything proceeds from me;
filled with my existence, wise men
realizing this are devoted to me.

Thinking and living deep in me,
they enlighten one another
by constantly telling of me
for their own joy and delight.

To men of enduring discipline,
devoted to me with affection,
I give the discipline of understanding
by which they come to me.

Dwelling compassionately
deep in the self,
I dispel darkness born of ignorance
with the radiant light of knowledge.

Arjuna

You are supreme, the infinite spirit,
the highest abode, sublime purifier,
man's spirit, eternal, divine,
the primordial god, unborn, omnipotent.

So the ancient seers spoke of you,
as did the epic poet Vyasa and the bards
who sang for gods, ancestors, and men;
and now you tell me yourself.

Lord Krishna, I realize the truth
of all you tell me;
neither gods nor demons
know your manifest nature.

You know yourself through the self,
Krishna; Supreme among Men,
Sustainer and Lord of Creatures,
God of Gods, Master of the Universe!

Tell me without reserve
the divine powers of your self,
powers by which you pervade
these worlds.

Lord of Discipline,
how can I know you as I meditate
on you—in what diverse aspects
can I think of you, Krishna?

Recount in full extent
the discipline and power of your self;
Krishna, I can never hear enough
of your immortal speech.

Lord Krishna

Listen, Arjuna, as I recount
for you in essence
the divine powers of my self;
endless is my extent.

I am the self abiding
in the heart of all creatures;
I am their beginning,
their middle, and their end.

I am Vishnu striding among sun gods,
the radiant sun among lights;
I am lightning among wind gods,
the moon among the stars.

I am the song in sacred lore;
I am Indra, king of the gods;
I am the mind of the senses,
the consciousness of creatures.

I am gracious Shiva among howling storm gods,
the lord of wealth among demigods and demons,
fire blazing among the bright gods;
I am golden Meru towering over the mountains.

Arjuna, know me as the gods' teacher,
chief of the household priests;
I am the god of war among generals;
I am the ocean of lakes.

I am Bhrigu, priest of the great seers;
of words, I am the eternal syllable OM,
the prayer of sacrifices;
I am Himalaya, the measure of what endures.

Among trees, I am the sacred fig-tree;
I am chief of the divine sages,
leader of the celestial musicians,
the recluse philosopher among saints.

Among horses, know me as the immortal stallion
born from the sea of elixir;
among elephants, the divine king's mount;
among men, the king.

I am the thunderbolt among weapons,
among cattle, the magical wish-granting cow;
I am the procreative god of love,
the king of the snakes.

I am the endless cosmic serpent,
the lord of all sea creatures;
I am chief of the ancestral fathers;
of restraints, I am death.

I am the pious son of demons;
of measures, I am time;
I am the lion among wild animals,
the eagle among birds.

I am the purifying wind,
the warrior Rama bearing arms,
the sea-monster crocodile,
the flowing river Ganges.

I am the beginning, the middle,
and the end of creations, Arjuna;
of sciences, I am the science of the self;
I am the dispute of orators.

I am the vowel a of the syllabary,
the pairing of words in a compound;
I am indestructible time,
the creator facing everywhere at once.

I am death the destroyer of all,
the source of what will be,
the feminine powers: fame, fortune, speech,
memory, intelligence, resolve, patience.

I am the great ritual chant,
the meter of sacred song,
the most sacred month in the year,
the spring blooming with flowers.

I am the dice game of gamblers,
the brilliance of fiery heroes.
I am victory and resolve,
the lucidity of lucid men.

I am Krishna among my mighty kinsmen;
I am Arjuna among the Pandava princes;
I am the epic poet Vyasa among sages,
the inspired singer among bards.

I am the scepter of rulers,
the morality of ambitious men;
I am the silence of mysteries,
what men of knowledge know.

Arjuna, I am the seed
of all creatures;
nothing animate or inanimate
could exist without me.

Fiery Hero, endless
are my divine powers—
of my power's extent
I have barely hinted.

Whatever is powerful, lucid,
splendid, or invulnerable
has its source in a fragment
of my brilliance.

What use is so much knowledge
to you, Arjuna?
I stand sustaining this entire world
with a fragment of my being.