Bg 10.23
rudrāṇāṁ śaṅkaraś cāsmi vitteśo yakṣa-rakṣasām
vasūnāṁ pāvakaś cāsmi meruḥ śikhariṇām aham
Bg 10.24
purodhasāṁ ca mukhyaṁ māṁ viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim
senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ
Bg 10.25
maharṣīṇāṁ bhṛgur ahaṁ girām asmy ekam akṣaram
yajñānāṁ japa-yajño ’smi sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ
Translation
23. And among the RUDRAS I am Shankara; among the YAKSHAS and RAKSHASAS I am the Lord of wealth (KUBERA) ; among the VASUS I am PAVAKA (AGNI) ; and among the mountains I am the MERU.
24. And among the household priests, O Partha, know Me to be the chief, BRIHASPATI; among generals, I am SKANDA; among lakes, I am the ocean.
25. Among the great RISHIS I am Bhrigu; among words I am the one-syllabled "OM" ; among sacrifices I am the sacrifice of silent repetition (JAPA-YAJNA) ; among immovable things, the Himalayas.
Commentary
OF RUDRAS I AM SHANKARA --- The concept of Rudra, as the deity of destruction, is to be recognised by every student of life because destruction is a necessary precedent to every subsequent construction. The flower must die to yield its place to the fruit. The fruit must perish for the seeds to come out. The seeds must rot to bring forth the seedling. Thus, in every progress there is a continuous stream of constructive destruction. This is recognised by the subtlest thinkers that were ever born among men, the Rishis, and in their full understanding they fearlessly respected and adored the blessed deity of creative destruction --- Shankara
I AM THE TREASURER OF WEALTH (KUBERA) AMONG THE YAKSHAS AND RAKSHASAS --- The Chancellor of the Exchequer in heaven is described in the Puranas as Kubera, a monstrous, ugly creature, three-footed, fat and short, with a spreading belly, a small head and eight protruding teeth. The divine cashier is helped by Yakshas and Rakshasas --- an equally ugly, materialistic, heartless brood --- in protecting his treasures. It is interesting to note how the Indian Rishis were typically against capitalism and how they cartooned the master-of-wealth in such a grotesque caricature, so ugly that
it cannot bring about even an indulgent smile to our lips.
OF THE VASUS, I AM PAVAKA --- There are eight Vasus and they are Vedic deities presiding over the seasons. In Chandogya Upanishad it is described that the MOUTH of these Vasus is fire; there, the word "mouth" may be conceived of as the instrument of enjoyment and experience. Therefore, it means that the Self is the very source from which we gain all our experiences of all seasons.
The six seasons which the world outside gives us, and the two seasons which the mind supplies us with, viz., joy and sorrow, together constitute the eight seasons mentioned here. Even the spring-time flowers will shed tears for us, if, at that time, we are in tragic bereavement, while even the naked trees of the autumn season will be quivering with joy for us, if, in that season, we have the joy of success, full and complete --- thereby the two internal seasons. All of them are experienced by us only when we are under the grace of our own Consciousness within.
OF ALL THE PEAKS I AM MERU --- A mythological mountain, believed to be the centre of the Universe, according to ancient Hindu Geography, is Meru. On top of it, lives the Divine, and below it, lie scattered the Seven Islands that constitute the world. Meru is conceived as having an altitude of seven to eight thousand miles and it is described that from its top, the Ganges flows in all directions. This statement has made many believe that it may be the Himalayas --- which is not, of course, very unsatisfactory. But we would rather believe it to be a mystical phraseology --- representing some special "field of influence," having its base in Jambu-dweepa and its extent rising up to the peak described above, from where Spiritual Knowledge flows out on all the four sides to bless all of the islands.
CONTINUING TO INDICATE THE STATUS OF THE SELF AMONG THE THINGS OF THE KNOWN WORLD:
OF THE HOUSEHOLD PRIESTS KNOW ME THE CHIEF, BRIHASPATI --- The lord of the planet Jupiter, Brihaspati, is mentioned in the Rig Veda as Brahmanaspati, which is self-explanatory of his status, among the hosts of heaven. He is considered as the spiritual teacher of the celestials. Similarly, the Lord indicates, "I AM SKANDA' --- the son of Shiva, the peacock-rider, and the wielder-of-the-spear --- "AMONG THE GENERALS."
