Gita for Youth - Yoga of Manifestation of Power (Vibhuti Yoga) - Various Manifestations

Manifestations

Sri Krishna agreed to tell Arjuna about His special manifestations with a caveat, that since there is no end to His manifestations or powers, He would only tell about the main ones.

“I am Atman, oh Gudakesha (Arjuna), who dwells in the hearts of all living beings. I am the beginning (birth or creation), the middle (of lifespan or preservation), the end (death or destruction) of all beings.”

 The Supreme Lord is also the supreme soul, Atman of all yogis, by realizing whom all ignorance vanishes and the veil of Maya falls down. What is Brahman or Supreme Being (of jnanis) is also the Atman and also the God (of devotees). He is the beginning and end. He is the creator, preserver and destructor, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the holy trinity, molded in one. He is the Time who takes away life and who brings about destruction of all.

“ Of the twelve Adityas, or the sons of Aditi, I am Vishnu, of the luminous bodies I am the sun, of the seven kinds of universal forces called Maruts I am Marichi, of the stars in the firmament I am the moon (who shines more brightly than any other star in the night sky).”

The twelve Adityas, including Indra, the king of gods, are the sons of Aditi, the wife of sage Kashyap. Aditi is the mother of gods as Diti, the other wife of Kashyap, the mother of demons. Vishnu is the younger brother of Indra and hence is another designated god. However this Vishnu is also the part of the Supreme Being, also called Vishnu, who pervades the entire universe (Vish in Sanskrit – to surround). Aditya Vishnu is one of the holy trinities of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra, the preserver of the universe. Maruts were first born of Diti when she wanted to have a son to destroy Indra. However when the son was in mother’s womb, Indra with his thunder rod or vajra, fragmented them into seven pieces who were born as the seven Maruts. In another version of the story, those seven pieces were further fragmented into seven each and thus there were forty nine Maruts. The Maruts are part of the god of wind Pavan and thus are considered to be the universal forces. The Maruts subsequently became gods and subjects of Indra. Marichi is also the name of a foremost sage (one of the seven ancient sages). Moon is considered as a star here as it appears on the night sky along with other luminous bodies, and of all these the moon is the brightest one.

“Of the Vedas, I am Sama Veda, of the gods I am Vasava or Indra, of the organs of senses I am mind, and of all beings I am the (all pervading) consciousness.”

There are four Vedas – Ric, Sama, Yajur, Atharva as per the categorization done by Vedavyasa. Sama deals with hymns or songs in praise of the Lord and those hymns are immensely popular. They are recited by the Brahmacharin disciples living in a Guru’s house. They are also sung during sacrifices. Indra is the lord of all gods. Mind is the most powerful of all senses. All senses owe their allegiance to the mind. Without mind no sense objects can be perceived. Mind together with intelligence also control the body of all living beings. Consciousness is the chief characteristics of all living beings.

“Of the (eleven) Rudras, I am Sankara. Of the Yakshas and Rakshas, I am Kuber. Of the Vasus I am Pavak (Fire). Of the peaks I am Meru.”

“Of the priests know Me to be Vrihaspati, the chief of them all, of the fighters, I am Skanda, of all water bodies I am the ocean.”

Vrihaspati is the guru and official priests of the gods. Skanda is Kartika, the son of Shiva, who is also the chief lieutenant of the gods. Ocean is the biggest body of the water and hence is a symbol of Infinity - God. One can only perceive the infiniteness of God by looking into a vast expanse which Ocean is.

“Of all great sages, I am Bhrigu, among the words I am Omkara or Pranava, among yajnas I am the recitation of names (of gods) and among all immobile objects, I am Himalayas.

Bhrigu was one of the first of sages who was the father of Sukracharya. According to the Puranas he had cursed Vishnu to take birth on the earth among men and animals. Omkara or Pranava is the depiction of the Supreme Being in word or letter. It is believed that this was the word in the beginning of creation. It is also called the Anahata Shabda as it is never reflected by any medium and is always heard by the Yogis. The recitation of names with concentration is said to be the most effective of all sacrifices because it cleanses and purifies the mind. The grandest of all geographical objects is Himalayas. Himalayas is a vast body of mountains and thereby reveal the infinite to an ordinary mind.

“Of all trees I am Asvattha or banyan tree, among the godly sages I am Narada, among the celestial singers I am Chitraratha and of the Siddhas I am Kapila.”

Asvattha has a special significance as the entire world has been compared with an inverted Asvattha tree in the fifteenth chapter of the Gita. Narada is foremost among devarshis, celestial singers or Gandharvas have Chitraratha as their king who appears several times in Mahabharata. Kapila or the golden one was a great ancient sage who was also the founder of the Sankhya school of philosophy. In Srimad Bhagavat Purana, Kapila is regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu.

“Know me to be Ucchaishrava among the horses, born of the nectar of immortality. I am Airavat among elephants and kings among men.”

