Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (80 page)

TRANSLATION

Of the celestial Nāga snakes I am Ananta; of the aquatic deities I am Varuṇa. Of departed ancestors I am Aryamā, and among the dispensers of law I am Yama, lord of death.

PURPORT

Among the many celestial Naga serpents, Ananta is the greatest, as is Varuṇa among the aquatics. They both represent Kṛṣṇa. There is also a planet of trees presided over by Aryamā, who represents Kṛṣṇa. There are many living entities who give punishment to the miscreants, and among them Yama is the chief. Yama is situated in a planet near this earthly planet, and after death those who are very sinful are taken there, and Yama arranges different kinds of punishments for them.

Bg 10.30

TEXT 30

TEXT

prahlādaś cāsmi daityānāṁ

kālaḥ kalayatām aham

mṛgāṇāṁ ca mṛgendro 'haṁ

vainateyaś ca pakṣiṇām

SYNONYMS

prahlādaḥ-
Prahlāda;
ca-
also;
asmi-
I am;
daityānām-
of the demons;
kālaḥ-
time;
kalayatām-
of subduers;
aham-
I am;
mṛgāṇām-
of animals;
ca-
and;
mṛgendraḥ-
the lion;
aham-
I am;
vainateyaḥ-
Garuḍa;
ca-
also;
pakṣiṇām-
of birds.

TRANSLATION

Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlāda; among subduers I am time; among the beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuḍa, the feathered carrier of Viṣṇu.

PURPORT

Diti and Aditi are two sisters. The sons of Aditi are called Ādityas, and the sons of Diti are called Daityas. All the Ādityas are devotees of the Lord, and all the Daityas are atheistic. Although Prahlāda was born in the family of the Daityas, he was a great devotee from his childhood. Because of his devotional service and godly nature, he is considered to be a representative of Kṛṣṇa.

There are many subduing principles, but time wears down all things in the material universe and so represents Kṛṣṇa. Of the many animals, the lion is the most powerful and ferocious, and of the million varieties of birds, Garuḍa, the bearer of Lord Viṣṇu, is the greatest.

Bg 10.31

TEXT 31

TEXT

pavanaḥ pavatām asmi

rāmaḥ śastra-bhṛtām aham

jhaṣāṇāṁ makaraś cāsmi

srotasām asmi jāhnavī

SYNONYMS

pavanaḥ-
the wind;
pavatām-
of all that purifies;
asmi
-I am;
rāmaḥ
-Rāma;
śastra-bhṛtām
-of the carriers of weapons;
aham
-I am;
jhaṣāṇām
-of all aquatics;
makaraḥ-
shark;
ca asmi-
I am also;
srotasām
-of flowing rivers;
asmi
-I am;
jāhnavī
-the River Ganges.

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.

PURPORT

Of all the aquatics the shark is one of the biggest and is certainly the most dangerous to man. Thus the shark represents Kṛṣṇa. And of rivers, the greatest in India is the Mother Ganges. Lord Rāmacandra, of the
Rāmāyaṇa
, an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, is the mightest of warriors.

Bg 10.32

TEXT 32

TEXT

sargāṇām ādir antaś ca

madhyaṁ caivāham arjuna

adhyātma-vidyā vidyānāṁ

vādaḥ pravadatām aham

SYNONYMS

sargāṇām
-of all creations;
ādiḥ
-beginning;
antaḥ
-end;
ca
-and;
madhyam-
middle;
ca
-also;
eva
-certainly;
aham
-I am;
arjuna
-O Arjuna;
adhyātma-vidyā-
spiritual knowledge;
vidyānām-
of all education;
vādaḥ-
natural conclusion;
pravadatām
-of arguments;
aham
-I am.

TRANSLATION

Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the Self, and among logicians I am the conclusive truth.

PURPORT

Among created manifestations, the total material elements are first created by Mahā-Viṣṇu and are annihilated by Lord Śiva. Brahmā is the secondary creator. All these created elements are different incarnations of the material qualities of the Supreme Lord; therefore He is the beginning, the middle and the end of all creation.

