The Bhagavad Gita
Page 8
TEN
The Blessed One spoke:
1. Once more, Arjuna, listen to my supreme word, which I will now declare to you, since it pleases you to hear it, and since my desire is for your welfare.
2. The hosts of the gods do not know my origins, nor do the great seers, for with regard to the gods and great seers, I myself am their very source!
3. A man who knows that I am unborn and without beginning and the great lord of all worlds is free from all delusions, and among mortals he is released from all evils.
4. Insight, knowledge, freedom from delusion; patience, truth, self-control, and peace; pleasure and pain; coming into being and parting from it; also fear and fearlessness;
5. nonviolence, equanimity, contentment; austerity, generosity, glory and shame—all these conditions that all beings experience, in all of their varieties, arise from me alone.
6. The seven great seers of ancient times and the four ancestors of man all originated in me, born from my mind. All beings in the world are their descendants.
7. Whoever comes to know this power1 of mine, as it truly is, and yoga as well, will thus come to discipline himself with a form of yoga that is unwavering. There is no doubt about this.
8. I am the origin of all and from me all unfolds. Men of insight who have realized this worship me for this reason, filled as they are with my presence.
9. Their thoughts are focused on me. Their life-breaths go from them to me. They enlighten each other about me and they retell the traditional tales about me. Such things please and comfort them.
10. Because they worship me with unfailing discipline and with love, I give them the yoga of insight by which they will come to me.
11. Out of compassion for them, and with the shining light of knowledge, I destroy that darkness that is born of ignorance. All the while I remain within myself, in my true state.
Arjuna spoke:
12. You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme foundation, and the supreme purifier as well. You are the human spirit, eternal and divine, the unborn primordial god and lord.
13. All the seers say this of you, and the divine sage Nārada too, and Asita Devala, and Vyāsa also. And now you yourself tell me that it is so.
14. All that you have told me, Ka, I accept as true. Indeed, neither the gods nor the demons know, Lord, your manifest form.
15. O supreme Spirit, you alone know yourself by means of your self alone! O source and lord of all beings! O god of gods, O lord of the world!
16. Please explain to me completely the divine powers of the self, the very powers by means of which you dwell in and pervade these worlds.
17. Here I am meditating constantly on you, great yogin! How should I understand you? And what are the many states of being, Lord, in which I should conceive of you?
18. Ka, tell me more, and in full detail, of your yoga and its powers, for I haven’t had enough of listening to the nectar of your words!
The Blessed One spoke:
19. Come, then, and I will tell you about the divine powers of my self, starting with the most important ones. But as for full detail concerning me, Arjuna, there is no end!
20. I am the very self, Arjuna, that resides in the heart of all beings. I am their beginning and their middle and their end.
21. Among the divine sons of Aditi I am Viu. Among the celestial lights I am the radiant sun. I am lightning among the gods of the storm. And I am the moon among the stars.
22. Among the Vedas I am the Sāmaveda, the book of songs. Among the gods I am Indra, their king. Among the senses I am the mind, and among the sentient I am consciousness.
23. Among the terrifying deities I am the gentle one [Śiva],2 and among demons and devils I am Kubera, the lord of wealth. Among the bright gods of space I am Agni, god of fire, and among great mountains I am Meru.
24. Arjuna, know that I am the foremost among domestic priests, Bhaspati. Among generals I am Skanda, the god of war, and I am also the ocean among the waters.
25. Among the great seers I am Bhgu, and among words I am the sacred syllable OM. Among sacrifices I am the chanted prayer. Among mountain ranges I am the Himālaya.
26. Among all trees I am the sacred fig tree, and among the divine seers I am Nārada. Among the celestial musicians I am Citraratha, their chief, and among perfected saints I am Kapila.
27. Among horses, know that I am Indra’s stallion, born of immortality. Among elephants I am Indra’s elephant, and among all men I am king.
