Bhagavad Gita- Chap 10 (Part-1) Vibhooti Yogah- Yoga of the Divine Manifestations

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

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