Regarding the spiritual science of the Self, there are many literatures, such as the four
Vedas
, the
Vedānta-sūtra
and the
Purāṇas
, the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
and the
Gītā
. These are all representatives of Kṛṣṇa. Among logicians there are different stages of argument. The presentation of evidence is called
japa.
The attempt to defeat one another is called
vitaṇḍa,
and the final conclusion is called
vāda.
The conclusive truth, the end of all reasoning processes, is Kṛṣṇa.

Bg 10.33

TEXT 33

TEXT

akṣarāṇām a-kāro 'smi

dvandvaḥ sāmāsikasya ca

aham evākṣayaḥ kālo

dhātāhaṁ viśvato-mukhaḥ

SYNONYMS

akṣarāṇām
-of letters;
akāraḥ
-the first;
asmi
-I am;
dvandvaḥ
-dual;
sāmāsikāsya
-compounds;
ca
-and;
aham
-I am;
eva
-certainly;
akṣayaḥ
-eternal;
kālaḥ
-time;
dhātā
-creator;
aham
-I am;
viśvato-mukhaḥ
-Brahmā.

TRANSLATION

Of letters I am the letter A, and among compounds I am the dual word. I am also inexhaustable time, and of creators I am Brahmā, whose manifold faces turn everywhere.

PURPORT

Akāra,
the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, is the beginning of the Vedic literature. Without
akāra,
nothing can be sounded; therefore it is the beginning of sound. In Sanskrit there are also many compound words, of which the dual word, like Rāma-kṛṣṇa, is called
dvandvaḥ.
For instance, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa have the same rhythm and therefore are called dual.

Among all kinds of killers, time is the ultimate because time kills everything. Time is the representative of Kṛṣṇa because in due course of time there will be a great fire and everything will be annihilated.

Among the creators and living entities, Brahmā is the chief. The various Brahmās exhibit four, eight, sixteen, etc., heads accordingly, and they are the chief creators in their respective universes. The Brahmās are representatives of Kṛṣṇa.

Bg 10.34

TEXT 34

TEXT

mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham

udbhavaś ca bhaviṣyatām

kīrtiḥ śrīr vāk ca nārīṇāṁ

smṛtir medhā dhṛtiḥ kṣamā

SYNONYMS

mṛtyuḥ-
death;
sarva-haraḥ-
all-devouring;
ca-
also;
aham-
I am;
udbhavaḥ-
generation;
ca-
also;
bhaviṣyatām-
of the future;
kīrtiḥ-
fame;
śrīḥ vāk-
beautiful speech;
ca-
also;
nārīṇāṁ-
of women;
smṛtiḥ-
memory;
medhā-
intelligence;
dhṛtiḥ-
faithfulness;
kṣamā-
patience.

TRANSLATION

I am all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to be. Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and patience.

PURPORT

As soon as a man is born, he dies at every moment. Thus death is devouring every living entity at every moment, but the last stroke is called death itself. That death is Kṛṣṇa. All species of life undergo six basic changes. They are born, they grow, they remain for some time, they reproduce, they dwindle and finally vanish. Of these changes, the first is deliverance from the womb, and that is Kṛṣṇa. The first generation is the beginning of all future activities.

The six opulences listed are considered to be feminine. If a woman possesses all of them or some of them she becomes glorious. Sanskrit is a perfect language and is therefore very glorious. After studying, if one can remember the subject matter, he is gifted with good memory, or
smṛti
One need not read many books on different subject matters; the ability to remember a few and quote them when necessary is also another opulence.

Bg 10.35

TEXT 35

TEXT

bṛhat-sāma tathā sāmnāṁ

gāyatrī chandasām aham

māsānāṁ mārga-śīrṣo 'ham

ṛtūnāṁ kusumākaraḥ

SYNONYMS

bṛhat-sāma-
the
Bṛhat-sāma; tathā-
also;
sāmnām-
of the
Sāma-veda
song;
gāyatrī-
the Gāyatrī hymns;
chandasām-
of all poetry;
aham-
I am;
māsānām-
of months;
mārga-śīrṣo 'ham-
the month of November-December;
aham-
I am;
ṛtūnām-
of all seasons;
kusumākaraḥ-
spring.

