BHAGAVAD-GITA 10:17

[Guest guest]

BHAGAVAD-GITA 10:17

 

katham vidyam aham yogims

tvam sada paricintayan

kesu kesu ca bhavesu

cintyo 'si bhagavan maya

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

katham--how; vidyam aham--shall I know; yogin--O supreme mystic;

tvam--You; sada--always; paricintayan--thinking of; kesu--in which;

kesu--in which; ca--also; bhavesu--natures; cintyah asi--You are to be

remembered; bhagavan--O Supreme; maya--by me.

 

TRANSLATION

 

O Krsna, 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?

 

PURPORT

 

As it is stated in the previous chapter, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead is covered by His yoga-maya. Only surrendered souls and

devotees can see Him. Now Arjuna is convinced that His friend, Krsna,

is the Supreme Godhead, but he wants to know the general process by

which the all-pervading Lord can be understood by the common man.

Common men, including the demons and atheists, cannot know Krsna,

because He is guarded by His yoga-maya energy. Again, these questions

are asked by Arjuna for their benefit. The superior devotee is

concerned not only for his own understanding but for the understanding

of all mankind. So Arjuna, out of his mercy, because he is a Vaisnava,

a devotee, is opening for the common man the understanding of the

all-pervasiveness of the Supreme Lord. He addresses Krsna specifically

as yogin because Sri Krsna is the master of the yoga-maya energy, by

which He is covered and uncovered to the common man. The common man

who has no love for Krsna cannot always think of Krsna; therefore he

has to think materially. Arjuna is considering the mode of thinking of

the materialistic persons of this world. The words kesu kesu ca

bhavesu refer to material nature (the word bhava means "physical

things"). Because materialists cannot understand Krsna spiritually,

they are advised to concentrate the mind on physical things and try to

see how Krsna is manifested by physical representations.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.