With hearts and minds absorbed in the Divine, and lives wholly devoted to Him, the devotees find their greatest joy in enlightening one another and constantly speaking of their Lord. In this shared remembrance, they rejoice together, delighting in His presence. To such steadfast souls, who worship with unwavering love, the Lord grants the yoga of wisdom—a path of discernment by which they may come to Him. Out of deep compassion, dwelling in their very hearts, He dispels the darkness born of ignorance, illuminating their inner world with the radiant lamp of knowledge. At this, Arjuna, filled with awe, addresses Krishna: “You are the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Abode, the Supreme Purity. You are the eternal Divine Person, the original God, unborn and all-pervading. All the sages declare You to be so—Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa; and now You Yourself have revealed this to me. O Keshava, all that You say I accept as true. Neither the gods nor the demons, O Lord, know the full extent of Your manifestations. You alone know Yourself by Yourself, O Supreme Person, Creator and Lord of all beings, God of gods, Lord of the universe. Therefore, I ask: tell me fully of Your divine manifestations, by which You pervade all these worlds. How shall I, always meditating on You, truly know You, O Yogi? In what aspects, O Lord, should I contemplate You? Tell me again in detail of Your yoga and manifestations, O Janardana, for I am unsatisfied by this nectar; I long to hear more.” Krishna, the Blessed Lord, responds with grace: “Very well, O best of the Kurus, I shall declare to you My foremost divine manifestations, for there is truly no end to My expansive glories. I am the Self, O Gudakesha, abiding in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all that exists. Among the Adityas, I am Vishnu; among radiant lights, I am the sun; among the Maruts, I am Marichi; among stars, I am the moon. Among the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda; among the gods, I am Indra; among the senses, I am the mind; among beings, I am consciousness itself. Among the Rudras, I am Shankara; among Yakshas and Rakshasas, I am Kubera, the Lord of wealth; among the Vasus, I am Agni, fire; among mountains with peaks, I am Meru. Among priests, O Partha, know Me as Brihaspati, the chief; among commanders, I am Skanda; among bodies of water, I am the ocean. Among great seers, I am Bhrigu; among words, I am the single syllable Om; among sacrifices, I am the silent recitation; among immovable things, I am the Himalaya. Among all trees, I am the Ashvattha; among divine sages, I am Narada; among the Gandharvas, I am Chitraratha; among perfected beings, I am Kapila. Among horses, know Me as Ucchaisravas, born of nectar; among lordly elephants, I am Airavata; among men, I am the king. Among weapons, I am the thunderbolt; among cows, I am Kamadhenu, the wish-fulfilling cow; among causes of generation, I am Kandarpa, the god of love; among serpents, I am Vasuki. Among Nagas, I am Ananta; among aquatic beings, I am Varuna; among ancestors, I am Aryaman; among controllers, I am Yama. Among the Daityas, I am Prahlada; among those who measure time, I am Time itself; among animals, I am the lion; among birds, I am Garuda, son of Vinata. Among purifiers, I am the wind; among warriors bearing weapons, I am Rama; among fishes, I am the makara; among rivers, I am the Ganges. Of creations, I am the beginning, the middle, and the end, O Arjuna; among sciences, I am the science of the Self; among those who debate, I am reasoning. Among letters, I am the letter A; among compound words, I am the dual; I am inexhaustible Time, the all-faced creator. I am death, the destroyer of all, and the origin of things yet to be. Among women, I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness, and forgiveness. Among hymns of the Sama Veda, I am the Brihat-Saman; among meters, I am Gayatri; among months, I am Margashirsha; among seasons, I am the season of flowers. Among those who deceive, I am gambling; among the radiant, I am splendor; I am victory, resolve, and the virtue of the virtuous. Among the Vrishnis, I am Vasudeva; among the Pandavas, I am Dhananjaya; among sages, I am Vyasa; among poets, I am Ushanas the seer. Among those who discipline, I am punishment; among those who seek victory, I am policy; among secrets, I am silence; among the wise, I am knowledge. And whatever is the seed of all beings, that am I, O Arjuna; nothing, moving or unmoving, can exist without Me. There is truly no end to My divine manifestations, O scorcher of foes; what I have spoken is but a brief account of My glories. Whatever being is possessed of majesty, beauty, or strength, know that it is born from a portion of My radiance. But what need is there, O Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single portion of Myself, I sustain this entire universe.” Hearing these words, Arjuna is filled with gratitude and wonder. He says, “For my benefit, You have spoken the supreme secret called spiritual knowledge; by Your words, my confusion has been dispelled. I have heard in detail from You about the origin and dissolution of beings, O lotus-eyed one, and also about Your imperishable greatness. It is just as You have described Yourself, O Supreme Lord; yet, O Best of Persons, I wish to see Your divine form. If You think I am able to behold it, O Master, then reveal to me Your imperishable Self.” The Blessed Lord replies, “Behold, O Partha, My forms—hundreds and thousands, of various kinds, divine, of many colors and shapes. See the Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Ashvins, and Maruts, as well as many wonders never seen before, O Bharata.