Gita 11.39 – Access the all-pervading one through sacred sound

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.

is adoring in this verse.

Here, Krishna, Arjuna is offering prayers. In the Vishwa, as it is manifested as the Vishwaroopa, 11.39 in the Bhagavad Gita, a previous verse stated that you have pervaded everything. And now how the Vishwaroopa has pervaded everything, Arjuna explains by giving some representative elements over here.

Vayu is wind. Yama, the regular day principle. Yama Raj.

Yama Agnir, the fire god. Varuna, the wind god. Shishank, the rabbit marked.

There are certain marks which are seen on the moon, which when seen from certain positions at certain angles, they appear to be like rabbits. Shishank is therefore the name of the moon. Prajapatistam prapitamahasya.

Prajapati refers to those, like Dakshin and others, who are interested with the responsibility of populating the universe. Prapitamahasya. That can refer to Brahmaji or it can refer directly to Supreme Lord Himself.

Namo Namaste. Namo Namaste to Sahasrakutwa. Punashchabhuyopi Namo Namaste.

So now, Namo Namaste. I offer my respect to Sahasrakutwa thousands of times. Punashchabhuyopi Namo Namaste.

And yet again I offer you obeisances. Why? Why so many obeisances? Because actually the Lord deserves the greatest number of obeisances. Now here, each of these devatas deserve obeisances.

And when all those devatas are manifested together, then how many more obeisances are deserved? So, Punashchabhuyopi Namo Namaste. Thousands of obeisances I offer to you and yet again I offer more obeisances. Punashchabhuyopi Namo Namaste.

So in this way the point that is being made here is that the obeisances are expression of reverent devotion. So where Krishna and Arjuna were at the start of the Gita as equal, sakha, friends, when Arjuna surrendered to Krishna, then it became more like a relationship of this guru and disciple. And further now when Krishna is seeing the, when Arjuna is seeing the Vishwaroopa, then the relationship has become even more filled with reverence.

Because the Vishwaroopa is so gigantic, so majestic, so glorious and so ferocious, so thrilling and so terrifying that Arjuna gets overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. And now when Arjuna loses track of the gore which he sees in the spectacle before him, he just loses track, who is this? And then he hears this is Krishna himself, this is the Vishwaroopa manifesting with the Kaalaroopa. He is overwhelmed.

It is described that with trembling hands, with forehead, he is now offering these prayers. So here he is seeing the majestic form. Now it is not that all these devatas are identical with the Vishwaroopa.

No. These are all devatas whose jurisdiction is within the Vishwa. They are heads of specific departments within the administration of the universe.

It's like in a cabin, in a garment, there are ministers with specific portfolios. So like that, all these are ministers in the cosmic department with portfolios. Now here Arjuna is seeing that all of them and their powers are subsumed within the universal form of the Lord.

Subsume is a word that sounds similar to consume. Now consume means when something is consumed by something else, then that consumed object is lost. So when a tiger consumes a deer, the deer no longer exists.

But subsume is, subsume means to integrate into a larger whole. We could say it's a combination of subordinate and consume. So a thing which exists at earlier, it is incorporated into a larger whole and it doesn't lose its existence, but it becomes included in something greater and it gets a place within that something greater.

So these devatas are subsumed in the universal form and so to highlight and to convey the glory of the Vishwaroopa, the various devatas that are seen within the Vishwaroopa are expressed over here and thereafter the Vishwaroopa itself, that means and thereby the glory of the Vishwaroopa is conveyed. So now often when we pray to Krishna, we don't realize the glory and the gravity of the person to whom we are praying and meditating on who actually pervades all around us, who pervades all of existence and is therefore all around us. The air that we breathe, that is a manifestation of him.

The water that we drink is a manifestation of him. The food that we eat is a manifestation of him and the sound that we vibrate is a manifestation of him and yet when we call out the holy name, that is a much more direct and intimate manifestation and when we treasure that manifestation, then we develop a far more intimate connection with him. Here Arjuna required a revelation from Krishna, extraordinary unprecedented adrishta purvam as it is mentioned repeatedly in the chapter.

No one had seen before kind of manifestation was required. Now we don't need, we can't demand or expect that kind of revelation each one of us but Krishna is still ready to offer us a revelation of himself through the sacred sounds connected with him through the holy names, through the mantras, through the mantra specifically the mahamantra and when we take shelter therein, then we also can experience the glory of Krishna and the sweetness of Krishna and thereby become absorbed in him. Thank you.