English
11 January 2021
The Universal Form - the ultimate proof of Lord's opulences
Hare Kṛṣṇa! Devotees from 800 locations are chanting with us. You all are welcome here for the daily morning session.
I was remembering the different opulences and powers of the Lord which I said I would describe today. Kṛṣṇa has been speaking for the past 9 chapters and 11 verses in the 10th chapter, now Arjuna will be sharing his realizations.
arjuna uvāca
paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum
Translation
Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. (BG 10.12)
sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye
yan māṁ vadasi keśava
na hi te bhagavan vyaktiṁ
vidur devā na dānavāḥ
Translation
O Kṛṣṇa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the demigods nor the demons, O Lord, can understand Your personality. (BG 10.14)
Arjuna wants to hear more opulences of the Lord. He has had God-realization. Arjuna became inquisitive to know the Absolute Truth, brahma-jijnasa. As living entities we are always curious about everything, but actual curiosity should be directed towards the Supreme Absolute Truth, athatho brahma jijnasa is what the Vedanta-sutra instructs. As the Lord has said in Bhagavad Gita, there are four kinds of persons who approach the Lord.
catur-vidha bhajante mam
janah sukrtino 'rjuna
arto jijnasur artharthi
jnani ca bharatarsabha
Translation
O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute. (BG 7.16)
Further Arjuna said to Lord Kṛṣṇa,
vaktum arhasy aśeṣeṇa
divyā hy ātma-vibhūtayaḥ
yābhir vibhūtibhir lokān
imāṁs tvaṁ vyāpya tiṣṭhasi
Translation
Please tell me in detail of Your divine opulences by which You pervade all these worlds. (BG 10.16)
Arjuna is asking Kṛṣṇa to speak about Himself and His glorious activities, more about His opulences. Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport that devotees are fully satisfied with the original form of Sri Kṛṣṇa, yet Arjuna is curious to know the omniscient and omnipotent opulences of the Lord.
kathaṁ vidyām ahaṁ yogiṁs
tvāṁ sadā paricintayan
keṣu keṣu ca bhāveṣu
cintyo ’si bhagavan mayā
Translation
O Kṛṣṇa, O supreme mystic, how shall I constantly think of You, and how shall I know You? In what various forms are You to be remembered, O Supreme Personality of Godhead? (BG 10.17)
In chapter 10 from 10.19 to 10.42, Krsna is describing His opulences.
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
hanta te kathayiṣyāmi
divyā hy ātma-vibhūtayaḥ
prādhānyataḥ kuru-śreṣṭha
nāsty anto vistarasya me
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Yes, I will tell you of My splendorous manifestations, but only of those which are prominent, O Arjuna, for My opulence is limitless. (BG 10.19)
I will describe you my prominent opulences as I pervade everywhere, either material or spiritual. It's a display of My different energies. The universe is My part. It cannot be differentiated from Myself; sakti saktimatayo abhedha there is no difference between the energies and the energetic. The whole unlimited universal manifestations are all Sri Kṛṣṇa's energies. As stated in Isopanisad,
īśāvāsyam idaḿ sarvaṁ
yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam
Translation
Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong. (Īśopanisad 1)
Kṛṣṇa says, “Listen,” Arjuna was listening attentively, but this instruction was meant for us as our mind is always flickering. Sukadeva Goswami also says to King Pariksit in Srimad Bhagavatam, to listen means to pay attention! In Bhagavad Gita, we note that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna call each other by different names. Here in this verse Arjuna is addressed as Guḍākeśa, which means “one who has conquered the darkness of sleep."
