1 Listen further, Arjuna, to my supreme teaching,
which gives you such joy. Desiring your welfare,
O strong-armed warrior, I will tell you more.
2 Neither gods nor sages know my origin,
for I am the source from which the gods and sages come.
3 Whoever knows me as the Lord of all creation,
without birth or beginning, knows the truth and frees himself from all evil.
4 Discrimination, wisdom, understanding, forgiveness, truth,
self-control, and peace of mind; pleasure and pain, birth and death,
fear and courage, honor and dishonor;
5nonviolence, charity, equanimity, contentment,
and perseverance in spiritual disciplines –
all the different qualities found
in living creatures have their source in me.
6 The seven great sages and the four ancient ancestors were born from
my mind and received my power.
From them came all the creatures of this world.
7 Whoever understands my power and the mystery of my manifestations
comes without doubt to be united with me.
8 I am the source from which all creatures evolve.
The wise remember this and worship me with loving devotion.
9 Their thoughts are all absorbed in me, and all their vitality flows to me. Teaching one another, talking about me always, they are happy and fulfilled.
10 To those steadfast in love and devotion I give spiritual wisdom,
so that they may come to me.
11 Out of compassion I destroy the darkness of their ignorance.
From within them I light the lamp of wisdom
and dispel all darkness from their lives.
ARJUNA
12 You are Brahman supreme, the highest abode, the supreme purifier,
the self-luminous, eternal spirit, first among the gods, unborn and infinite.
13 The great sages and seers – Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa too –
have acclaimed you thus; now you have declared it to me yourself.
14 Now, O Krishna, I believe that everything you have told me is divine truth.
O Lord, neither gods nor demons know your real nature.
15 Indeed, you alone know yourself, O supreme spirit. You are the source of being and the master of every creature, God of gods, the Lord of the universe.
16 Tell me all your divine attributes, leaving nothing unsaid.
Tell me of the glories with which you fill the cosmos.
17 Krishna, you are a supreme master of yoga.
Tell me how I should meditate to gain constant awareness of you.
In what things and in what ways should I meditate on you?
18 O Krishna, you who stir up people’s hearts, tell me in detail your attributes and your powers; I can never tire of hearing your immortal words.
KRISHNA
19 All right, Arjuna, I will tell you of my divine powers.
I will mention only the most glorious; for there is no end to them.
20 I am the true Self in the heart of every creature, Arjuna,
and the beginning, middle, and end of their existence.
21 Among the shining gods I am Vishnu; of luminaries I am the sun;
among the storm gods I am Marichi, and in the night sky I am the moon.
22 Among scriptures I am the Sama Veda, and among the lesser gods I am Indra. Among the senses I am the mind, and in living beings I am consciousness.
23 Among the Rudras I am Shankara. Among the spirits of the natural world
I am Kubera, god of wealth, and Pavaka, the purifying fire.
Among mountains I am Meru.
24 Among priests I am Brihaspati, and among military leaders I am Skanda. Among bodies of water I am the ocean.
25 Among the great seers I am Bhrigu, and among words, the syllable Om; I am the repetition of the holy name, and among mountains I am the Himalayas.
26 Among trees I am the ashvattha, the sacred fig; among the gandharvas,
the heavenly musicians, I am Chitraratha.
Among divine seers I am Narada, and among sages I am Kapila.
27 I was born from the nectar of immortality as the primordial horse and as Indra’s noble elephant. Among human beings, I am the king.
28 Among weapons I am the thunderbolt. I am Kamadhuk, the cow that fulfills all desires; I am Kandarpa, the power of sex, and Vasuki, the king of snakes.
29 I am Ananta, the cosmic serpent, and Varuna, the god of water; I am Aryaman among the noble ancestors. Among the forces which restrain I am Yama, the god of death.
30 Among animals I am the lion; among birds, the eagle Garuda. I am Prahlada, born among the demons, and of all that measures, I am time.
31 Among purifying forces I am the wind; among warriors, Rama.
Of water creatures I am the crocodile, and of rivers I am the Ganges.
32 I am the beginning, middle, and end of creation. Of all the sciences
I am the science of Self-knowledge, and I am logic in those who debate.
33 Among letters I am A; among grammatical compounds I am the dvandva. I am infinite time, and the sustainer whose face is seen everywhere.
34 I am death, which overcomes all, and the source of all beings still to be born. I am the feminine qualities: fame, beauty, perfect speech,
memory, intelligence, loyalty, and forgiveness.
35 Among the hymns of the Sama Veda I am the Brihat;
among poetic meters, the Gayatri. Among months I am Margashirsha,
first of the year; among seasons I am spring, that brings forth flowers.
36 I am the gambling of the gambler and the radiance in all that shines.
I am effort, I am victory, and I am the goodness of the virtuous.
37 Among the Vrishnis I am Krishna, and among the Pandavas I am Arjuna. Among sages I am Vyasa, and among poets, Ushanas.
38 I am the scepter which metes out punishment,
and the art of statesmanship in those who lead.
I am the silence of the unknown and the wisdom of the wise.
39 I am the seed that can be found in every creature, Arjuna;
for without me nothing can exist, neither animate nor inanimate.
40 But there is no end to my divine attributes, Arjuna;
these I have mentioned are only a few.
41 Wherever you find strength, or beauty, or spiritual power,
you may be sure that these have sprung from a spark of my essence.
42 But of what use is it to you to know all this, Arjuna? Just remember that I am, and that I support the entire cosmos with only a fragment of my being.
