The Opulence of the Absolute (Part 1)
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(Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 10)
"The Supreme Lord said: My dear friend, mighty-armed Arjuna, listen again to My supreme word, which I shall impart to you for your benefit and which will give you great joy.
"Neither the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin, for, in every respect, I am the source of the demigods and the sages.
"He who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as the Supreme Lord of all the worlds -- he, undeluded among men, is freed from all sins.
"Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, self-control and calmness, pleasure and pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and infamy are created by Me alone.
"The seven great sages and before them the four other great sages and the Manus [progenitors of mankind] are born out of My mind, and all creatures in these planets descend from them.
"He who knows in truth this glory and power of Mine engages in unalloyed devotional service; of this there is no doubt.
"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
"The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.
"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.
"Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.
"Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.
"O Krsna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.
"Indeed, You alone know Yourself by Your own potencies, O origin of all, Lord of all beings, God of gods, O Supreme Person, Lord of the universe!
"Please tell me in detail of Your divine powers by which You pervade all these worlds and abide in them.
"How should I meditate on You? In what various forms are You to be contemplated, O Blessed Lord?
"Tell me again in detail, O Janardana [Krsna], of Your mighty potencies and glories, for I never tire of hearing Your ambrosial words.
"The Blessed Lord said: Yes, I will tell you of My splendorous manifestations, but only of those which are prominent, O Arjuna, for My opulence is limitless."
(Bhagavad-gita, 10.1-19)
(Continued on next page.)
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