aham ātmā guḍākeśa
sarva-bhūtāśaya-sthitaḥ
aham ādiś ca madhyaṁ ca
bhūtānām anta eva ca
Translation
I am the Supersoul, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all living entities. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings. (BG 10.20)
The first opulence stated by the Lord is that He is the soul. Taking this as a reference the Mayavadis preach that Sri Kṛṣṇa is also a soul and we as living entities are also a soul so we are God. But our Vaisnava acaryas defeat this Mayavadi propaganda explaining that the Lord is Paramatma-Supersoul.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate
Translation
Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān. (SB 1.2.11)
sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham
Translation
I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas. (BG 15.15)
Krsna is seated in everyone's heart as a Supersoul. The next opulence described is,
ādityānām ahaṁ viṣṇur
jyotiṣāṁ ravir aṁśumān
marīcir marutām asmi
nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī
Translation
Of the Ādityas I am Viṣṇu, of lights I am the radiant sun, of the Maruts I am Marīci, and among the stars I am the moon. (BG 10.21)
Among all the bright luminous bodies I am the Sun. Just a small bulb lights our house. Similarly this big bulb (sun) lights the entire creation. Many times we address the sun as surya narayan or surya bhagwan. Among the stars, I am the Moon.
vedānāṁ sāma-vedo ’smi
devānām asmi vāsavaḥ
indriyāṇāṁ manaś cāsmi
bhūtānām asmi cetanā
Translation
Of the Vedas I am the Sāma Veda; of the demigods I am Indra, the king of heaven; of the senses I am the mind; and in living beings I am the living force [consciousness]. (BG 10.22)
The mind has a flickering nature, it seems to be very strong and difficult to control. Arjuna says in the 6th chapter,
cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa
pramāthi balavad dṛḍham
tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye
vāyor iva su-duṣkaram
Translation
The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Kṛṣṇa, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind. (BG 6.34)
Krsna says, “I am the consciousness in the living entities.”
nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām
eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān
Translation
Amongst all the living entities, both conditioned and liberated, there is one supreme living personality, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who maintains them and gives them all the facility of enjoyment according to different work. That Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in everyone’s heart as Paramātmā. [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13]
rudrāṇāṁ śaṅkaraś cāsmi
vitteśo yakṣa-rakṣasām
vasūnāṁ pāvakaś cāsmi
meruḥ śikhariṇām aham
Translation
Of all the Rudras I am Lord Śiva, of the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas I am the Lord of wealth [Kuvera], of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am Meru. (BG 10.23)
There are 11 Rudras, among them I am Siva, Siva is one of the powers of Kṛṣṇa. It means auspicious. It's not a different being. He is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa. He is the most renounced, He does not have any special opulences. He has ghost followers. Here Kṛṣṇa is speaking about the entire creation. He is not only speaking about the earth and not only of the present, but also about the past and future. Kṛṣṇa says, among the Yaksas I am Kuvera, the Lord of wealth. Among mountains, I am the Meru Mountain. No other mountain can be equal to Mount Meru. In Bhagavad Gita, Kṛṣṇa says there is no one equal to Me,
mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañ-jaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva
Translation
O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread. (BG 7.7)
The next opulence is,
purodhasāṁ ca mukhyaṁ māṁ
viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim
senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ
sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ
Translation
Of priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Bṛhaspati. Of generals I am Kārttikeya, and of bodies of water I am the ocean. (BG 10.24)
Further Kṛṣṇa says, of all the Purohits, (Purohit means one who wishes good for his people) I am the Brhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods. Of generals, I am the Karttikeya, the brother of Lord Ganesha. We cannot measure the depth or width, the power of the ocean, I am the ocean of all the water bodies.
maharṣīṇāṁ bhṛgur ahaṁ
girām asmy ekam akṣaram
yajñānāṁ japa-yajño ’smi
sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ
Translation :
Of the great sages I am Bhṛgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental oṁ. Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa], and of immovable things I am the Himalayas. (BG 10.25)
Among all the sages, I am Bhrgu Muni. The Muni was elected to check who is supreme from the three prime gods Brahma, Visnu, Siva. To ascertain, he went and kicked Lord Viṣṇu on his chest. You can clearly see the foot mark on Lord Vitthala's chest. Of all the vibrations, I am the transcendental sound aum. Among all the Yajnas, sacrifices I am the Japa Yajna, the chanting of the holy name.