28. Among weapons I am the vajra, Indra’s thunderbolt, and among milk cows I am the wish-fulfilling cow,3 and as for procreation I am Kandarpa, the god of love. I am Prince Vãsuki among snakes.
29. Among serpents I am Ananta, the cosmic water snake, and I am also Varua, lord of the gods of the sea. And I am Aryaman, lord of the ancestors, and I am also the lord of the dead, Yama, chief among those who lead to the otherworld.
30. Among demons I am Prahlāda, the pious. Among calendar makers I am time. Among wild beasts I am the lion, their king, and among birds I am Viu’s bird, Garua.
31. Among the things that purify I am the purifying wind. Among men bearing arms I am Rāma.4 Among sea monsters I am the crocodile, and among rivers indeed I am the Ganges.
32. Arjuna, I am the beginning and the end of all created worlds, and I am their middle as well. Among sciences I am the science of the self, and among those who argue I am the argument.
33. Among syllables I am the syllable A. Among word combinations I am the couple.5 I am also imperishable time, the creator facing in all directions.
34. And I am death that carries everything away, and also the birth of those who will be born. Among feminine nouns6 I am Fame and Fortune and Speech; Memory also, and Wisdom and Stability and Patience.
35. Among the Vedic chants I am the high chant. Among the meters I am the gãyatrī meter. Among the months I am Mārgaśīra, the first month, and among the seasons I am the flower-bearer, Spring.
36. Among gamblers who cheat I am the game of dice. Among the glorious I am glory. I am the conquest and I am the exertion and I am the courage of the courageous.
37. Among the clan of the Vis I am Ka, among the Pāavas I am Arjuna. Among the holy hermits I am Vyāsa, and among the ancient poets I am the poet Uśanas.
38. I am the rod of the punishers. I am the policy of scheming politicians. I am also the silence of secret doctrines. And I am the wisdom that wise men know.
39. And beyond that, I am the seed of all beings, Arjuna. Nothing—neither what moves nor what does not move—could exist without me!
40. O Arjuna, there is no end to my divine powers! But I have shown you the extent of my power by using just a few examples.
41. Understand that whatever displays divine power, or great beauty, or enormous vigor, arises from but a small portion of my own glory!
42. But what use is it to you, Arjuna, to know all of this? With one small portion of myself I have propped up this entire world, and still I stand here.
ELEVEN
Arjuna spoke:
1. As a kindness to me, you have explained the sublime secret doctrine concerning the self. Your words have freed me from my delusion.
2. Indeed, O Ka, you whose eyes are like lotus petals and whose greatness is unending—I have heard from you in detail of the arising and the passing away of all beings!
3. I want to see you as you have described yourself, Ka, in your true form, as the lord of the world, for you are the supreme Spirit.
4. If you think that it is possible for me to see you as you really are, lord and master of yoga, then please show your eternal self to me!
The Blessed One spoke:
5. Arjuna, look at the forms that I take, hundreds of them and thousands of them! So many divine forms! So many colors and so many shapes!
6. Look at them all: gods of heaven, gods of light, terrifying gods; the celestial twins and the storm gods. Look at these wonders, Arjuna, so many, never seen before!
7. Look now
at this whole world, here in one place, both what moves and what does not move, all of it here within my body! And whatever else you wish to see, Arjuna!
8. But of course you cannot see me with your own eye alone. Here, I give you a divine eye. Now look at my majestic yoga!1
Sajaya spoke:
9. O my king, thus he spoke, Ka, the great lord of yoga, who is also Viu!2 And thus he unveiled to Arjuna his supreme majestic form.
10. Ka in this form was a great wonder to see, with many mouths and many eyes, with many divine ornaments, and many divine weapons raised up in his arms.
11. Divine also were the garlands and robes that he wore. Divine were the perfumes and ointments. His divinity was an endless profusion of wonders. And in every direction were his many faces turned!
12. If the light of a thousand suns were to suddenly arise in heaven—as at the dawn of a new age—that would be like the radiance of this great soul!
