Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10

POWERFUL COGNITION

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He is the mighty ocean, infinite in expanse and essential to all life forms. In fact, it is the origin of all life forms.

महर्षीणां भृगुरहं गिरामस्म्येकमक्षरम् ।
यज्ञानां जपयज्ञोऽस्मि स्थावराणां हिमालय:
॥ १०=२५॥

maharṣīṇāṁ bhṛgurahaṁ
girāmasmyekamakṣaram yajñānāṁ
japayajño'smi sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ

Of the great sages, I am Bhrigu. Of the
vibrations, I am the OM. Of the
sacrifices, I am the chanting of holy
names. Of the immovable objects, I am
the Himālayas

POWERFUL COGNITION

From the primal sound from which the Universe manifested itself, to the spiritual significance of the Himalayas, all are Kṛṣṇa consciousness

INTRODUCTION

Kṛṣṇa explains the main manifestations that give a glimpse of the unfathomable Divine. Rudras are the elemental powers worshipped by the Ṛg Veda.

Śankara is the doer of good. Śankara is also the precursor to Paramaśiva in the evolution of the Hindu constellation of divinity. Paramaśiva means causeless auspiciousness; auspiciousness born without a reason. Wherever Paramaśiva is, good happens for no reason.

A bundle of palm leaf manuscripts tied with a red ribbon

Yakṣas are celestial beings
considered to be the
creators of wealth. Rākṣasas,
Kṛṣṇa says He is the god of
wealth, the king Kubera.

The Vasus are the attendants
of Viṣṇu. They represent
various aspects of Nature.
The Brihadāraṇyaka
Upaniṣad mentions eight
Vasus: agni (fire), pṛthvī
(earth), vāyu (wind),
antarikṣa (space), āditya
(light), dyaus (sky),
candramas (moon) and
nakṣatrāṇi (stars). Kṛṣṇa says
among the Vasus, He is the
formless fire.

Meru is the golden peak, the metaphoric
abode of gods, and its foothills are the
Himalayas. It also represents the human
spine.

Amongst the peaks, Kṛṣṇa says He is the majestic Meru. Bṛhaspati is the priest of the gods. He dispels darkness and ignorance and destroys the enemies of the gods. Among the warriors, Kṛṣṇa says He is Skanda, the supreme General of the forces of gods. Skanda is the son of Śiva and Pārvati, who destroyed Tārakāsura, the demon who, along with his hordes of demons, tormented the devas. This is a metaphysical representation of the Divine as the Supreme General of the being, vanquishing the senses, desires and ego.

Of the water bodies, Kṛṣṇa says He
is the mighty ocean, infinite in
expanse and essential to all life
forms. In fact, it is the origin of all
life forms.

Of the great sages, Kṛṣṇa says He is
Bhr̥gu, one of the Saptarṣis (seven
sages who form the cosmic energy).
Bhr̥gu is believed to have been
created by Brahma to aid him in the
creation of the Universe.

OM is the primal sound from which
the Universe manifested itself. The
symbol of OM— contains three
curves, a semicircle and a dot.

Out of the three curves, the upper
curve symbolizes the waking state,
the lower curve denotes deep sleep
and the right curve denotes the
dream state. It thus represents the
three states of individual
consciousness. The dot represents the
fourth state of consciousness, turīya,
complete awareness. The semicircle
represents māyā, illusion, and
separates the dot from the three
curves. But the open semicircle
represents the Absolute which is
unaffected by māyā. Of the different
types of sacrifices, Kṛṣṇa says He is
the japa or chanting of holy names.

Of the immovable objects in the world, He says He is the mighty and majestic Himalayas. The Himalayas, literally meaning 'the abode of snow', is home to hundreds of peaks, including the highest peak in the world. Some great rivers originate in it and flow through it, including Gangā, Yamunā, Brahmaputra and Indus

The Himalayas have a great unique spiritual significance as well. Kailasa, abode of Śiva, is the earthly representation of the metaphorical Meru. The Himalayan mountains are the spiritual incubator of the world. The Himalayas are truly a powerful energy field.

For thousands of years, millions of
Sādhus (sages) have lived there and
left their bodies from there. When
Enlightened Masters leave their
bodies, the result of their penance,
the energy of their spiritual penance,
is not carried by the spirit. They leave
behind this energy in their bodies.
Imagine how much energy is in the
Himalayas, where so many
Enlightened beings have left their
bodies! We should be thankful to the
Himalayas since their positive energy
balances the collective negativity in
the world.

Himalayan mountain peak with a meditator

GOALS
To have a glimpse of the unfathomable
Divine

ASSESSMENTS

❖ This lesson is Part 2 of Kṛṣṇa
glories. Is this now a complete list
of the glories of Kṛṣṇa?

❖ What is special about Bṛhaspati and Skanda?

❖ Which mountain chain does Kṛṣṇa say he is?

❖ What do the Himalayas contribute to the world?

ART OF THE DAY