44 verses
Uddhava said: You are without beginning or end, superior to Brahman. You are Svayam Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, unlimited by anything. You are protection from danger, giver of maintenance, the destroyer and the creator.
O Lord! Although it is difficult for the impious to understand that you are situated in all superior and inferior creations, the knowers of the Vedas worship you in those forms.
The knowers of the Vedas worship you, the cause of all beings as Viṣṇu, who dwell in all low and elevated beings, and who are not understood by persons who do not meditate on you. They worship you in all forms in which you dwell (yāthātathyena).
Please tell me the various forms in which the greatest sages worship you with devotion and attain perfection.
Uddhava asks about the Lords vibhūtis in order to carry out worship of the Lord more effectively than worshipping everywhere. By this, the great sags attain perfection.
O maintainer of all beings! Although you are the antaryāmī of the living entities and the benefactor of all beings, you move about hidden from them. Thus being bewildered by you, the living entities cannot see you, although you are seeing them.
The Lord is not understood. Though you are the antaryāmī of all beings, and though you are give benefit to all beings (bhūta-bhāvanaḥ), you are hidden from all beings. Thus they do not see you. Another version has bhūta-bhāvana, in the vocative.
O supremely potent Lord! Please explain to me your innumerable vibhūtis which you manifest on the earth, in heaven, in hell and in all directions. I offer my humble obeisances at your lotus feet, which are the shelter of all holy places.
Therefore you yourself should reveal your hidden vibhūtis. These vibhūtis are made realizable by you. Please explain them and make me realize them. Spiritual portions of the Lord who is fully spiritual are called aṁśas. Those portions which are material are called vibhūtis. That is the usual meaning. Here however, the word vibhūti refers to both spiritual and material powers. It will be seen in the text that the best of all material and spiritual things will be described.
The Supreme Lord said: O best of those who know what to inquire! On the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, Arjuna, desiring to fight with his rivals, asked me the same question.
O knower of what should be asked! I was asked this question by Arjuna who desired to fight with the enemy at Kurukṣetra (vinaśane).
Arjuna, knowing that killing his relatives to acquire a kingdom was an abominable, irreligious activity, desisted from the battle, thinking, I will be the killer of my relatives and they will be killed. Thus Arjuna was afflicted with material consciousness.
How did Arjuna, desiring to fight, ask this question about vibhūtis? He gave up the battle, knowing it was against dharma to kill relatives for gaining a kingdom. He took on the mood of a material person and thought I will be the killer and they will be killed.
At that time I enlightened Arjuna, the tiger among men, with logical arguments, and thus before the battle Arjuna addressed me with questions in the same way that you are now inquiring.
O Uddhava! I am the Supersoul of all living entities, and therefore I am naturally their well-wisher and supreme controller. I am the creator, maintainer and annihilator of all entities.
Kṛṣṇa describes the vibhūtis in general.
I am the result of all those seeking results, and I am time among controllers. I am prakṛti for the guṇas, and I am the natural quality in an object having qualities.
Now he describes the particular vibhūtis. As vibhūtis, he describes the outstanding among material and spiritual objects. The genitive case is sometimes used to indicate that the Lord is the best among a group (eg. I am time among controllers) and sometimes used to indicate a relationship of possession (eg. I am the result for the karmīs and jñānīs). The word I is used with the vibhūtis in nominative or accusative case to indicate sameness or identity. I am the result to be achieved (gatiḥ) for persons having goals like karmīs and jñānīs. I am time among things that control. I am prakṛti (sāmyam) among the guṇas. I am the natural quality in a substance. For instance, I am sound in ether.
Among material things I am sūtra. In all antaḥkaraṇas, possessing mahat-tattva, I am citta. Among subtle things I am the jīva, and of things that are difficult to conquer, I am the mind.