OF WATER, I AM THE OCEAN --- In all these examples, it is quite clear that the Lord is indicating Himself to be not only transcendent, but also immanent. Especially, the last analogy of the series in the stanza proves itself to be a typical example. No doubt, the waters of Ganga seem to have no relationship with the waters of the ocean. Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu or Kaveri, Tigris or Nile, Thames or Amazon --- the water of the various lakes of the world, of the ponds of the villages, in all irrigation canals, individually, is independent and has nothing to do with the ocean that embraces the world. And yet, it is a fact that but for the waters of the ocean, all these rivers and water-pools would have long ago dried up. Similarly, in the sentient and the insentient beings, and things of the world, though individually they might look as if they have no direct relationship with the Infinite Ocean of Truth, the Lord indicates here that, but for It, the phenomenal world would have ended its existence long ago.
STILL ELABORATING THE SAME IDEA:
OF THE GREAT RISHIS I AM BHRIGU --- Bhrigu is the chief of the Seven Rishis mentioned earlier in this very chapter (Ibid., Verses 2 and 5). Bhrigu is the one who recites the Manava Dharmashastra, wherein he is recognised as Manu's son.
OF WORDS, I AM THE ONE-SYLLABLED "OM" --- Words are symbols of sounds to express one's thoughts. A speaker, with his words, tries to raise in the bosom of his listeners, a pattern of thought-experiences which the speaker feels in himself. Thus, the word 'tomato' is the sound symbol which creates in the mind of all those who know the 'tomato' the same form-experience. To bless those who do not react to this word, but stand confused, the speaker will necessarily try to use a series of words arranged into sentences, and the sentences will be properly marshalled to give a full picture of what a 'tomato' is. To the extent the describer can mould the form, colour, taste and qualities of the 'tomato' in the thought-world of the listener, to that extent the listener also can experience mentally what the speaker is speaking about. Thus, ordinarily, language is full of such sound-symbols to indicate experiences and to communicate thoughts.
If ordinary word-symbol indicate only the finite, the Rishis thought that they must conceive a word-symbol to indicate the Eternal. Thus, they discovered the one-syllabled word 'OM,' which is the greatest mantra in all the Vedas and traditionally, upto recent times, this has been, in the spiritual world, the one sound idol used as a prop (Alambanam) for all early meditators.
OF SACRIFICES I AM THE JAPA --- This universal spiritual exercise, Japa, is a technique by which the 'Japist' tries to maintain a constant stream of the same divine thoughts in his mind. All other sacrifices --- be they on the "Path-of-Devotion" or on the "Path-of-Action," or on the "Path-of-Knowledge" --- are ritualistic, or meditative attempts, for a given period of time, to restrain the mind in one channel of deliberate thought. As such, in one form or the other, "thought repetition" of the same species is the attempt in all Sadhanas. No doubt, Japa is a path in itself, having an independent existence of its own; but, at the same time in one form or the other, it is the core of all the "paths."
Thus, Japa Yajna is glorified here, not only because it is the essential core of all the other Yajnas but also because it transcends them all as an independent "Path" in itself. Unbroken remembrance of the Self is the very experience of Perfection and the moment of perfect intellectual tranquillity --- Samadhi.
OF THINGS MOTIONLESS, I AM THE HIMALAYAS --- The motionless is conceived as the inert, the insentient. Mud and rocks, trees and plants, birds and animals intermixed with the splendour of the phenomenal might, such as whistling storms, tearing thunders, roaring rivers cascading through silent valleys, still pools of eternal lakes, faithfully reflecting the blue sky and duplicating mountain peaks in their love-lorn hearts --- all these together constitute the picture of all mountains. But, "OF THEM," the Lord says, "I AM THE HIMALAYAS." Certainly He gives to the Himalayan ranges a more glorious and divine status because of their special significance. Unlike anywhere else in the world, in India, the Himalayas have the secret peaks where man sat to rocket his thoughts even beyond the frontiers of his intellect and did it successfully as was never before done by any living creature from the beginningless history of the world.
