The Bhagavad Gita · 2 of 2 · tr. Kashinath Trimbak Telang
Chapter X, Section 1b
And I am S a n kara among the Rudras, the lord of wealth among Yakshas and Rakshases.
And I am fire among the Vasus, and Meru among the high-topped (mountains).
And know me, O Ar g una!
to be B ri haspati, the chief among domestic priests.
I am Skanda among generals.
I am the ocean among reservoirs of water .
I am Bh ri gu among the great sages.
I am the single syllable (Om ) among words.
Among sacrifices I am the G apa sacrifice ; the Himâlaya among the firmly-fixed (mountains); the A s vattha among all trees, and Nârada among divine sages; K itraratha among the heavenly choristers, the sage Kapila among the Siddhas .
Among horses know me to be U kk ai ss ravas , brought forth by (the labours for) the nectar; and Airâvata among the great elephants, and the ruler.
of men among men .
I am the thunderbolt among weapons, the wish-giving (cow) among cows.
And I am love which generates .
Among serpents I am Vâsuki.
Among Nâga snakes I am Ananta; I am Varu n a among aquatic beings.
And I am Aryaman among the manes, and Yama among rulers.
Among demons, too, I am Pralhâda.
I am the king of death (Kâla, time) among those that count .
Among beasts I am the lord of beasts, and the son of Vinatâ among birds.
I am the wind among those that blow .
I am Râma among those that wield weapons.
Among fishes I am Makara , and among streams the G âhnavî .
Of created things I am the beginning and the end and the middle also, O Ar g una!
Among sciences, I am the science of the Adhyâtma, and I am the argument of controversialists.
Among letters I am the letter A , and among the group of compounds the copulative compound.
I myself am time inexhaustible, and I the creator whose faces are in all directions.
I am death who seizes all, and the source of what is to be.
And among females, fame , fortune, speech, memory, intellect, courage.
forgiveness.
Likewise among Sâman hymns, I am the B ri hat-sâman , and I the Gâyatrî among metres.
I am Mârga s îrsha among the months, the spring among the seasons ; of cheats, I am the game of dice; I am the glory of the glorious, I am victory, I am industry, I am the goodness of the good.
I am Vâsudeva among the descendants of V ri sh ni , and Ar g una among the Pâ nd avas.
Among sages also, I am Vyâsa ; and among the discerning ones, I am the discerning U s anas .
I am the rod of those that restrain, and the policy of those that desire victory.
I am silence respecting secrets.
I am the knowledge of those that have knowledge And, O Ar g una!
I am also that which is the seed of all things.
There is nothing movable or immovable which can exist without me.
O terror of your foes!
there is no end to my divine emanations.
Here I have declared the extent of (those) emanations only in part.
Whatever thing (there is) of power, or glorious, or splendid, know all that to be produced from portions of my energy.
Or rather, O Ar g una!
what have you to do, knowing all this at large?
I stand supporting all this by (but) a single portion (of myself) .
§ Ask Guru about this passage →Themes
◆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 statement 'I stand supporting all this by (but) a single portion' indicates an active, sustaining divine order governing the unfolding of the cosmos.
All passages →◆Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
The divine speaks in the first person as an active, personal agent ('I am', 'I stand supporting') who is dynamically present within every aspect of the cosmos.
All passages →◆Monadcosmology
The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.
The speaker identifies as the singular source ('I stand supporting all this by a single portion') from which all multiplicity and existence flows, embodying the concept of an undivided first principle.
All passages →◆Unity Of Beingtheology
The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.
The passage asserts that all existence is ultimately one reality, as the speaker claims to be the essence of every category of being, from the highest sages to the lowest demons.
All passages →Related passages · 3 parallels
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 6 (part 20)
“The mighty ones in heaven shoot out fire under the caldrons which are heaped up with the haunches of the firstborn; and he that maketh those who live (514) in heaven to revolve round Unas hath shot into the caldrons the haunches of their wo…”
Both passages describe a divine figure who embodies and encompasses all aspects of creation. The Bhagavad Gita passage lists Krishna's manifestations in various forms, while the Egyptian passage describes Unas as consuming and embodying the essence of all gods and creation. Both convey the idea of a supreme being that is the source and sustainer of all things.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 38 (part 7)
“My reins (8) are the reins of the lords of Kher-aba.
My breast is the breast of the awful and terrible One.
My belly and my backbone are the belly and backbone of Sekhet.
My buttocks (9) are the buttocks of [1.
For the text, see Naville…”
Both passages describe a divine figure identifying with various aspects of the cosmos, nature, and human endeavors. This is a genuine conceptual parallel, as both texts use a similar structure to convey the omnipresence and omnipotence of the divine within their respective traditions.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 61)
“The mighty ones in heaven shoot out fire under the caldrons which are heaped up with the haunches of the firstborn; and he that maketh those who live (514) in heaven to revolve round Unas hath shot into the caldrons the haunches of their wo…”
Both passages emphasize the omnipresence and omnipotence of a divine figure, with Passage A detailing Krishna's pervasive nature in various aspects of creation, and Passage B describing Unas's consumption and assimilation of divine attributes and forms. The conceptual parallel lies in the portrayal of a central deity embodying or encompassing all elements of existence.