Vibhuti Yoga

The Blessed Lord (Śrī Bhagavān) said: Again indeed, O Great-armed one (Mahābāho), hear My supreme word, Which I will declare to you who are beloved, with the desire for your welfare.

The multitudes of gods do not know My origin, nor do the great seers (maharṣayaḥ). For I am the beginning of the gods, and of the great seers in every way.

He who knows Me as unborn and beginningless, the great Lord of the worlds (lokamaheśvaram), He, unbewildered among mortals, is freed from all sins (sarvapāpaiḥ).

Understanding (buddhi), knowledge (jñāna), non-bewilderment, patience, truth (satya), control, tranquility (śama), Happiness, sorrow, coming into being, passing away, fear, and also fearlessness.

Non-violence (ahiṃsā), equanimity, contentment, austerity (tapas), charity (dāna), fame, and infamy; These various states of being of creatures, arise from Me alone.

The seven great seers (maharṣayaḥ) of old, and the four Manus as well, Are of My nature (madbhāvāḥ), born of My mind, from whom these creatures in the world arise.

He who knows this manifestation (vibhūti) and discipline (yoga) of Mine in truth (tattvataḥ), He is united with unshakeable discipline (yoga); of this there is no doubt.

I am the origin of all, from Me everything proceeds. Thinking thus, the wise (budhāḥ) worship Me, endowed with deep feeling (bhāva).

With their minds on Me, their vital breaths (prāṇāḥ) directed to Me, enlightening one another, And constantly speaking of Me, they are satisfied and they rejoice.

To those who are constantly disciplined (satatayuktānām), worshipping Me with love, I give that discipline of understanding (buddhiyoga), by which they come to Me.

Out of compassion for them indeed, dwelling within their own self (ātmabhāvasthaḥ), I destroy The darkness born of ignorance (ajñāna), with the shining lamp of knowledge (jñāna).

Arjuna said: You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme abode, the supreme purifier. The eternal, divine Person (puruṣa), the primal God, unborn, all-pervading (vibhu).

All the seers (ṛṣayaḥ) call you thus, and the divine seer Narada as well, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa; and You Yourself tell it to me.

All this I consider to be true, which you tell me, O Beautiful-haired one (Keśava). For neither the gods nor the demons, O Blessed Lord (Bhagavan), know your manifestation (vyakti).

You Yourself alone know Yourself by Yourself, O Supreme Person (Puruṣottama). O source of beings (Bhūtabhāvana), O Lord of beings (Bhūteśa), O God of gods (Devadeva), O Lord of the world (Jagatpate)!

You ought to tell me without omission Your divine self-manifestations (ātmavibhūtayaḥ), By which manifestations (vibhūtibhiḥ) You remain pervading these worlds.

How may I know You, O Yogi, constantly meditating on You? And in what various states of being, are You to be thought of by me, O Blessed Lord (Bhagavan)?

In detail, Your discipline (yoga) and manifestation (vibhūti), O Agitator of men (Janārdana), Tell me again; for there is no satiety for me in hearing this nectar (amṛta).

The Blessed Lord (Śrī Bhagavān) said: Ah! I will tell you My divine self-manifestations (ātmavibhūtayaḥ), But only the most prominent ones, O best of the Kurus (Kuruśreṣṭha), for there is no end to My extent.

I am the Self (ātman), O Thick-haired one (Guḍākeśa), seated in the hearts of all beings. I am the beginning, the middle, and the very end of beings.

Of the Adityas I am Vishnu; of lights, the radiant sun. I am Marichi of the Maruts; among the stars, I am the moon.

Of the Vedas I am the Sama Veda; of the gods I am Vasava (Indra). Of the senses I am the mind; in beings I am consciousness (cetanā).

Of the Rudras I am Shankara; of the Yakshas and Rakshasas, the Lord of wealth (Kubera). Of the Vasus I am fire (Pāvaka); of peaked mountains, I am Meru.

And of the household priests, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati, O son of Pritha (Pārtha). Of military commanders I am Skanda; of bodies of water, I am the ocean.

Of the great seers (maharṣīṇām) I am Bhrigu; of words I am the single syllable (Om). Of sacrifices (yajñānām) I am the sacrifice of muttered prayer (japayajña); of immovable things, the Himalaya.

Of all trees, the Ashvattha (sacred fig tree); of the divine seers (devarṣīṇām), Narada. Of the Gandharvas, Chitraratha; of the perfected ones (siddhānām), the sage Kapila.

Of horses, know Me to be Uchchaihshravas, born of the nectar of immortality (amṛta). Of lordly elephants, Airavata; and among men, the king (narādhipam).

Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; of cows I am the wish-fulfilling cow (Kāmadhuk). I am the progenitor Kandarpa (Kama); of serpents I am Vasuki.

And of the Nagas I am Ananta; of water-dwellers I am Varuna. Of the ancestors (pitṝṇām) I am Aryaman; of controllers I am Yama.

And of the Daityas I am Prahlada; of those who reckon, I am time (kāla). And of beasts I am the lord of beasts (the lion); and of birds, the son of Vinata (Garuda).

Of purifiers I am the wind; of weapon-bearers I am Rama. Of fishes I am the Makara (crocodile); of rivers I am the Jahnavi (Ganges).

Of creations I am the beginning, the end, and also the middle, O Arjuna. Of sciences, the science of the supreme Self (adhyātmavidyā); of those who debate, I am the reasoning (vāda).

Of letters I am the letter A; and of compounds, the dual (dvandva). I alone am imperishable time (kāla); I am the ordainer (dhātā) facing in all directions.

And I am all-devouring death, and the origin of things yet to be. Among feminine qualities: fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, firmness, and patience.

Likewise, of Sama hymns, the Brihatsaman; of meters, I am the Gayatri. Of months I am Margashirsha; of seasons, the flower-bearing one (Spring).

I am the gambling of the deceitful; I am the brilliance of the brilliant. I am victory, I am determination; I am the goodness (sattva) of the good.

Of the Vrishnis I am Vasudeva; of the Pandavas, the Winner of wealth (Dhanañjaya). Of the sages (munīnām) I am also Vyasa; of poets, the poet Ushanas.

I am the rod of those who punish; I am the statecraft of those who seek victory. And of secrets I am silence; I am the knowledge (jñāna) of the knowers.

And whatever is the seed of all beings, that I am, O Arjuna. There is no being, moving or unmoving, that could exist without Me.

There is no end to My divine manifestations (vibhūtīnām), O Scorcher of foes (Parantapa). But this extent of My manifestation (vibhūti) has been declared by Me only in brief.

Whatever being has manifestation (vibhūti), majesty, or indeed vigor, Understand that very thing as born from a fraction of My brilliance (tejas).

Or rather, by this extensive knowledge, what use is it to you, O Arjuna? Having sustained this entire world with a single fraction of Myself, I remain.