Bhagavad Gītā Decoded

Verse 10.31–10.38

Verses 10.31–10.38

You Are The Ultimate

10.31

पवन: पवतामस्मि राम: शस्त्रभृतामहम् | झषाणां मकरश्चास्मि स्रोतसामस्मि जाह्नवी

pavanaḥ pavatāmasmi rāmaḥ śastrabhṛtāmaham / jhaṣāṇāṁ makaraścāsmi srotasāmasmi jānhavī / / 10.31

Of the purifiers, I am the wind. Of the wielders of weapons, I am Rāma. Of the water beings, I am the shark and of the flowing rivers, I am Jahnavi (Gaṅgā).

pavanaḥ — wind

pavatāṁ — that which purifies

asmi — I am

rāmaḥ — Rama

śastrabhṛitām — wielders of weapons

ahaṁ — I

jhaṣāṇāṁ — of the water beings

makaraḥ — fish

cā — and

asmi — I am

srotasām — of the flowing rivers

asmi — I am

jānhavī — Jahnavi (Ganga)

10.32

सर्गाणामादिरन्तश्च मध्यं चैवाहमर्जुन | अध्यात्मविद्या विद्यानां वाद: प्रवदतामहम्

sargāṇāmādirantaśca madhyaṁ caivāhamarjuna / adhyātmavidyā vidyānāṁ vādaḥ pravadatāmaham / / 10.32

Of all creations, I am surely the beginning and end and the middle, O Arjuna. Of all knowledge, I am the spiritual knowledge of the Self. Of all arguments, I am the logic.

sargāṇāṁ — of all creations

ādiḥ — beginning

antaḥ — end

ca — and

madhyaṁ — middle

ca — and

eva — surely

aham — I

arjuna — Arjuna

adhyātmavidyā — spir- itual knowledge

vidyānāṁ — of all knowledge

vādaḥ — logic

pravadatām — of arguments

aham — I

10.33

अक्षराणामकारोऽस्मि द्वन्द्व: सामासिकस्य च | अहमेवाक्षय: कालो धाताहं विश्वतोमुख:

akṣarāṇāmakāro’smi dvandvaḥ sāmāsikasya ca / ahaṁevākṣayaḥ kālo dhātāhaṁ viśvatomukhaḥ / / 10.33

Of the letters, I am the ‘A’. Of the dual words, I am the compounds and surely I am the never-ending time. I am the Omniscient who sees everything.

akṣarāṇām — of the letters

akāraḥ — The letter A

asmi — I am

dvandvaḥ — of the dual words

sāmāsikasya — compounds

ca — and

ahaṁ — I

evā — surely

akṣayaḥ — never-ending

kālo — time

dhātā — creator

ahaṁ — I

viśvatomukhaḥ — faces facing the world (Brahma)

10.34

मृत्यु: सर्वहरश्चाहमुद्भवश्च भविष्यताम् | कीर्ति: श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृति: क्षमा

mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham udbhavaśca bhaviṣyatāï / kīrtiḥ śrīrvākca nāriṇāṁ smṛtirmedhā dhṛtiḥ kṣamā / / 10.34

I am the all-devouring death and I am the creator of all things of the future. Of the feminine, I am fame, fortune, beautiful speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and patience.

mṛtyuḥ — death

sarvaharaḥ — all-devouring

ca — and

aham — I

udbhavaḥ — creation

ca — and

bhaviṣyatāï — of the future

kīrtiḥ — fame

śrīr vāk — wealth of words

ca — and

nāriṇāṁ — of the feminine

smṛtiḥ — memory

medhā — intelligence

dhṛtiḥ — faithfulness

kṣamā — patience

10.35

बृहत्साम तथा साम्नां गायत्री छन्दसामहम् | मासानां मार्गशीर्षोऽहमृतूनां कुसुमाकर:

bṛhatsāma tathā sāmnāṁ gāyatrī chandasām aham / māsānāṁ mārgaśīrṣo’ham ṛtūnāṁ kusumākaraḥ / / 10.35