I am sūtra or prāṇa1 in material objects made of guṇas. I am the citta among those possessing mahat-tattva or antaḥkaraṇa.2 Śruti describes the jīva:
eṣoṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo yasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṁviveśa
The small jīva upon which the five prāṇas rest should be known by the consciousness. Muṇòaka Upaniṣad 3.1.9
bālāgra-śatabhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca | bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ
The jīva should be known to be the size of one ten thousandth of a tip of a hair. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.9
ārāgra-mātro hy avaropi dṛṣṭaḥ
The jīva is smaller than the tip of a spoke. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.8
Though the jīva is very small, it has the power to pervade the whole body. When a gem covered with resin or a small portion of powerful medicine is placed on the head, the effect of nourishment spreads throughout the whole body. Thus there is no contradiction concerning the jīva.
Among the teachers of the Vedas, I am their original teacher, Lord Brahmā, and of all mantras I am the three-lettered oṁkāra. Among letters I am the first letter, a, and among sacred meters I am the Gāyatrī meter.
Among the teachers of the Vedas (vedānām), I am Brahmā. Padāni means the Gāyatrī meter, with three padas of eight syllables each.
Among the devatās I am Indra, and among the Vasus, I am Agni, the god of fire. I am Viṣṇu among the sons of Aditi, and among the Rudras, I am Lord Śiva.
Among brahmarṣis, I am Bhṛgu Muni, and I am Manu among rājarṣis. I am Nārada Muni among devarṣis, and I am Kāmadhenu among cows.
Havirdhāni means kāma-dhenu.
I am Kapila among perfected beings and Garuòa among birds. I am Dakṣa among the Prajāpatis, and I am Aryamā among the Pitṛs.
O Uddhava! Among the demoniac sons of Diti know me to be Prahlāda, the lord of the demons. Among the stars and herbs, I am Candra (the moon), and among Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, I am the lord of wealth, Kuvera.
The moon is the lord of the constellations and plants.
I am Airāvata, the lord of the best elephants, and among aquatics I am Varuna, the lord of the seas. Among all things that heat and illuminate, I am the sun, and among human beings, I am the king.
Among the best of elephants I am their lord, Airāvata, and among aquatics I am their lord Varuṇa.
Among horses, I am Uccaiḥśravā, and among metals, I am gold. I am Yamarāja among those who suppress and punish, and among serpents, I am Vāsuki.
Among punishers I am Yamarāja.
O sinless Uddhava! Among the best of snakes, I am Anantadeva, and among those animals with sharp horns, I am the black deer. Among animals with teeth, I am the lion. Among the āśramas, I am sannyāsa, and among the varṇas, I am the brāhmaṇa.
Among animals with horns I am the black deer, and among animals with teeth I am the lion. The fourth āśrama is sannyāsa. The first varṇa is brāhmaṇa.
Among sacred rivers, I am the Gaḍgā, and among bodies of water, I am the ocean. Among weapons, I am the bow, and of the wielders of weapons, I am Lord Śiva.
Saraṣām means among non-flowing water bodies.
Among residences, I am Mount Sumeru, and among inaccessible places I am the Himalayas. Among trees, I am the holy fig tree, and among plants, I am barley.
Among places of shelter I am Sumeru. Among inaccessible place, I am the Himalayas.
Among priests, I am Vasiṣṭha Muni, and among those skilful in the Vedas, I am Bṛhaspati. I am Kārtikeya among military leaders, and among those who are outstanding, I am the great personality Lord Brahmā.
Among those knowing the Vedas, I am Bṛhaspati. Among leaders of troops, I am Skanda. Among the best, I am Brahmā (ajaḥ).
Among sacrifices, I am study of the Veda, and I am nonviolence among vows. Among all things that purify such as the wind, fire, the sun, water and speech, I am the ultimate purifier.
Among sacrifices I am brahma-yajña, reading the Vedas. Among purifiers, such air, fire, the sun, water, and speech, I am the real purifier.
Among the eight aḍgas of yoga, I am the final stage, samādhi. Among those desiring victory, I am counsel advocating war, and among processes of expert discrimination, I am the distinction of ātmā from non-ātmā. Among all speculative philosophers, I am diversity of views.
