Gita Satsangh, Chapter 10: Verses 21 to 23

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Namaste Satsanghis:

 

Let us continue our Satsangh with these three additional verses

describing the Divine Vibhuti.

 

To recollect your memory, in the last two verses (19 and 20) Lord

Krishna gives an enthusiastic response to Arjuna's request. He was

praising Arjuna (Kurushreshtha) as the best among the Kurus who has

conquered sleep (Gudakesa). He further declares that resides in the

hearts of all beings from the beginning, in the middle and at the

end! This is a profound message from the Lord indicating that he is

eternal and responsible for the cycle of life (creation, sustentation

and destruction). The subtle message is that, don't search for the

presence of Lord outside and just remember to recognize Him who is

ever present inside! Our own existence is impossible without His

presence and That is His Glory!!

 

Now let us take verses 21 to 23:

 

Aadityaanaamaham vishnur jyotishaam raviramshumaan;

Mareechirmarutaamasmi nakshatraanaamaham shashee. 21

 

Among the (twelve) Adityas, I am Vishnu; among the luminaries, the

radiant sun; I am Marichi among the (seven or forty-nine) Maruts;

among stars the moon am I.

 

The twelve sons of Aditi, viz, Dhata, Mitra, Aryama, Indra, Varuna,

Amsa, Bhaga, Vivasan, Pusa, Savita, Tvasta and Vishnu, are known as

the twelve Adityas. Vishnu, is their Lord and the best of them all.

It is therefore that the Lord calls Vishnu His own self. Among

luminous objects such as the sun, moon, stars, lightning and fire

etc, the sun is the most resplendent of all; hence among all

luminaries the Lord has singled out the sun as His won self. The

forty-nine Maruts or wind-gods were born of the spiritual glow of

goddess Diti's religious observation in the shape of that spiritual

glow that they could not be slaughtered in their mother's womb. Hence

the Lord speaks of that glow of theirs as His own self. Being the

Lord of the twenty-seven asterisms, or lunar mansions, such as

Asvini, Bharani, Krttika and so on, and the chief of all other stars,

the moon is one of the chief glories of God. Hence mansion speaks of

the moon as His own self.

 

Vedaanaam saamavedo'smi devaanaam asmi vaasavah;

Indriyaanaam manashchaasmi bhootaanaamasmi chetanaa. 22

 

Among the Vedas I am the Sama Veda; I am Vasava among the gods; among

the senses I am the mind; and I am intelligence among living beings.

Among the four Vedas; Rk, Yajus, Sama and Atharva; the Samaveda is

full of sweetest psalms and the most charming praises of God; hence

it occupies the foremost place among the Vedas. It is there-fore that

the Lord speaks of the Samaveda as His own self. Being the monarch

and ruler of all gods, such as the sun-god, moon-god, the god of fire

and the god of air etc, Indra is the foremost of them all. Hence the

Lord calls him His own self. Of the eleven Indriyas or organs of

perception etc, viz, the organs of sight, hearing, touch, taste,

smell and speech, hands and feet, the organs of generation and

evacuation and the mind, the last-named, viz, the mind, is not only

the controller an director of the rest, but the subtlest and best of

them all; hence it occupies the foremost place among them. It is

therefore that the Lord declares it to be His own self.

 

The word 'Cetana' in this verse signifies the principle of

consciousness existing in beings, which is a faculty of the mind,

whereby they experience pleasure and pain and cognize other objects,

and which has-been enumerated in XIII. 6 as an evolute of

the 'Ksetra'. It is the main faculty responsible for the various

experiences of living beings, hence the Lord speaks of it as His own

self.

 

Rudraanaam shankarashchaasmi vittesho yaksharakshasaam;

Vasoonaam paavakashchaasmi meruh shikharinaamaham. 23

 

And, among the Rudras I am Shankara; among the Yakshas and Rakshasas,

the Lord of wealth (Kubera); among the Vasus I am Pavaka (fire); and

among the (seven) mountains I am the Meru.

 

The eleven Rudras are: Hara, Bahurupa, Tyambaka, Aparajita, Vrsakapi,

ambhu, Kapardi, Raivata, Mrgavyadha, arva and Kapali. * Of these,

ambhu or ankara is the lord of the rest, and the best ower

blessedness and blessedness itself. Therefore, the Lord declares him

to be His very self.

 

Kuber is the chief of the Yaksas and itaksasas, and the best among

them; he is best known as a regional god or Lokapala and the Lord of

riches. Therefore, the Lord said that He was Kubera. The eight Vasus

are: Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Ahah, Anila, Anala, Pratyusa and Prabhasa*

Anala or the god of fire is among them and carries oblations to the

gods. He is also regarded as the mouth God. It is therefore that the

Lord calls the god of fire His very self. The Meru mountain is

believed to be the center of the stars and the main divisions of the

world and the repository of gold and jewels Its peaks are the highest

in the world. Being of thus the chief of mountains, the Meru has been

declared to be the very self of the Lord.

 

Easy references;

 

The Gita Supersite http://www.gitasupersite.org/ contains most of the

commentaries including commentaries in many languages. Adi Shankara's

commentary and Swami Chinmayananda's commentary are available at the

advaitin file folder at the URL:

advaitin/files

Double click on the folders Sankara1 and Chinmaya to access the files.