Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 35

 Chapter 10 verse 35 

“Amongst the hymns in the Sāma Veda know me to be the Brihatsama; amongst poetic meters I am the Gayatri. Of the twelve months of the Hindu calendar I am Margsheersha, and of seasons I am spring, which brings forth flowers.” 

Lord Krishna is bringing forth the joys and gifts of nature as a reflection of his creative glories. The Vedas are called strutis-what was obtained initially from nature and divine sound waves discerned by our ancient sages and then passed on orally through eons. Krishna had earlier indicated that the sweetest of the Vedas is Sama Veda and now he points to the Brihatsama portion to be the best hymns. Gayatri meter (chandas) has been extensively used in the Vedas including the famous Gayatri mantra discovered by sage Vishwamitra. Turning then to the seasons, Krishna points to November-December timeframe in most of India especially north India where the weather is neither too cold or hot and when harvest happens and there is joy in the air overall. Margsheersha reflects his abundant glory. So does spring season when flowers bloom and major Indian festivals are celebrated to appreciate nature’s bounty itself.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 34

 Chapter 10 verse 34 

“I am the all-devouring Death, and I am the origin of those things that are yet to be. Amongst feminine qualities I am fame, prosperity, fine speech, memory, intelligence, courage/firmness, and forgiveness.” 

Continuing to enumerate his unlimited glories, Lord says that both inevitable deaths for all beings are controlled by him as well the origin of all things past, present and future. Both men and women should have unique great qualities and there are various common qualities suitable for both men and women. Lord highlights 7 great qualities of women- 3 external such as fame, prosperity and clarity in speech. For all those who think Bharata varsa itihasa (Indian history) and scriptures didn’t respect women-why would Lord talk about “fame” as one of the top qualities of a woman if they did not have complete freedom to do what they wanted and get famous for righteous action. 4 internal qualities of women Lord Krishna wants to highlight as part of his glories are great memory, intelligence, firmness and courage to take a decision and see it through and the ability to forgive wrong done to them. A lot of them are great qualities for both men and women. Interestingly Sanatana dharma and Bharata Itihasa (Indian history) always associated material wealth and abundance as the stronghold of women and is the only way of life where women got this kind of power in scriptures and early way of life. Things might have declined over time in those values in society but the high ideals were set in our history and way of life early on.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 33

 Chapter 10 verse 33 

“I am the beginning “A” amongst all letters; I am the dual word in grammatical compounds. I am the endless Time, and amongst creators I am Brahma.” 

Again, I am just going to quote from Swami Mukundananda’s commentary as below: 

In Sanskrit, all letters are formed by combining a half-letter with “a.” For example, क् + अ = क (k + a = ka). Hence, the letter “a” is the most important in the Sanskrit alphabet. “A” is also the first vowel of the alphabet, and since the vowels are written before the consonants, “A” comes at the very beginning. 

Although Sanskrit is such an ancient language, it is highly refined and sophisticated. A common procedure in Sanskrit language is to combine words to form compound words. When, in the process of making one compound word, two or more words give up their case endings, it is called samāsa, and the resulting word is called samāsa pada, or compound word. There are primarily six kinds of samāsa: 1) dwandva, 2) bahubṛihi, 3) karm dhāray, 4) tatpuruṣh, 5) dwigu, 6) avyayī bhāv. Amongst these, dwandva is the best because both words remain prominent in it, while in the others, either one word becomes more prominent, or both words combine together to give the meaning of a third word. The dual word Radha-Krishna is an example of dwandva. Shree Krishna highlights it as his vibhūti. 

Creation is a magnificent act and awesome to behold. Humankind’s most sophisticated and technologically advanced inventions pale in comparison. Therefore, Lord Krishna singles out the first-born Brahma, who made the entire universe, and says that amongst creators, the creative ability of Brahma best reflects the glory of God.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 32

 Chapter 10 verse 32 

“O Arjuna, know me to be the beginning, middle, and end of all creation. Amongst sciences I am the science of spirituality, and in debates I am the logical conclusion.”

I am just going to quote Swami Mukundananda’s commentary for this verse since it is so complete and I cannot abridge it further without losing the essence and beauty of it. 