Ucchaishrava, the horse, was found during the churning of the ocean when he rose along with the nectar of immortality. He subsequently became a property of Indra, the king of gods. Airavat is the war elephant of Indra and is white in colour. Kings are the most powerful among men. Thus anything grand, great or powerful is God's attribute.

“Among the various weapons I am the thunder (belonging to Indra). Among the cows I am the Kamadhenu, among the ones who are capable of bearing offsprings, I am Kandarpa, of the serpents I am Vasuki.”

Thunder is the weapon of Indra which was manufactured with the bones of the sage Dadhichi who sacrificed himself for the sake of the work of the gods. Kamadhenu is the cow which provides any object of desire. Kandarpa is best known for ethereal beauty. Vasuki is the king of the serpents.

“Among the Nagas, I am Ananta, among the aquatic beings I am Varuna, of the Pitrs, I am Aryaman, of the controllers, I am Yama.”

Ananta is the Naga on whose coil rests Vishnu, the preserver of the world. Varuna is the king of the aquatic world. Aryaman is one of the most ancient of the gods who is one of the twelve Adityas, sons of Aditi. Yama is the giver of the fruits of action of the mortals.

“Of the demons I am Prahlada, of the accountants I am Kala or Time, among the animals I am the lion, the king of all animals, of the birds I am Gaduda, the son of Vinata.”

Prahlada was the son of the demon Hiranyakashipu. Prahlada was a virtuous soul and was devoted to the Lord of the Universe, Hari from his childhood. For this reason he was much despised by his father, the demon king who tried to kill him. Every time he was miraculously saved by the Supreme Lord. In the end Hiranyakashipu, who was immune from being killed by any man, was killed by Hari in the form of Nrsimha – half man half beast. Since Prahlada is the best among the asuras owing to his devotion, he is regarded as a manifestation. Time is the destroyer of everything, nobody can escape time. Time keeps an account of all actions, good or bad and decides the fate accordingly. Hence it is the best among accountants. Lion is the king of the beasts. Gaduda is the king of the birds.

“Of the purifying entities I am Pavan, the wind god, of the weapon wielders I am Rama, among the fishes I am Makara, among the rivers I am Jahnavi or Ganga.”

Pavan, the wind, flows faster than any other entity. Rama is the very incarnation of Vishnu. He was the great warrior prince of Ramayana and the incarnation of Lord Vishnu on the earth. Makara is the largest among the fishes and Ganga is verily the goddess who came down in the form of a river to wash away the sins of millions, who originated from the feet of Vishnu.

“Among the created entities I am the origin, dissolution and even the middle (life or existence). Among all the sciences I am the science of the Atman and among the discussions I am the argument for the sake of arrival at the truth, called Vada.”

“Among the different alphabets I am “A” the first among all alphabets, among the various compounds I am dvanda or the compound of two separate entities. I am the imperishable Time. I am the giver of the fruits of actions. I am the all encompassing.”

“I am death, which carries away everything, I am also the prosperity among future prospects, of the feminine traits I am fame, wealth, knowledge, memory, merit, fortitude and compassion.”

The different feminine attributes, according to Puranas, were the daughters of Daksha Prajapati (progenitor) who were married to Dharma, the god of virtue and justice.

“Of the Samas, I am Brihat Sama, of the metres I am Gayatri, of the months I am Agrahayan, of the seasons I am spring.”

Agrahayan is considered to be one of the auspicious months of the Indian calendar. Agra is the first and ayan is the movement of the sun. Also Margashirsha is derived from Mrgashira star. Brihatsama is one of the Samas which involves invocation to the Lord. Gayatri is considered to be a very auspicious chant. Spring is the best of all seasons as nature is at its best during this period.

“Of the unfair practices adopted I am dyuta or the game of dice, I am the might of the mighty, I am the victory, I am the industriousness, I am the goodness in tranquil souls.”

“Among the Vrishnis I am Vasudeva, among the Pandavas I am Arjuna, among the sages I am Vyasa, among the seers I am Ushana or Sukracharya.”

“Among the subjugators (of evil propensities) I am law, I am the code (of battle) among those who are desirous of victory, of the secret ones I am the silence, I am wisdom of the wise.”

Sri Krishna then concludes, “Know that the seed of creation of every being is in Me, without Me there can never be anything in the Universe. Oh Parantapa (scorcherer of foes - Arjuna), there is no end to my divine manifestations. I have told you all about these manifestations in a nutshell. Wherever you see special manifestation of power (in any being), know that it is a part of My own power. On the other hand, what would you do by knowing all these? Know that I surround this entire Universe, which rests only in one part of Me.”

The Lord finally reveals that knowing about all these manifestations does not really convey anything because verily the Supreme Lord is everything and everything is in the Supreme Being. To know His special manifestation one can think of the objects which are vast and have special powers and status among the three worlds. However they all fall short of Him as the entire Universe is merely a small constituent. There is no end to His greatness and vastness as He is infinite, without limit and without beginning or end.