Of the Sāma Veda hymns, I am the Bṛhat Sāma and of all poetry, I am the Gāyatrī. Of the months, I am Mārgaśīrṣa and of the seasons, I am Spring.

bṛhatsāma — Bṛhat Sāma

tathā — and

sāmnāṁ — of the Sāma Veda

gāyatrī — Gāyatrī

chandasām — of all poetry

aham — I

māsānāṁ — of the months

mārgaśīrṣaḥ — Mārgaśīrṣa

aham — I

ṛtūnāṁ — of the seasons

kusumākaraḥ — spring

10.36

द्यूतं छलयतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् | जयोऽस्मि व्यवसायोऽस्मि सत्वं सत्ववतामहम्

dyūtaṁ chalayatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham / jayo’smi vyavasāyo’smi sattvaṁ sattvavatām aham / / 10.36

Of all the cheating, I am Gambling. Of the effulgent things, I am the Effulgence. I am Victory, I am Effort, I am the Goodness (sattva) of those who are with satva (good) quality.

dyūtaṁ — gambling

chalayatām — of all cheating

asmi — I am

tejaḥ — effulgence

tejasvināṁ — of all the effulgent things

aham — I

jayaḥ — victory

asmi — I am

vyavasāyaḥ — of all adventure

asmi — I am

sattvaṁ — the satvic nature

sattvavatām — of those who are tranquil

aham — I

10.37

वृष्णीनां वासुदेवोऽस्मि पाण्डवानां धनञ्जय: | मुनीनामप्यहं व्यास: कवीनामुशना कवि:

vṛṣṇīnāṁ vāsudevo’smi pāṇḍavānāṁ dhanañjayaḥ / munīnāmapyahaṁ vyāsaḥ kavīnāmuśanā kaviḥ / / 10.37

Of the descendants of Vṛṣṇi, I am Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa. Of the Pāṇḍavas, I am Arjuna. Of the sages, I am also Vyāsa and of the seer, I am Uśāna.

vṛṣṇīnāṁ — of the Vṛṣṇis

vāsudevaḥ — Vāsudeva

asmi — I am

pāṇḍavānāṁ — of the Pāṇḍavas

dhanañjayaḥ — Dhanañjaya

munīnām — of the sages

api — also

ahaṁ — I

vyāsaḥ — Vyāsa

kavīnām — of the thinkers

uśanā — Uśāna

kaviḥ — seer

10.38

दण्डो दमयतामस्मि नीतिरस्मि जिगीषताम् | मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानां ज्ञानं ज्ञानवतामहम्

daṇḍo damayatām asmi nītirasmi jigīṣatām / maunaṁ caivāsmi guhyānāṁ jñānaṁ jñānavatāmaham / / 10.38

Of rulers, I am their Sceptre. Of the victorious, I am Statesmanship. Of all secrets, I am also Silence. Of the wise, I am Wisdom.

daṇḍaḥ — rod of punishment

damayatām — of all punishments

asmi — I am

nītiḥ — morality

asmi — I am

jigīṣatām — of the victorious

maunaṁ — silence

ca — and

evā — also

asmi — I am

guhyānāṁ — of the secrets

jñānaṁ — knowledge

jñānavatāṁ — of the wise

aham — I

Of the purifying elements, Kṛṣṇa says He is the formless and pure wind—pavanaḥ pavatām asmi (10.31). The wind pervades the other elements such as earth, water and fire and removes impurities. Of the wielders of weapons, He says He is Rāma, the seventh incarnation of Viṣṇu—rāmaḥ śastra-bhṛtām aham (10.31). Śrī Rāma defeated Rāvaṇa, the demonic ruler of Lankā who abducted his wife, Sīta. Rāma was a righteous ruler and chosen heir to his father’s throne. Yet, Rāma went into exile to uphold his father’s vow. Rāma is considered the greatest archer ever known. Of the ten incarnations of Viṣṇu, Rāma is the incarnation just prior to Kṛṣṇa. Of the aquatic beings, the fish, He says He is the Shark, the most powerful and feared.