Earlier in the twentieth verse, Shree Krishna had stated that he is the beginning, middle, and end of all living beings. Now, he states the same for all creation, “All that is created, such as space, air, fire, water, and earth, is called sarga. I am the Creator (ādi), Maintainer (madhya), and Annihilator (anta) of these. Therefore, the processes of creation, maintenance, and dissolution can be meditated upon as my vibhūtis.” 

Vidyā is the education that a person acquires in relation to subjects of knowledge. The scriptures describe eighteen types of vidyās. Amongst them, fourteen are prominent: 

“Śhikśhā, Kalp, Vyākaraṇ, Nirukti, Jyotiṣh, Chhanda—these are the six types of knowledge known as Vedāṅg (limbs of the Vedas). Ṛig, Yajur, Sāma, Atharva—these are the four branches of Vedic knowledge. Along with Mīmānsā, Nyāya, Dharma Śhāstra, and the Puranas, these comprise the fourteen chief vidyās.” Practice of these vidyās cultivates the intellect, deepens the knowledge, and increases awareness of the path of dharma. Additionally, the science of spirituality liberates human beings from material bondage and gives them immortality. Thus, it is superior to the previously mentioned vidyās. This is mentioned in the Śhrīmad Bhāgavatam as well: sā vidyā tanmatiryayā (Verse 4.29.49)[v30] “The best knowledge is that by which the intellect becomes attached to the lotus feet of God.” 

In the field of argument and logic, jalpa means to find fault with the opponent’s statements, for the sake of establishing one’s own opinion. Vitaṇḍa means to avoid proper deliberation on the truth through evasion and frivolous arguments. Vāda is the logical conclusion of the discussion. Logic is the basis for communication of ideas and establishment of truths. It is because of a universal sense of logic that knowledge can be easily cultivated, taught, and learnt in human society. The universal principles of logic are a manifestation of the power of God.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 31

 Chapter 10 verse 31 

“Amongst purifiers I am the wind, and amongst wielders of weapons I am Lord Rama. Of water creatures I am the crocodile, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganga.” 

Wind is able to purify smells, cleans up the environment and makes the world a better place to live in. This aspect of wind’s ability purify comes from the Lord. Lord Rama was the best wielder of weapons only for just causes. Even though he was most powerful, he only used his valor for dharmic purposes. That aspect of Lord Rama is the essence of Divine. Crocodiles have been around for ages and are among the most majestic of water creatures. The majestic nature is reflective of the Lord. Amongst all the rivers in the world, ganga is the most revered and it has flown from the heavens through the locks of paramashiva Himself. Therefore the glory of ganga at its best is reflective of the Divine glories of the Lord.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 30

Chapter 10 verse 30 

“I am Prahlada amongst the daityas (clan of asuras and descendants of diti and kashyapa); amongst all that controls I am time. Know me to be the lion amongst animals, and Garuda amongst the birds.” 

Prahlada represents the best of asuras and is a reflection of Lord’s ability to instill utmost devotion to Him. Time ultimately cures every ill, conquers ego, creates and destroys beings and physical aspects of Universe and is the ultimate controller. Lord controls time. Lion is at the top of the animal food chain and is the lord of the animal kingdom but it is just one of the creations of the Supreme Being. Among the bird, the most majestic is the Garuda (Brahminy Kite is the closest contemporary bird representing ancient Garuda) and is the primary vehicle of Lord Vishnu. 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 10 verse 29

 Chapter 10 verse 29 

“Amongst the snakes I am Ananta; amongst aquatics I am Varuna. Amongst the departed ancestors I am Aryaman; amongst dispensers of law I am Yamaraja, the lord of death.” 

Continuing to enumerate the reflection of his glories in His creation, Lord points to the greatest of all snakes. Ananta reminds us of the infinite glories of the Lord who utilizes Ananta as his resting place-Anathashayana-He who bed is the 1000 headed snake Ananta. Among the serpents, eldest son is Ananta. The king of serpents is Vasuki, a devotee of Shiva and adores His neck and Takshaka is the poisonous one who is famous for killing Parikshit. Among all water bodies across multi-verse, Varuna controls all of it and Lord’s glory is reflected in Varuna. Aryaman is the 3^rd son of Aditi, mother of Adityas and officially is invoked in the Vedas for all ancestral offerings. Chief among the dispensers of laws of karma is Yamaraja, the god of death. He is also called Dharmaraja most appropriately since dharma is the pivotal foundation for all virtuous living.