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
This is japa yajna, sankirtan Yajna. We perform our sacrifice yajna simply by taking Tulasi beads in our hand and chanting (yajna). There is no need of a Purohit or fire. Most prominent of all the yajnas is japa yajna and I am the Japa Yajna, whether it be Ashvameda yajna, Gomedha Yajna, Rajasuya Yajna.
aśvatthaḥ sarva-vṛkṣāṇāṁ
devarṣīṇāṁ ca nāradaḥ
gandharvāṇāṁ citrarathaḥ
siddhānāṁ kapilo muniḥ
Translation
Of all trees I am the banyan tree, and of the sages among the demigods I am Nārada. Of the Gandharvas I am Citraratha, and among perfected beings I am the sage Kapila. (BG 10.26)
uccaiḥśravasam aśvānāṁ
viddhi mām amṛtodbhavam
airāvataṁ gajendrāṇāṁ
narāṇāṁ ca narādhipam
Translation
Of horses know Me to be Uccaiḥśravā, produced during the churning of the ocean for nectar. Of lordly elephants I am Airāvata, and among men I am the monarch. (BG 10.27)
While churning the ocean, 14 gems appeared, one of them is the horse Uccaiḥśra and I am that Uccaiḥśrva.
āyudhānām ahaṁ vajraṁ
dhenūnām asmi kāma-dhuk
prajanaś cāsmi kandarpaḥ
sarpāṇām asmi vāsukiḥ
Translation
Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the surabhi. Of causes for procreation I am Kandarpa, the god of love, and of serpents I am Vāsuki. (BG 10.28)
I am the Vajra, the strongest weapon among all the weapons and Surabhi among the cows. While churning the ocean, the 33 crore demigods needed ropes to churn so they made Vasuki serpent a rope to churn the Mandarachala Mountain. How lengthy and strong must Vasuki be to hold that mountain. The Lord says I am Vasuki.
anantaś cāsmi nāgānāṁ
varuṇo yādasām aham
pitṝṇām aryamā cāsmi
yamaḥ saṁyamatām aham
Translation
Of the many-hooded Nāgas I am Ananta, and among the aquatics I am the demigod Varuṇa. Of departed ancestors I am Aryamā, and among the dispensers of law I am Yama, the lord of death. (BG 10.29)
prahlādaś cāsmi daityānāṁ
kālaḥ kalayatām aham
mṛgāṇāṁ ca mṛgendro ’haṁ
vainateyaś ca pakṣiṇām
Translation
Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlāda, among subduers I am time, among beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuḍa. (BG 10.30)
pavanaḥ pavatām asmi
rāmaḥ śastra-bhṛtām aham
jhaṣāṇāṁ makaraś cāsmi
srotasām asmi jāhnavī
Translation
Of purifiers I am the wind, of the wielders of weapons I am Rāma, of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges. (BG 10.31)
Once in Padayatra, while going to Badrikasrama from Haridwar, we were surrounded by the gigantic Himalayas. The sun was over head and the pleasant pure Ganges was flowing by. This enhances Kṛṣṇa conscious spirits. All these are the opulences of Kṛṣṇa. Someone asked Srila Prabhupada, "Can we see the beautiful sunset?" In reply he said, "If you see it with the vision that the sun is an opulence of Kṛṣṇa, then it not considered maya." Another time, Srila Prabhupada was giving a lecture and he wanted to explain raso ’ham apsu kaunteya - Krsna says, "I am the taste of water." In demonstrating he drank a sip of water and showed the content saying, "This satisfaction is Krsna." This is Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, very practical.
There is no end to the opulences of Krsna and at the end of the chapter Krsna says, "These opulences are a small part of all My opulences". Here, in this chapter the Lord is speaking, but in the next chapter He will show His Virat Rupa to Arjuna.
Nitai Gaur Premanande Hari Haribol!