Of the rivers, He says He is Gangā. The river Gangā is worshipped in India as goddess Gangā. Millions of people pray in the waters of the Gangā everyday. On its banks, millions of people gather everyday to offer pūjā to Gangā and to take a holy dip in the waters. The sage Jahnu swallowed Gangā as She rushed down the Himalayas into his ashram. Bhagīratha begged the ṛṣis to release Gangā. That is why Gangā is known as the daughter of Jahnu and has the name ‘Jāhnavi’. As Gangā descends from the Himalayas to the plains, there are multiple places of pilgrimage where people revere the river and offer daily prayers.

Gangā is considered the sacred river that descended from the heavens, blessing the planet with the Ganges based civilization. Millions of people standing and praying in the waters have energized the whole river and this explains why Gangā has the inexplicable ability of cleansing Herself. Let me share a factual observation recorded in the reminiscences of the British who ruled India. When the British traveled by ship from England to India, their water became spoilt during the long journey. However, on the return trip from India to England, the water from the Gangā remained pure even after reaching England. The research showed that the Gangā water had the miraculous power of cleansing Herself.

Vibhūti Yogaḥ You Are The Ultimate 789 Of all the creations, Kṛṣṇa says He is the beginning, the middle and the end, thus establishing that He is all that existed, exists and will exist. He is the creator, created and creation—sargāṇāṁ ādir antaś ca madhyaṁ caivaham arjuna (10.32). Of the various branches of knowledge, He is the ultimate spiritual knowledge, Self-realization—adhyātma vidyā vidyānāṁ (10.32). Other branches of knowledge result from intelligence. Only Self-realization requires intuition and something beyond. Of all arguments, He says He is the logic that binds everything together. Of the letters, Kṛṣṇa says He is the first letter, ‘aksarānāṁ a-kāro ‘smi’, the origin of all that is spoken and written.

Of the dual words, a class of words in Saṃskṛit, He is the compound word. He affirms He is never-ending time and the Creator of this Universe, Brahma. Kṛṣṇa says He is the Creator and Destroyer. Of the feminine qualities, He says He is the seven Devīs, goddesses, who impart fame, fortune, beautiful speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and patience. In Saṃskṛit all these qualities have feminine nouns to represent them. He says these attributes in women come from Him. Kṛṣṇa said in an earlier verse that among the Vedas, He is the Sāma Veda that contains beautiful songs and hymns. Now, He says, among these hymns, He is the Bṛhat Sāma, a unique melody.

I Am GĀyatrĪ Of all poetic meters, He says He is Gāyatrī—gāyatrī chandasām aham (10.35). Various invocations and prayers in the Vedic literature are set to Gāyatrī meter, including Devi Gāyatrī, Rudra Gāyatrī, etc. This chanda, meter is 24 syllables, usually in 3 or 4 lines. This verse can also be translated to mean that Kṛṣṇa says, ‘I am Gāyatrī amongst the mantras.’ Mantras are the sacred syllables that create awareness of the divinity within our inner space. The very vibrations created while chanting the Saṃskṛit mantras purify the mind-body system and raise the energetic frequency. Here, Kṛṣṇa states that Gāyatrī is the greatest of the mantras. Its popularity has been evident from the earliest Vedic times.

This was the first mantras taught when the child entered a gurukul, the traditional Cedic schools of Enlightened Masters. Gāyatrī literally translated means ‘the song that liberates’. Gāyatrī is an invocation to the ultimate intelligence. This prayer creates self-awareness, self-completion: Om bhūr bhuva suvaḥ tat savitur vareṇyam bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yonaḥ prachodayāt Freely translated, this means: We bow to You, that Ruler of physical, mental and spiritual planes, That which is beyond all, the supreme Brilliance, May You kindle our inner awareness! It is a prayer to the supreme intelligence to awaken our inner intelligence. Gāyatrī is not merely a prayer or a mantra. It is far more than that.