Among the aḍgas of yoga I am samādhi (ātmā-saṁrodhaḥ). Among those desiring victory, I am counsel which provokes war. Among those skilful in discrimination, I am the knowledge of distinguishing ātmā from non-ātmā. There are different philosophies:
ātma-khyātir asat-khyātir akhyātiḥ khyatir anyathā |
tathā nirvacana-khyātir ity etat khyāti-pañcakam |
vijñāna-śūnya-mīmāṁsā-tarkādvaita-vidāṁ matam ||
There are five philosophies propounding ātmā-khyāti, asat-khyāti, akhyāti, anyathā-khyāti, and nirvanca-khyāti found in followers of vijñṇaa, śūnyavada, Mīmāṁsa, logic and advaita-vāda.
I am the endless diversity among these five philosophies.
Among ladies, I am Śatarūpā, and among male personalities, I am her husband, Svāyambhuva Manu. I am Nārāyaṇa among the sages and Sanat-kumāra among brahmacārīs.
Among religious principles, I am renunciation, and of all types of security, I am consciousness of the eternal soul within. For maintaining secrets, I am pleasant speech and silence, and for couples indulging in sex, I am Brahmā.
There are various dharmas like sannyāsa, detachment and charity, I am sannyāsa. I am inward steadiness (abahir-matiḥ). Among secrets I am pleasing words (sunṛtam) and silence. These two do not reveal the mind of a person. This means they are most secretive. I am Prajāpati, from whose bodily halves sex arose. He is the chief couple. Śruti says ardho ha vā eṣa ātmano yat patnī: half of his self is his wife. (Baudāyana Śrauta-sūtra 29.9.381.2)
Among measures of time, I am the year, and among seasons, I am spring. Among months, I am Mārgaśīrṣa, and among constellations, I am the auspicious Abhijit.
Among measurements of time I am the year. Among season I am spring. Among constellations I am Abhijit, the fourth part of Uttarāśāòhā constellation and the first quartert of Śravaṇa constellation. This is explained by śruti. Abhijin nāma nakṣatram upariṣṭād aṣāòhānām adhas tāc chroṇāyāḥ: Abhijit constellation is last part of Uttarāśādḥā and the first part of Śravaṇa constellation.
Among yugas, I am Satya-yuga, and among steady sages, I am Devala and Asita. Among those who have divided the Vedas, I am Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vedavyāsa, and among learned scholars, I am Śukrācārya, the knower ātmā.
Kṛtam means Satya-yuga. I am Devala and Asita among the wise. I am Śukra (kavyaḥ) among the scholars.
Among those entitled to the name Bhagavān, I am Vāsudeva, and indeed, you, Uddhava, represent me among the devotees. I am Hanumān among the Kimpuruṣas, and among the Vidyādharas, I am Sudarśana.
This Vāsudeva is the first member of the catur-vyūha (not Kṛṣṇa).
Among jewels, I am the ruby, and among beautiful things, I am the lotus calyx. Among all types of grass, I am the sacred kuśa, and among oblations, I am ghee and other ingredients obtained from the cow.
Supeśalām means among beautiful things.
Among the enterprising, I am fortune, and among the cheaters, I am gambling. I am the tolerance in those who are tolerant and the sattva of those in sattva.
Lakṣmīḥ means wealth. I am the sattva in sattvic beings.
Know that of the powerful, I am strength of the senses and mind, and I am the devotional activities of my devotees. My devotees worship me in nine different forms, among which I am the principal form Vāsudeva.
Among the strong I am mental (sahaḥ) and sensual strength (ojaḥ). I am actions like hearing and chanting of the devotees (sātvatām). Among the nine forms that they worshipVāsudeva, Saḍkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Nārāyaṇa, Hayagrīva, Varāha, Nṛsiṁha, and Brahmā--I am the principal form Vāsudeva. Just as Viṣṇu sometimes becomes Indra as in Svāyambhuva-mantantara, when Yajña became Indra, so in some mahā-kalpas, Viṣṇu becomes Brahmā. The Brahmā mentioned among the nine is a form of Viṣṇu as Brahmā.