NOT SATISFIED YET, THE LORD IS VIGOROUSLY TRYING THROUGH FINER EXAMPLES AND WORDS TO CONVEY HIS INFINITE GLORY TO THE DATA-MONGERING AND WORLDLY INTELLECT OF HIS WARRIOR-FRIEND, ARJUNA;
Sources: Vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
rudrāṇāṁ śaṅkaraś cāsmi vitteśo yakṣa-rakṣasām
vasūnāṁ pāvakaś cāsmi meruḥ śikhariṇām aham
Bg 10.24
purodhasāṁ ca mukhyaṁ māṁ viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim
senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ
Bg 10.25
maharṣīṇāṁ bhṛgur ahaṁ girām asmy ekam akṣaram
yajñānāṁ japa-yajño ’smi sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ
Translation
23. And among the RUDRAS I am Shankara; among the YAKSHAS and RAKSHASAS I am the Lord of wealth (KUBERA) ; among the VASUS I am PAVAKA (AGNI) ; and among the mountains I am the MERU.
24. And among the household priests, O Partha, know Me to be the chief, BRIHASPATI; among generals, I am SKANDA; among lakes, I am the ocean.
25. Among the great RISHIS I am Bhrigu; among words I am the one-syllabled "OM" ; among sacrifices I am the sacrifice of silent repetition (JAPA-YAJNA) ; among immovable things, the Himalayas.
Commentary
OF RUDRAS I AM SHANKARA --- The concept of Rudra, as the deity of destruction, is to be recognised by every student of life because destruction is a necessary precedent to every subsequent construction. The flower must die to yield its place to the fruit. The fruit must perish for the seeds to come out. The seeds must rot to bring forth the seedling. Thus, in every progress there is a continuous stream of constructive destruction. This is recognised by the subtlest thinkers that were ever born among men, the Rishis, and in their full understanding they fearlessly respected and adored the blessed deity of creative destruction --- Shankara
I AM THE TREASURER OF WEALTH (KUBERA) AMONG THE YAKSHAS AND RAKSHASAS --- The Chancellor of the Exchequer in heaven is described in the Puranas as Kubera, a monstrous, ugly creature, three-footed, fat and short, with a spreading belly, a small head and eight protruding teeth. The divine cashier is helped by Yakshas and Rakshasas --- an equally ugly, materialistic, heartless brood --- in protecting his treasures. It is interesting to note how the Indian Rishis were typically against capitalism and how they cartooned the master-of-wealth in such a grotesque caricature, so ugly that
it cannot bring about even an indulgent smile to our lips.
OF THE VASUS, I AM PAVAKA --- There are eight Vasus and they are Vedic deities presiding over the seasons. In Chandogya Upanishad it is described that the MOUTH of these Vasus is fire; there, the word "mouth" may be conceived of as the instrument of enjoyment and experience. Therefore, it means that the Self is the very source from which we gain all our experiences of all seasons.
The six seasons which the world outside gives us, and the two seasons which the mind supplies us with, viz., joy and sorrow, together constitute the eight seasons mentioned here. Even the spring-time flowers will shed tears for us, if, at that time, we are in tragic bereavement, while even the naked trees of the autumn season will be quivering with joy for us, if, in that season, we have the joy of success, full and complete --- thereby the two internal seasons. All of them are experienced by us only when we are under the grace of our own Consciousness within.
OF ALL THE PEAKS I AM MERU --- A mythological mountain, believed to be the centre of the Universe, according to ancient Hindu Geography, is Meru. On top of it, lives the Divine, and below it, lie scattered the Seven Islands that constitute the world. Meru is conceived as having an altitude of seven to eight thousand miles and it is described that from its top, the Ganges flows in all directions. This statement has made many believe that it may be the Himalayas --- which is not, of course, very unsatisfactory. But we would rather believe it to be a mystical phraseology --- representing some special "field of influence," having its base in Jambu-dweepa and its extent rising up to the peak described above, from where Spiritual Knowledge flows out on all the four sides to bless all of the islands.
CONTINUING TO INDICATE THE STATUS OF THE SELF AMONG THE THINGS OF THE KNOWN WORLD:
OF THE HOUSEHOLD PRIESTS KNOW ME THE CHIEF, BRIHASPATI --- The lord of the planet Jupiter, Brihaspati, is mentioned in the Rig Veda as Brahmanaspati, which is self-explanatory of his status, among the hosts of heaven. He is considered as the spiritual teacher of the celestials. Similarly, the Lord indicates, "I AM SKANDA' --- the son of Shiva, the peacock-rider, and the wielder-of-the-spear --- "AMONG THE GENERALS."
