Sampoorna Mahabharata • సంపూర్ణ శ్రీమహాభారతము • Episode 742

Episode 742: BG Chap 10
By saying, ‘Among the Pandavas, You are Me’, Bhagavan is initiating Arjuna into the Tattvamasi mantra. He says, ‘Knowing yourself is knowing Me’.
We must rise to that level where our Guru says, ‘You are Me’.
By saying, ‘Among the Pandavas I am Dhananjaya’ Krishna rebukes Arjuna, ‘I am Dhananjaya who courageously conquered kingdoms & not this coward Arjuna’.
Those who eternally recapitulate the Supreme Essence are Muni. Among them, He must be mediated as Vyasa. As he divided the heap of Vedas, he is Vyasa. Among 24 incarnations in Bhagavatam, Vyasa is one.
Kavi means being far-sighted. Those who can visualize even that which the ordinary fail to see are kavi. Among them, He should be meditated as Shukracharya.
daṇḍo damayatāmasmi nītirasmi jigīṣatāmmaunaṁ caivāsmi guhyānāṁ jñānaṁ jñānavatāmaham‖38
Among those who punish I am the punishment. Among those who seek victory, I am the niti moral conduct. Among the secrets I am silence. Among the Jnanis, I am the Jnana.
Sama, dana, bheda & danda are used by kings for victory over enemies. Those who do not succumb to conciliation or gifts must be treated only through punishment. It is needed to reform wrongdoers. Bhagavan is this punishment. Krishna punished Snake Kaliya who was sinning & got him to the right path. Bhagavan is the dharma-danda that sustains the entire universe.
The Lord said - among those who seek victory I am the niti. He implies that those who seek victory should tread the moral path.
Niti is the light for dharma which is the cause for victory. Merely because it appears that the unrighteous are victorious, we must not conclude that adharma has won. In the end, dharma will win. Duryodhana won in the game of dice. But in the war, Dharma won.
Guhya means secretive. Restraining the tongue is silence. As no one knows the opinion of the silent, He says, ‘among that which should be kept secretive, I am silence’.
Renouncing everything, listening to scriptures, recapitulating & meditating on them is mouna. Remaining silent while having wasteful thoughts is not. It furthers mental unrest leading to increased tamas & dangers. Hence those who seek to take up mouna should mentally chant mantra or meditate. Even those who lose their temper remain mum but it is not mouna. Mouna coupled with a peaceful & pure mind increases purity & sattva.
Jnana is the wisdom to differentiate self from non-self objects. Only they are Jnanis. The knowledge in them is Bhagavan.
In this verse, danda, neeti, mouna and jnana follow one another. The special inference of this is - punishing the body through the right discipline, having sense-restraint, leading a righteous life & practising mouna helps realize Paramatma as Jnana.
yachāpi sarvabhūtānāṁ bījaṁ tadahamarjunana tadasti vinā yatsyāt mayā bhūtaṁ carācaram‖39
Arjuna! That which is the seed for all living beings, I am that. Without Me, no moving or non-moving entity can exist.
Just as the seed is the cause for a tree, for all beings He is the cause. By saying ‘api’, He implies - I am the cause for the birth of all entities & the cause for the janma-sthana.
Now, to draw this topic to a close He summarises by saying- Without My existence no moving nor non-moving object can exist. Because in My absence, the world will lack the ‘Self’ & become a vacuum. It is impossible to imagine a universe without a Self. Even to imagine nothingness (shoonya), the Self has to remain a witness. Hence everything in the universe must be perceived as His Vibhuti.
Just as an earthen pot cannot exist without mud or gold ornament cannot exist without gold, there is no creation without the Self. He began by saying ‘I am the Self’ & concluded with the same statement.
nāntosti mamadivyānāṁ vibhūtīnāṁ parantapaeṣatūddeśataḥ proktaḥ vibhūter vistaromayā‖40
O Parantapa! There is no end to my Vibhutis. However only a little of them has been revealed by Me.
Arjuna was Parantapa or tormentor of foes & conqueror of the inner enemies. Bhagavan said, ‘Arjuna! There is no end to my Vibhutis. To say that they are limited or to know them in entirety is impossible. I have revealed a few’.
Arjuna wanted to know them all. But Bhagavan narrated a few important ones and said ‘By understanding them, you will understand the remaining’ or ‘Arjuna! Know me as the Self. You will understand all Vibhutis- he said with utmost compassion.
yadyadvibhūtimatsattvaṁ śrīmadūrjitameva vātattadevāvagacha tvaṁ mamatejomśa sambhavam‖41
Whatever you see as divine (vibhuti), prosperous, & filled with enthusiasm, understand it to be born from an aspect of My splendour.
He explained a few of his Vibhutis & now He says that anything that appears wonderous should be understood as His vibhuti. Saying that the Himalayas & the oceans are created from a spark of His splendour implies that there is no limit to the astonishment one experiences on seeing Paramatma.