It is a tantra, a technique that can create tremendous awareness and intelligence in our being. Mantra means the syllable that shows the way to go beyond joys and sufferings of the world. Mantra makes us more centered and complete. Tantra is more than that. It is an instant delivery system. Generally, religions condition us from childhood by installing in us value systems and beliefs, our saṁskāras—root patterns or past bio-memories. Gāyatrī is a technique that completely liberates us from our saṁskāras. It is like a torch to guide one on one’s path. Children were taught this mantra from early childhood in ancient times so that they could be free from their saṁskāras.

Gāyatrī is not about giving someone a belief or prayer to be chanted to any gods or during any form of worship. It is a pure technique that Vibhūti Yogaḥ You Are The Ultimate 791 can lead to pure intelligence. Continuous meditation on this mantra, just continuous recitation of this mantra with awareness, directly leads one to the ultimate intelligence. Gāyatrī mantra says, ‘Let us meditate on the energy which awakens the intelligence in our Being. Let that intelligence help us meditate on It.’ Contemplating on the meaning of Gāyatrī mantra, creates a beautiful vibration inside our being. Repeating the mantra mentally and letting the mantra sink into our being is like planting a seed in our being that will lead to thousands of fruits in the outer world as well as inner world.

It gives us what we want along with giving us the inner space, in which we don’t want anything. Among the months, Kṛṣṇa says, He is the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, November and December in the Gregorian calendar. In India, these months bring joy to people as they are the time when grains are collected from the fields. Also, the month has a lot of spiritual significance because the auspicious days of Vaikunṭa Ekādasi fall in this month. This month in the divine calendar is the early morning time, the brahma muhūrtaṁ, the most auspicious part of the day. This is the time recommended to focus on worship. Among the seasons, Kṛṣṇa says, He is spring.

Nature is at the pinnacle of Her creation in spring with new blossoms on trees and pleasant weather, which is neither too hot nor too cold. Spring thus signifies life, growth and the beginning of the cycle of life. Kṛṣṇa declares that of all vices, He is gambling. Even in the vices He says He is present! Anybody who deludes himself by thinking that He is not present in ‘unvirtuous’ activities should realize that the Divine exists everywhere and in all activities and things. By this, Kṛṣṇa also refers to the fact that Yudhiṣṭra’s vice of gambling brought about this Great War. Known as the wisest of all men, the most righteous being, Yudhiṣṭra, the Pāṇḍava prince, had one vice that brought him down.

That was his weakness for gambling. Kṛṣṇa says, He is the effulgence that is the essence of all radiant things. He declares He is the Victory of the victorious, the effort needed to succeed, and satva, Goodness, amongst the attributes. Kṛṣṇa’s father, Vāsudeva, was a member of the Vṛṣṇi or Yādav race. Amongst the Vṛṣṇis, Kṛṣṇa says He is the ultimate, Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa. Amongst the Pāṇḍavas, He says He is the arch bowman, Arjuna. Of the sages, He says He is Vyāsa, author of the great epic Mahābhārat that includes the Bhagavad Gītā. Vyāsa is also referred to as Veda Vyāsa, the compiler of the Vedas who split one Veda into four Vedas so that the common person could understand the knowledge in the Vedas.

Of the thinkers, Kṛṣṇa says, He is Uśāna, also known as Śukra, guru of the asuras, celestials with a negative bent of mind. Kṛṣṇa says, ‘I am the scepter, the daṇḍa, the rod of punishment of the King.’ As a Master, Kṛṣṇa wields the yoga daṇḍa, the divine staff of wisdom. A ruler is not merely a refuge for his subjects, but also the rule giver, the disciplinarian. So is the Master. There Is No End To My Glories