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The Bhagavad Gita · 1 of 2 · tr. Kashinath Trimbak Telang

Chapter X, Section 1a

CHAPTER X. Yet again, O you of mighty arms! listen to my excellent words, which, out of a wish for your welfare, I speak to you who are delighted (with them). Not the multitudes of gods, nor the great sages know my source; for I am in every way the origin of the gods and great sages. Of (all) mortals, he who knows me to be unborn, without beginning, the great lord of the world, being free from delusion, is released from all sins. Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from delusion, forgiveness, truth, restraint of the senses, tranquillity, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear, and also security, harmlessness, equability, contentment, penance, (making) gifts, glory, disgrace, all these different tempers of living beings are from me alone. The seven great sages, and likewise the four ancient Manus , whose descendants are (all) these people in the world, were all born from my mind , (partaking) of my powers. Whoever correctly knows these powers and emanations of mine, becomes possessed of devotion free from indecision; of this (there is) no doubt. The wise, full of love , worship me, believing that I am the origin of all, and that all moves on through me. (Placing their) minds on me, offering (their) lives to me, instructing each other, and speaking about me, they are always contented and happy. To these, who are constantly devoted, and who worship with love,, I give that knowledge by which they attain to me. And remaining in their hearts, I destroy, with the brilliant lamp of knowledge, the darkness born of ignorance in such (men) only, out of compassion for them. Ar g una said: You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme goal, the holiest of the holy. All sages, as well as the divine sage Nârada, Asita , Devala, and Vyâsa, call you the eternal being, divine, the first god, the unborn, the all-pervading. And so, too, you tell me yourself, O Kesava! I believe all this that you tell me (to be) true; for, O lord! neither the gods nor demons understand your manifestation . You only know your self by your self. O best of beings! creator of all things! lord of all things! god of gods! lord of the universe! be pleased to declare without, exception your divine emanations, by which emanations you stand pervading all these worlds. How shall I know you, O you of mystic power! always meditating on you? And in what various entities , O lord! should I meditate on you? Again, O Ganârdana! do you yourself declare your powers and emanations; because hearing this nectar, I (still) feel no satiety. The Deity said: Well then, O best of Kauravas! I will state to you my own divine emanations; but (only) the chief (ones), for there is no end to the extent of my (emanations). I am the self, O Gu d âkesa! seated in the hearts of all beings . I am the beginning and the middle and the end also of all beings. I am Vish n u among the Âdityas , the beaming sun among the shining (bodies); I am Marî k i among the Maruts , and the moon among the lunar mansions . Among the Vedas, I am the Sâma-veda . I am Indra among the gods. And I am mind among the senses . I am consciousness in (living) beings.
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Themes
Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

The text encourages meditating on specific divine emanations (the Sun, the Vedas, etc.) as a method of worship and focus.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The passage explicitly states that neither gods nor demons understand the speaker's manifestation and that only the divine knows itself.

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Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The speaker promises to destroy the darkness of ignorance with the 'brilliant lamp of knowledge' residing in the hearts of devotees.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The text states that all tempers and movements of living beings are from the speaker alone, indicating a divine ordering of all affairs.

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Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The passage explicitly describes a cascade of divine powers, sages, and attributes flowing from the single source (Krishna/Vishnu) to all beings.

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Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The text repeatedly emphasizes that knowing the speaker's true nature as the unborn origin is the sole means of release from sin and delusion.

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Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

The speaker offers 'excellent words' and divine knowledge specifically to the devoted, noting that even gods and sages do not know his source without this revelation.

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Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

The divine is described as the 'self seated in the hearts of all beings' and the source of consciousness within living creatures.

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Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

The text asserts that the supreme reality resides internally as the self in every being's heart.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

The deity is portrayed as an active, personal agent who speaks, feels compassion, grants knowledge, and dwells within the hearts of beings.

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Meditationpraxis

Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.

Arjuna asks how he should 'always meditate' on the deity and in what entities he should focus his contemplation.

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Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

The text centers on the speaker as the singular, unborn, undivided origin of all gods, sages, and living beings.

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Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

The text describes the devotee's mind being placed on the divine and the divine remaining in their hearts, leading to a state of contentment and eventual attainment.

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Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

The passage depicts a dialogue of devotion where Arjuna addresses the deity with titles and requests for knowledge, and the deity responds.

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Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

The core message is that all diverse phenomena, from emotions to deities, originate from and are sustained by a single divine reality.

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Related passages · 3 parallels
greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn X (part 1)
X. TO PAN * The FUMIGATION from VARIOUS ODORS I Call strong Pan, the substance of the whole, Etherial, marine, earthly, general soul, Immortal fire; for all the world is thine, And all are parts of thee, O pow'r divine. p. 131 Come, bles…”
Both passages describe a divine being as the origin and sustainer of the universe, embodying various aspects of creation and existence. The Bhagavad Gita portrays Krishna as the supreme Brahman, while the Hymn to Pan describes Pan as the substance of the whole, embodying all parts of the universe.
greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn XI. HERCULES (part 1)
XI. TO HERCULES. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. HEAR, pow'rful, Hercules untam'd and strong, To whom vast hands, and mighty works belong, Almighty Titan, prudent and benign, Of various forms, eternal and divine, Father of Time, the th…”
Both passages describe a divine figure who is the origin and sustainer of the universe, embodying various aspects of creation and possessing divine powers. The passages share a conceptual parallel in their portrayal of a supreme, all-encompassing deity.
mesopotamian|Enuma Elish: The Epic of Creation|1j
Tutu [Marduk] is "He who created them anew"; Should their wants be pure, then are they satisfied; Should he make an incantation, then are the gods appeased; Should they attack him in anger, he withstandeth their onslaught! Let him therefor…”
Both passages describe a supreme deity who is the origin and sustainer of the universe, possessing multiple divine attributes and being worshipped by sages or gods. The passages share a conceptual parallel in presenting a divine figure as the source of all creation and the object of devotion.