BHAGAVAD-GITA 10:12-13

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 10:12-13

 

arjuna uvaca

param brahma param dhama

pavitram paramam bhavan

purusam sasvatam divyam

adi-devam ajam vibhum

 

ahus tvam rsayah sarve

devarsir naradas tatha

asito devalo vyasah

svayam caiva bravisi me

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

arjunah uvaca--Arjuna said; param--supreme; brahma--truth;

param--supreme; dhama--sustenance; pavitram--pure; paramam--supreme;

bhavan--You; purusam--personality; sasvatam--original;

divyam--transcendental; adi-devam--the original Lord; ajam--unborn;

vibhum--greatest; ahuh--say; tvam--of You; rsayah--sages; sarve--all;

deva-rsih--the sage among the demigods; naradah--Narada; tatha--also;

asitah--Asita; devalah--Devala; vyasah--Vyasa; svayam--personally;

ca--also; eva--certainly; bravisi--You are explaining; me--unto me.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate

abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal,

transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the

great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa confirm this truth

about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.

 

PURPORT

 

In these two verses the Supreme Lord gives a chance to the modern

philosopher, for here it is clear that the Supreme is different from

the individual soul. Arjuna, after hearing the essential four verses

of Bhagavad-gita in this chapter, became completely free from all

doubts and accepted Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He at

once boldly declares, "You are param brahma, the Supreme Personality

of Godhead." And previously Krsna stated that He is the originator of

everything and everyone. Every demigod and every human being is

dependent on Him. Men and demigods, out of ignorance, think that they

are absolute and independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

That ignorance is removed perfectly by the discharge of devotional

service. This has already been explained in the previous verse by the

Lord. Now, by His grace, Arjuna is accepting Him as the Supreme Truth,

in concordance with the Vedic injunction. It is not that because Krsna

is Arjuna's intimate friend Arjuna is flattering Him by calling Him

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth. Whatever

Arjuna says in these two verses is confirmed by Vedic truth. Vedic

injunctions affirm that only one who takes to devotional service to

the Supreme Lord can understand Him, whereas others cannot. Each and

every word of this verse spoken by Arjuna is confirmed by Vedic

injunction.

 

In the Kena Upanisad it is stated that the Supreme Brahman is the rest

for everything, and Krsna has already explained that everything is

resting on Him. The Mundaka Upanisad confirms that the Supreme Lord,

in whom everything is resting, can be realized only by those who

engage constantly in thinking of Him. This constant thinking of Krsna

is smaranam, one of the methods of devotional service. It is only by

devotional service to Krsna that one can understand his position and

get rid of this material body.

 

In the Vedas the Supreme Lord is accepted as the purest of the pure.

One who understands that Krsna is the purest of the pure can become

purified from all sinful activities. One cannot be disinfected from

sinful activities unless he surrenders unto the Supreme Lord. Arjuna's

acceptance of Krsna as the supreme pure complies with the injunctions

of Vedic literature. This is also confirmed by great personalities, of

whom Narada is the chief.

 

Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and one should always

meditate upon Him and enjoy one's transcendental relationship with

Him. He is the supreme existence. He is free from bodily needs, birth

and death. Not only does Arjuna confirm this, but all the Vedic

literatures, the Puranas and histories. In all Vedic literatures Krsna

is thus described, and the Supreme Lord Himself also says in the

Fourth Chapter, "Although I am unborn, I appear on this earth to

establish religious principles." He is the supreme origin; He has no

cause, for He is the cause of all causes, and everything is emanating

from Him. This perfect knowledge can be had by the grace of the

Supreme Lord.

 

Here Arjuna expresses himself through the grace of Krsna. If we want

to understand Bhagavad-gita, we should accept the statements in these

two verses. This is called the parampara system, acceptance of the

disciplic succession. Unless one is in the disciplic succession, he

cannot understand Bhagavad-gita. It is not possible by so-called

academic education. Unfortunately those proud of their academic

education, despite so much evidence in Vedic literatures, stick to

their obstinate conviction that Krsna is an ordinary person.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.