Bhagavatgita a detyailed study-chaper10-The glory of the divine manifestations

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Arjuna uvaacha

12.Param brahma param Dhaama pavithram paramam bhavaan

Purusham Saasvatham dhivyam aadhidhevam ajam vibhum

Arjuna said,

You are the Supreme Brahman, Supreme light, Supremely auspicious, the eternal divine purusha, the primal deity, unborn and all pervading.

13. aahuH thvaam rshayaH sarve dhevarshiH naaradhaH

thaThaa

asitho dhevalo vyaasaH svayam chaiva braveeshi me

Thus all rshis , the divine sage Narada, Asitha, Dhevala and Vyasa spoke about you and you yourself is telling me so.

14.sarvam ethatth rtham manye yan maam vadhasi keSava

na hi the bhagavan vyakthim vidhuH dhevaa na dhaanavaah

I believe that all this what you say is true. Your manifestation is not known by devas or asuras.

Arjuna is impressed with the divinity of Krishna now , a far cry from saying, 'aparam bhavathO janma param janma vivasvathah' (BG.4-4), "You were born after the Sun and how could you have instructed him on this yoga?" and extols His greatness.

He says, "The rshis like Narada and Vyasa proclaim that You are the Supreme Brahman, Supreme light and Supreme sanctifier, eternal divine Person , Primal Lord, unborn and all-pervading and You yourself has told me so now. So I am convinced that all you have said is true and your glory is not known even to devas or asuras "

Narada is the devarshi known to all. Asitha was the son of Kasyapa and Dhevala was his son. Together with Vyasa all of them are brahmajnanis and hence clubbed together.

Arjuna addresses Krishna as Bhagavan and Kesava.In the light of what is said in the previous two slokas, the word Kesava here means that He is the Supreme Brahman indeed as the word KeSava is split as ka=Brahma, a=Vishnu and eesa=Siva and denotes that the Lord Naryana, synonymous with the Brahman of the Upanishads whose manifested powers of creation, sustenance and annihilation are personified as Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.

The word Bhagavan means the Lord and the meaning of it is bhagaaH asya asthi ithi bhagavaan. He word bhaga denotes six qualities, namely samagra aisvarya, supreme power, dharma, yaSas, fame, Sree. Glory, jnana and vairagya.

Aisvaryasya samagrasya Dharmasya yaSasaH SriyaH

jnaanvairaagyayoSchaiva shaNNaam bhaga itheeraNaa (Vishnupurana)

This word is also used for brahmajnanis such as bhagavan VyasaH , bhagavaan SukaH etc , in laudatory terms. The Lord is bhagavan also because He does creation, sustenance and annihilation and also knows the origination and destruction of all beings and their knowledge and ignorance according to what is said in the vishnupurana.

uthpatthim pralayam chaiva bhoothaanaam agathim gathim

Vetthi vidhyaam avidhyaam cha sa vaachyo bhagavaan ithi