13. There Arjuna saw the entire world, the whole world in all of its infinite manifestations, drawn together as one, in the body of the god of gods.
14. And so, thus seized with wonder, the hair on his body bristling with ecstasy, Arjuna joined his hands together in reverence, bowed his head to the god, and said:
Arjuna spoke:
15. I see all of the gods within your body, O god of gods! I see the whole array of beings—the lord Brahmā sitting on his lotus seat, all of the seers, and the celestial serpents!
16. Countless arms, countless bellies, countless mouths and eyes—I see you everywhere in this infinite variety of forms! I see no ending to you, no middle, and no beginning. You, who are the lord of all things and the form of all things!
17. I see you here, wearing your crown, bearing your mace and discus. I see you full of light, your radiance pouring forth in all directions. I see you everywhere, but it is a sight that is hard to bear. Immeasurable light of flames and fires and suns and lightning!
18. You are the imperishable, the supreme, the goal of all knowledge. You are the world’s finest treasure house. You are the unfailing guardian of unchanging dharma. Thus I now understand: you are the eternal spirit in man.
19. I now see that you are without beginning or middle or end, that your power is infinite, that your arms are beyond number, that the sun and the moon are your eyes. I now see that your mouth is a blazing sacrificial fire and that your radiance burns up all this world.
20. For you alone pervade this space between heaven and earth and all of the directions within it. The three worlds gaze upon your wondrous and terrible body, Ka, and they tremble!
21. Multitudes of gods enter you. Some of them are terrified. They hold their hands in reverence to you and they sing your praises. Multitudes of seers and perfected sages chant to you in copious rounds of recitation.
22. Terrifying gods and heavenly gods, bright gods, and perfected gods; universal gods, the divine twins, storm gods, and ancestral spirits; hosts of celestial musicians, sprites, demons, and saints—they all look upon you now and are seized with wonder.
23. Ka, when the worlds see this massive form of yours, with its many mouths and eyes, with its many arms and legs and feet, its many bellies and terrible tusks—they look and they tremble, as I do now!
24. I see your body as it touches the clouds, shining a rainbow of colors, your large gaping mouth, your wide flaming eyes. My inmost self trembles. I cannot find my resolve, Viu. I cannot find peace.
25. I see your mouths and your wide gaping tusks that look to me like the fires at the end of time. I am disoriented now and can find no shelter. Ka, lord of the gods and the world’s repose, have mercy!
26. And now all of those sons of Dhtarāra, together with their host of kings, Bhīma, Droa, and Kara, the son of the charioteer, are here—and our best warriors are here as well.
27. They rush headlong past your gaping, terrifying tusks into your countless mouths. Some of them seem to hang lifeless, caught between your teeth, with their heads crushed.
28. Like the countless river torrents that flow back toward the sea, those heroes in the worlds of men pour into your blazing mouths.
29. Like the moths that rush frantically to the burning flame, and to their destruction, so these worlds rush in a frenzy into your mouths, to their destruction.
30. Viu,3 you devour everything, all these worlds, licking at them with your flaming tongues. You fill the whole world with your brilliance. O your terrible flames, how they burn!
31. Tell me, who are you, O lord of such terrible form? Let me pay homage to you. O best of gods, have mercy! I wish to know you as you were in the beginning, because I do not understand your present course.
The Blessed One spoke:
32. I am time, the agent of the world’s destruction, now grown old and set in motion to destroy the worlds. Even without you, all of these warriors arrayed in opposing battle-formation will cease to exist!
33. Therefore, rise up and seek your glory! Conquer your enemies and enjoy successful kingship! In fact, I have slain them all already, long ago. Simply be the instrument by my side!
34. Droa and Bhīma and Jayadratha, and Kara as well—and all the other war heroes—have been killed by me already, so now you should kill them. Don’t waver! Fight! You will defeat your rivals in this war!