TRANSLATION

Of hymns I am the Bṛhat-sāma sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī verse, sung daily by brāhmaṇas. Of months I am November and December, and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.

PURPORT

It has already been explained by the Lord that amongst all the
Vedas,
the
Sāma-veda
is
rich with beautiful songs played by the various demigods.

One of these songs is the
Bṛhat-sāma,
which has an exquisite melody and is sung at midnight.

In Sanskrit, there are definite rules that regulate poetry; rhyme and meter are not written whimsically, as in much modern poetry. Amongst the regulated poetry, the Gāyatrī
mantra,
which is chanted by the duly qualified
brāhmaṇas,
is
the most prominent. The Gāyatrī
mantra
is mentioned in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Because the Gāyatrī
mantra
is
especially meant for God realization, it represents the Supreme Lord. This
mantra
is
meant for spiritually advanced people, and when one attains success in chanting it, he can enter into the transcendental position of the Lord. One must first acquire the qualities of the perfectly situated person, the qualities of goodness according to the laws of material nature, in order to chant the Gāyatrī
mantra.
The Gāyatrī
mantra
is
very important in Vedic civilization and is considered to be the sound incarnation of Brahman. Brahmā is its initiator, and it is passed down from him in disciplic succession.

The months of November and December are considered the best of all months because in India grains are collected from the fields at this time, and the people become very happy. Of course spring is a season universally liked because it is neither too hot nor too cold, and the flowers and trees blossom and flourish. In spring there are also many ceremonies commemorating Kṛṣṇa's pastimes; therefore this is considered to be the most joyful of all seasons, and it is the representative of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Bg 10.36

TEXT 36

TEXT

dyūtaṁ chalayatām asmi

tejas tejasvinām aham

jayo 'smi vyavasāyo 'smi

sattvaṁ sattvavatām aham

SYNONYMS

dyūtam-
gambling;
chalayatām-
of all cheats;
asmi-
I am;
tejaḥ-
splendid;
tejasvinām-
of everything splendid;
aham-
I am;
jayaḥ-
victory;
asmi
-I am;
vyavasāyaḥ-
adventure;
asmi-
I am;
sattvam-
strength;
sattvavatām-
of all the strong;
aham-
I am.

TRANSLATION

I am also the gambling of cheats, and of the splendid I am the splendor. I am victory, I am adventure, and I am the strength of the strong.

PURPORT

There are many kinds of cheaters all over the universe. Of all cheating processes, gambling stands supreme and therefore represents Kṛṣṇa. As the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa can be more deceitful than any mere man. If Kṛṣṇa chooses to deceive a person, no one can surpass Him in His deceit. His greatness is not simply one-sided-it is all-sided.

Among the victorious, He is victory. He is the splendor of the splendid. Among enterprising industrialists, He is the most enterprising. Among adventurers, He is the most adventurous, and among the strong, He is the strongest. When Kṛṣṇa was present on earth, no one could surpass Him in strength. Even in His childhood He lifted Govardhana Hill. No one can surpass Him in cheating, no one can surpass Him in splendor, no one can surpass Him in victory, no one can surpass Him in enterprise, and no one can surpass Him in strength.

Bg 10.37

TEXT 37

TEXT

vṛṣṇīnāṁ vāsudevo 'smi

pāṇḍavānāṁ dhanañjayaḥ

munīnām apy ahaṁ vyāsaḥ

kavīnām uśanā kaviḥ

SYNONYMS

vṛṣṇīnām
-of the descendants of Vṛṣṇi;
vāsudevaḥ-
Kṛṣṇa in Dvāraka;
asmi
-I am;
pāṇḍavānām-
of the Pāṇḍavas;
dhanañjayaḥ-
Arjuna;
munīnām
-of the sages;
api-
also;
aham
-I am;
vyāsaḥ
-Vyāsa, the compiler of all
Vedic literature;
kavīnām
-of all great thinkers;
uśanā
-Uśanā;
kaviḥ-
the thinker.