​Gita 10.23 – The heavenly treasurer’s treasure comes from the supreme

Text 23 rudranam shankaras chasmi meru shikharinam aham rudranam shankaras chasmi Krishna is speaking and he says that among the Rudras I am Shankara he is continuing his description of Vibhuti yoga the opulence of the absolute as it is said and there in Rudra, among the Rudras Shankara Shastri. So there are 11 Rudras and among them Lord Shiva, there is one who is the most prominent and he is Lord Shiva. Now in one sense all of them are expansions of Shiva but Shankara is considered the most prominent among them.

In one sense he is the one from whom the other Rudras manifest. Actually the Rudras are seen as expansions of Shankara but they are not equivalent expansions. They have often lesser powers than what Shiva has.

So like that there are many Rudras but the Rudras are originating from and rooted in Shankara. Rudras are important members, are an important race in the cosmic habitat and when thoughts go towards them we can focus at that time and bring those thoughts to the most prominent among them and see that as the manifestation of Krishna. Vittesho yaksha rakshasaam.

Vitta ishva. Isha is controller. Vitta is wealth.

So the lord of wealth that is Kubera. Vittesho yaksha rakshasaam from the yakshas and the rakshasas. Now in some cases the lines of black and white blur in the cosmic hierarchy.

Some of the devatas they are virtuous at least dharmic and the followers are also more or less dharmic. But on the other hand there are others who are not and there are of course demons who are adharmic and the followers are also adharmic. But in some cases the lines are blurred wherein for example Yamaraj we see that he himself is virtuous but his followers are often misshapen and fearsome and suffering inducing.

So they look demoniac. Although they do that kind of work and the Yamdutas drag people away from the earth but to be judged and eventually taken to the next destination. But their lord is not demoniac.

He is not just a dharmic person but he is a Vaishnava and he is a Vaishnava of among the topmost caliber. The Bhagavatam calls him as one of the twelve mahajanas. So Yambu, Narada, Shambhu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu, Prahlad, Janaka, Bhishma, Balim, Vyasa, Kirvayam.

So Yamaraj himself speaks and he refers to himself as Yama. I too am among the twelve mahajanas. So now Vittesha or Kubera is also characterized by such a borderline distinction, by a fuzzy borderline distinction we could say that.

He is the Devata. He is definitely seen as on the side of virtue. It is he who, when in the past time the lord Balaji needed some, the lord needed some wealth to get married.

So it was Kubera who arranged for that wealth. So he is Vittesha and he is also the servant of the Devatas, Vittesha Yaksharakshasam. But his immediate followers are the Yakshas and the Rakshasas.

That means the Yakshas and the Rakshasas, they respect humans if the human level has a good ruler. But they are hesitated if there is outright demon activity, even if it is somewhat, attempts are made to settle it. So Kubera is himself a Devata and still he is within the cosmic system of management being given the charge of the Yakshas and Rakshasas.

The Yakshas are again in the borderline between the Asuras and the Devatas and the Rakshasas of course are demoniac, but he is in charge of them. Vasunam pavakas chasmi. Vasunam, among the Vasus I am fire, Agni, pavaka.

The word pavaka comes later again in the Bhagavad Gita in 15.6 when it is said na tadbhase te suryo, na shashanko na pavakaha, yad gathvanani vartante tad dhamapare mam mama. Krishna says that. That actually is not illumined by that.

What is not illumined? That spiritual world is not illumined by the sun, the moon or fire. So fire is that which illumines and Agnideva is the person who in the Vedic world presides over that. So Vasus have various functions and among them the most effulgent is Agnideva.

Vasunam pavakas chasmi. Meru shikharinam aham. And among shikharinam, among tall mountains, shikhara.

Shikhara is actually peak. So among the objects with peaks, he is saying that I am. Meru is a huge, huge mountain.

In fact, it spans across the cosmos within the Puranic cosmology that is described. So it is a jai, it is a huge object and the Bhagavatam explains that when we think of that huge object, we can remember that is the opulence.