OF WATER, I AM THE OCEAN --- In all these examples, it is quite clear that the Lord is indicating Himself to be not only transcendent, but also immanent. Especially, the last analogy of the series in the stanza proves itself to be a typical example. No doubt, the waters of Ganga seem to have no relationship with the waters of the ocean. Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu or Kaveri, Tigris or Nile, Thames or Amazon --- the water of the various lakes of the world, of the ponds of the villages, in all irrigation canals, individually, is independent and has nothing to do with the ocean that embraces the world. And yet, it is a fact that but for the waters of the ocean, all these rivers and water-pools would have long ago dried up. Similarly, in the sentient and the insentient beings, and things of the world, though individually they might look as if they have no direct relationship with the Infinite Ocean of Truth, the Lord indicates here that, but for It, the phenomenal world would have ended its existence long ago.
STILL ELABORATING THE SAME IDEA:
OF THE GREAT RISHIS I AM BHRIGU --- Bhrigu is the chief of the Seven Rishis mentioned earlier in this very chapter (Ibid., Verses 2 and 5). Bhrigu is the one who recites the Manava Dharmashastra, wherein he is recognised as Manu's son.
OF WORDS, I AM THE ONE-SYLLABLED "OM" --- Words are symbols of sounds to express one's thoughts. A speaker, with his words, tries to raise in the bosom of his listeners, a pattern of thought-experiences which the speaker feels in himself. Thus, the word 'tomato' is the sound symbol which creates in the mind of all those who know the 'tomato' the same form-experience. To bless those who do not react to this word, but stand confused, the speaker will necessarily try to use a series of words arranged into sentences, and the sentences will be properly marshalled to give a full picture of what a 'tomato' is. To the extent the describer can mould the form, colour, taste and qualities of the 'tomato' in the thought-world of the listener, to that extent the listener also can experience mentally what the speaker is speaking about. Thus, ordinarily, language is full of such sound-symbols to indicate experiences and to communicate thoughts.
If ordinary word-symbol indicate only the finite, the Rishis thought that they must conceive a word-symbol to indicate the Eternal. Thus, they discovered the one-syllabled word 'OM,' which is the greatest mantra in all the Vedas and traditionally, upto recent times, this has been, in the spiritual world, the one sound idol used as a prop (Alambanam) for all early meditators.
OF SACRIFICES I AM THE JAPA --- This universal spiritual exercise, Japa, is a technique by which the 'Japist' tries to maintain a constant stream of the same divine thoughts in his mind. All other sacrifices --- be they on the "Path-of-Devotion" or on the "Path-of-Action," or on the "Path-of-Knowledge" --- are ritualistic, or meditative attempts, for a given period of time, to restrain the mind in one channel of deliberate thought. As such, in one form or the other, "thought repetition" of the same species is the attempt in all Sadhanas. No doubt, Japa is a path in itself, having an independent existence of its own; but, at the same time in one form or the other, it is the core of all the "paths."
Thus, Japa Yajna is glorified here, not only because it is the essential core of all the other Yajnas but also because it transcends them all as an independent "Path" in itself. Unbroken remembrance of the Self is the very experience of Perfection and the moment of perfect intellectual tranquillity --- Samadhi.
OF THINGS MOTIONLESS, I AM THE HIMALAYAS --- The motionless is conceived as the inert, the insentient. Mud and rocks, trees and plants, birds and animals intermixed with the splendour of the phenomenal might, such as whistling storms, tearing thunders, roaring rivers cascading through silent valleys, still pools of eternal lakes, faithfully reflecting the blue sky and duplicating mountain peaks in their love-lorn hearts --- all these together constitute the picture of all mountains. But, "OF THEM," the Lord says, "I AM THE HIMALAYAS." Certainly He gives to the Himalayan ranges a more glorious and divine status because of their special significance. Unlike anywhere else in the world, in India, the Himalayas have the secret peaks where man sat to rocket his thoughts even beyond the frontiers of his intellect and did it successfully as was never before done by any living creature from the beginningless history of the world.
NOT SATISFIED YET, THE LORD IS VIGOROUSLY TRYING THROUGH FINER EXAMPLES AND WORDS TO CONVEY HIS INFINITE GLORY TO THE DATA-MONGERING AND WORLDLY INTELLECT OF HIS WARRIOR-FRIEND, ARJUNA;
Sources: Vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
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