Gita Series – 117: Bhagavad Gita Chapter X. Verse 37 – 42

“I am Kṛṣṇa among Vṛṣṇi-s, Arjuna among Pāṇḍava-s, Vyāsa among sages, Śukrācārya among the wise, the subduing power of the rulers, prudence among those who seek to conquer, silence among secrets, knowledge among the knowers. Arjuna, I am the seed of all beings and none can be mobile or torpid without Me. There is no limit to My Divine Glories. This is only a brief of my manifestations. Whatever is brilliant, glorious or powerful in any being, know that to be a part of My Divine Glory. What are you going to gain in knowing all these details Arjuna? It is enough to know that I hold the entire universe by a fraction of my Yogic Power”

Vṛṣṇi is a dynasty in which Kṛṣṇa was born. The point driven home by the Lord is here that if someone considers Him as an ordinary human, he remains deluded by ignorance. Kṛṣṇa makes a reference to Arjuna, as Arjuna is not only a sincere disciple of Kṛṣṇa, but also valorous among the Pāṇḍava-s. In fact, Arjuna’s elder brother Yudhiṣṭhira is highly pious and known for his virtues. In spite of this fact, Kṛṣṇa chooses Arjuna because Arjuna has more knowledge about the Self due to his closeness with Kṛṣṇa. It is also said that Árjuna was the best disciple of Kṛṣṇá but not the best among the five Pāṇḍava-s. This position was only gained by Yudhiṣṭhira who attained Kṛṣṇá's abode by keeping his own physical body due to his superb wisdom.

It is not surprising that Kṛṣṇa has made a reference to the great sage and author of almost all the epics, Vyāsa. It is to be remembered that Bhagavad Gita is also one of the master pieces of Vyāsa. Śukrācārya is the guru of demons and known for his wisdom. He is posited as planet Venus in the solar system. For rulers, the capacity to execute his power of authority is important. Kṛṣṇa says that He is that subduing power. For those who want to conquer, apart from might, prudence of planning is more important to achieve a comfortable victory. Any secret can be maintained if silence is practiced. For the wise, knowledge is their asset and they are known as wise only because of their knowledge.

After having said all this, Kṛṣṇa begins to windup this chapter. He says He is the cause for both movable and immovable. The glory of the Brahman cannot be truly described as He is the embodiment of glories. But this does not mean that the Brahman represents only the good. He is also present in evils as He is omnipresent. But, only the positive side is projected with intent to develop positive attitudes of spiritual aspirants. Having talked only about a miniscule of His Divine Glories, Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that such detailed elaborations are not needed to understand the Brahman. It is sufficient to say that the entire universe is just a fraction of the yogic power of the Lord. Only with a fraction of His yogic power, the inconceivable universe is created, sustained and dissolved, yuga after yuga.

CHAPTER X OF BHAGAVAD GITA CONCLUDED

Further Readings:

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter X. 27 - 31

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter X. 32 - 36

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter XI. 1 - 4