Hearing Arjuna’s longing to know the fullness of his divine nature, the Blessed Lord smiled and spoke: “Very well, O best of the Kurus, I shall declare to you My foremost manifestations, for truly, there is no end to My expanse. Know, O Gudakesha, that I am the Self abiding in the hearts of all beings. I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all creatures. Among the Adityas, I am Vishnu; among lights, I am the radiant sun; among the Maruts, I am Marichi; and among the stars, I am the moon. Of the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda; among the gods, I am Indra; among the senses, I am the mind; and in living beings, I am consciousness itself. Among the Rudras, I am Shankara; among Yakshas and Rakshasas, I am the Lord of wealth; among the Vasus, I am Agni, the fire; and among mountains, I am Meru, the king of peaks. Among priests, O Partha, know Me as Brihaspati, the chief; among commanders, I am Skanda; among bodies of water, I am the vast ocean. Of the great seers, I am Bhrigu; among words, I am the sacred 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 Gandharvas, I am Chitraratha; among the perfected, I am the sage Kapila. Among horses, I am 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 the 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, the mighty son of Vinata. Among purifiers, I am the wind; among armed warriors, I am Rama; among fishes, I am the makara; among rivers, I am the sacred Ganges. Of creations, I am the beginning, the end, and also the middle, O Arjuna; among sciences, I am the science of the Self; among those who debate, I am the reasoning. Among letters, I am the letter A; among compound words, I am the dual; I am the 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 poetic 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, I am resolve, and I am 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 seekers of victory, I am policy; among secrets, I am silence; among the wise, I am knowledge. Whatever is the seed of all beings, that am I, O Arjuna; there is nothing, moving or unmoving, that 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 statement of My glories. Whatever being is possessed of majesty, beauty, or strength—know that to be 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 was filled with wonder and devotion. He replied, “O Lord, 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 long to see Your divine form. If You think that I am able to behold it, O Master, then, O Lord of Yoga, reveal to me Your imperishable Self.” The Blessed Lord answered, “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. Here, in this one place, behold the entire universe, both moving and unmoving, gathered together in My body, O Gudakesha, and whatever else you wish to see. But you cannot see Me with your own eyes; I grant you divine sight—behold My majestic yoga!” Sanjaya then described the scene to King Dhritarashtra: “Having spoken thus, O King, Hari, the great Lord of Yoga, revealed to Partha His supreme divine form. With many faces and eyes, displaying many marvelous visions, adorned with many divine ornaments, and wielding many uplifted divine weapons, He stood before Arjuna. He wore divine garlands and garments, was anointed with celestial fragrances, radiant with wonders, the infinite God, facing in all directions. If the radiance of a thousand suns were to rise at once in the sky, that might resemble the brilliance of that great soul. There, within the body of the God of gods, the son of Pandu beheld the entire universe, divided into many parts, all gathered together. Overwhelmed with wonder, his hair standing on end, Dhananjaya bowed his head to the deity and, with joined palms, spoke. Arjuna said, ‘I see all the gods in Your divine body, and also the distinct groups of beings; Brahma seated on the lotus, the sages, and all the celestial serpents. I see You with countless arms, bellies, faces, and eyes, everywhere, with infinite forms. I see no end, no middle, nor again any beginning, O Lord of the Universe, O Cosmic Form!