Sajaya spoke:
35. Arjuna listened to Ka’s words. Trembling beneath his crown, he brought his hands together in homage and bowed, and again he spoke to Ka. He stammered, overwhelmed by fear.
Arjuna spoke:
36. It is fitting, Ka, that the world rejoices and devotes itself to your praise, and that the frightened demons flee in all directions. The hosts of perfected sages also pay homage.
37. And why shouldn’t they pay homage to you, great soul—a creator more worthy than Brahmā himself?4 You are the infinite lord of the gods and the world’s resting place. You are the imperishable, both what exists and what does not exist, and beyond them both.
38. You are the first among all gods, the ancient spirit. You are the final resting place of all things. You are both the knower and the known and the world’s supreme foundation. Ka, you reach everywhere into all of this world!
39. You are the god of the wind, and you are death. You are fire, and the god of the waters and of the moon. You are the Lord of Creation, the Grandfather of Creation. Homage to you, a thousand homages to you! And again homage to you!
40. Homage before you and homage behind you, let there be homage to you, the all, on all sides! O Ka, endless hero, your striving power is unmeasured. You embrace all of it, and indeed you are all of it!
41. Whatever I may have said impulsively, thinking “This is my friend,” addressing you “Hello Ka, hello Yādava, hello my friend!” unaware as I was of your true greatness, whether out of carelessness or affection,
42. and if while joking I have said something offensive, while relaxing or resting or sitting or eating with you—whether alone or publicly—immeasurable Ka, I seek your forgiveness.
43. You are the Father of the world of the things that move and the things that do not move. You are the world’s guru, the best and most revered. Ka, there is no one equal to you in the three worlds—so how could there be one greater?
44. Therefore, I bow down and I prostrate this body. I seek grace from you, a lord to be revered above all others. Like a father to a son, like a friend to a friend, like a lover to a loved one—please, God, bear with me!
45. I have seen what no one else has seen before, and I am exhilarated, but my mind is shaken with fear. Ka, please show me once again that body that I know so well. Lord of the gods, the world’s refuge, be gracious!
46. I wish to see you again as you used to be, wearing your crown, bearing your mace and your discus. O Ka of the thousand arms, true body of all this world, return to that four-armed body that I know so well!5
The Blessed One spoke:
47. As a kindness to you, Arjuna, and as an expression of my yogic power, I have revealed my supreme form
to you. It is radiant, universal, endless, and primordial, and with the exception of you alone, no one has seen it before.
48. I can be seen in this form in the world of men only by you, Arjuna, hero of the Kurus! The Vedas will not help, nor will sacrifices, nor will much studying or gift-giving. The performance of ritual will not help, nor will terrible austerities!
49. Do not waver. Do not be confused. Now you have seen this my terrifying form—for such it is! But let go of this fear. Put your mind at ease. Look again at this body of mine that you know so well.
Sajaya spoke:
50. Ka spoke these words to Arjuna and revealed himself again in his familiar form. And by returning to this gentle form again, the great soul gave that frightened man a moment to regain his breath.
Arjuna spoke:
51. Ka, once again I can see this human, gentle form of yours. Now I am settled down, in control of my thoughts again. I am back to my normal state.
The Blessed One spoke:
52. The gods themselves constantly yearn for a view of this body of mine that you have now seen. Indeed, it is a body that is difficult to look upon.
53. I will not be seen in this form as you have now seen me, neither through the study of the Vedas, nor through the practice of austerities. Nor is gift-giving of any use. Nor is sacrifice.
54. It is only through devotion, bhakti, that I can be known in this way. Only through devotion to me alone can I be known and seen as I really am and entered into.
55. Whoever performs his actions for my sake, whoever makes me his highest goal, whoever devotes himself to me, without attachment and without hostility toward anyone—Arjuna, such a man comes to me.
TWELVE
Arjuna spoke:
1. There are some who are constantly disciplined, devotees who worship you. There are others who devote themselves to the imperishable, the unmanifest. Who among them have the best knowledge of yoga?