Among the Gandharvas, I am Viśvāvasu, and I am Pūrvacitti among the heavenly Apsarās. I am the steadiness of mountains and the fragrance tan-mātra of the earth.
Among Gandharvas I am Viśvāvasu, and among Apsarās I am Pūrvacitti. I am the tan-mātra called fragrance, the cause of the earth.
I am the sweet taste of water, and among brilliant things I am the sun. I am the effulgence of the sun, moon and stars, and I am sweet sound in the ether.
I am the sweet (paramaḥ) taste of water. This excluded the other tastes like pungent. I am very sweet (paraḥ) sound.3 Paraḥ can also refer to the most subtle sound parā which transforms into madhyamā, paśyantī and vaikharī.
Among those dedicated to brahminical culture I am Bali Mahārāja, and I am Arjuna among heroes. I am the creation, maintenance and annihilation of all living entities.
Pratisaḍkramaḥ means destruction.
I am the functions of the ten senses: walking, speaking, evacuation, accepting and pleasure, touching, seeing, tasting, and hearing. I am also the potency by which each of the senses experiences its particular sense object.
The first five actions belong to the working senses. The second five actions belong to the knowledge senses. Lakṣaṇam means seeing. I am the senses power of perceiving their sense objects. Śruti says cakṣuṣaś cakṣuḥ: I am the power of seeing in the eye. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.18)
I am form, taste, aroma, touch and sound; ahaḍkāra; the mahat-tattva; earth, water, fire, air and sky; the eleven senses; the living entity; prakṛti; the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance; and Brahman. I am all of these items, along with knowledge of them, and the determination of truth resulting from that knowledge.
Having indicated vibhūtis by showing the best of a group or the key element in a relationship, again the Lord describes them all in general, in two and half verses. The list of elements indicates the tan-mātras. Aham is ahaḍkāra. Mahān is mahat-tattva. These seven are the modifications of prakṛti. The transformation (vikāraḥ) refers to the five gross elements and the eleven senses. This makes sixteen. Puruṣaḥ refers to the jīva. Avyaktam is prakṛti. The total is now twenty-five elements. It is said:
mūla-prakṛtir avikṛtir mahad-ādyāḥ prakṛti-vikṛtayaḥ sapta |
ṣoòaśakaś ca vikāro na prakṛtir na vikṛtiḥ puruṣaḥ ||
Mūla-prakṛti is unchanged. Transformations of prakṛti are seven (mahat-tattva, ahaḍkāra and five tan-mātras), which further transform into sixteen (five gross elements and eleven senses). Prakṛti remains separate and puruṣa do not transform. Sāḍkhya-kārikā by Īśvara-kṛṣṇa
I am also the guṇas of prakṛti known as rajas, tamas and sattva and I am Brahman (param). I am everything. I am the knowledge of these enumerated elements and the result, determination of truth.
Without the Lord and the jīva there is no spiritual existence. Without the guṇas and their causes, there is no material existence. With the totality and individual jīvas and their coverings there is no combination of matter and spirit. Without me, nothing exists.
The meaning of the previous verse is particularized and summarized. Without the Lord and the jīva, there is no conscious existence. Without the guṇas and their causesmahat-tattva and prakṛti, there is no material existence. Without individual and collective jīvas (sarvātmanā) and all the individual coverings (sarvena) there is no combination of jīvas with prakṛti. Without me (māyā), all of this does not exist. Thus I am everything.
Even though over a period of time I might count all the atoms of the universe, I could not count all of my vibhūtis since I create millions of universes.
Why do you speak generally and in summary? As you did previously, please speak by showing the best of a group or the key element in a relationship. I could after a great deal of time count all the atoms of earth or other elements and tell you. But I can not say this about my vibhūtis. Why? When one cannot count the universes which are created, how can one count the vibhūtis within the universes?
Whatever influence, wealth, fame, power, humility, renunciation, pleasure, fortune, physical strength, tolerance or spiritual knowledge exists in the world is simply my vibhūti.
In this manner it is possible to enumerate all my vibhūtis. Whatever influence, wealth (śrīḥ), pleasurable object for the mind or eye (saubhagam), good fortune, physical strength (vīryam) exists, it is my vibhūti (amśakaḥ).
I have briefly described to you all my vibhūtis. But ordinary objects are also designated in the same way with words because of sentiments in the mind.
The Lord summarizes everything. All vibhūtis, in general and particular have been described. But vibhūtis well-known among people are identified through transformations of mind like affection and hatred. Those are not my vibhūtis. Out of affection, a transformation of the mind, someone will designate others, saying This is my son, this is my father, this is my uncle, this is my nephew, this is my friend. These are not vibhūtis of the Lord. Where there is hatred, another transformation of mind, one says, This person is offensive to me, this person should be offended, this person hates me, this person should be hated, this person kills, this person should be killed. These are not vibhūtis of the Lord. Thus, though Indra is my vibhūti, if Śacī says This is my husband, or if Aditi says This is my son, if Jayanta says This is my father, or Bṛhaspati says This is my disciple, if the demons say This is our enemy, those also are not vibhūtis of the Lord.
My devotees without possessiveness can say for all things This is the Lords vibhūti. However, the spiritual vibhūtis may be thought of as son, brother etc. without any harm. The avatāras and devotees listed among the vibhūtis can be treated in this way.
One should not take the meaning of the verse to be All these vibhūtis are mere mental transformations (illusory). Among the vibhūtis, Vāsudeva and impersonal Brahman also are listed. Brahman and Vāsudeva would then become imaginary entities. This would not be acceptable to the Śūnyavādīs and thus they would have to be excluded for the list. But then the word ete (all these) would become meaningless in the verse.
Therefore, control your speaking, subdue the mind, conquer the life air, and regulate the senses concerning these objects. Through purified intelligence bring your intelligence under control. In this way you will never again fall onto the path of material existence.
Since all objects are my vibhūtis, you should respect them all by words, mind, and body, and not denigrate them. This is repeated later:
ativādāṁs titikṣeta nāvamanyeta kañcana
na cemaṁ deham āśritya vairaṁ kurvīta kenacit
One should tolerate all insults and never disrespect a person who disrespects one. Taking shelter of ones devotional body, one should not create enmity with anyone.
SB 12.6.34
Control the intelligence (ātmānam) by sattvic intelligence. You will not again be qualified for the path of saṁsāra.
An aspirant who does not completely control his words and mind by intelligence will find that his spiritual vows, austerities and charity dissipate just as water flows from an unbaked clay pot.
The fault is emphasized by stating the same in an opposite way.
Being surrendered to me, one should control the speech, mind and life air, and then through intelligence endowed with bhakti, one will accomplish the goal.
Parisampapyate means one becomes successful.
Thus ends the commentary on the Sixteenth Chapter of the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Sixteenth Chapter describes those objects called vibhūtis because of their influence, knowledge or energy. The Lord said in the previous chapter:
sarvāsām api siddhīnāṁ hetuḥ patir ahaṁ prabhuḥ
ahaṁ yogasya sāḍkhyasya dharmasya brahma-vādinām
I am the cause, the protector and the master of all siddhis, of the yoga system, of jñāna, dharma, and of the searchers for Brahman. SB 11.15.3
Thus all powers arise from the Lord. Having heard that, Uddhava became curious about the various material and spiritual places where the Lord exhibits his powers. He first explains how the Lord is the shelter of everything. You are superior to Brahman because you are Bhagavān. And you, Kṛṣṇa, are Svayam Bhagavān (sākṣāt). Though you have a limited human form as Kṛṣṇa, you pervade all time and space, being without beginning or end and unrestrained by anything. Viṣṇu, the creator, maintainer and destroyer of the universe, is your aṁśa. Thus it can be said that you are the protection from disaster, the maintainer of life, the destruction and creation for all beings in existence.