Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Chapter 10: The Opulence of the Absolute |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 10.8
SYNONYMS
aham — I; sarvasya — of all; prabhavah — the source of generation; mattah — from Me; sarvam — everything; pravartate — emanates; iti — thus; matvā — knowing; bhajante — become devoted; mām — unto Me; budhāh — the learned; bhāva-samanvitāh — with great attention.
TRANSLATION
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
PURPORT
A learned scholar who has studied the Vedas perfectly and has information from authorities like Lord Caitanya and who knows how to apply these teachings can understand that Krishna is the origin of everything in both the material and spiritual worlds, and because he knows this perfectly he becomes firmly fixed in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord. He can never be deviated by any amount of nonsensical commentaries or by fools. All Vedic literature agrees that Krishna is the source of Brahmā, Śiva and all other demigods. In the Atharva Veda (Gopāla-tāpanī Upanishad 1.24) it is said, yo brahmānam vidadhāti pūrvam yo vai vedāmś ca gāpayati sma krishnah: "It was Krishna who in the beginning instructed Brahmā in Vedic knowledge and who disseminated Vedic knowledge in the past." Then again the Nārāyana Upanishad (1) says, atha purusho ha vai nārāyano 'kāmayata prajāh srijeyeti: "Then the Supreme Personality Nārāyana desired to create living entities." The Upanishad continues, nārāyanād brahmā jāyate, nārāyanād prajāpatih prajāyate, nārāyanād indro jāyate, nārāyanād ashtau vasavo jāyante, nārāyanād ekādaśa rudrā jāyante, nārāyanād dvādaśādityāh: "From Nārāyana, Brahmā is born, and from Nārāyana the patriarchs are also born. From Nārāyana, Indra is born, from Nārāyana the eight Vasus are born, from Nārāyana the eleven Rudras are born, from Nārāyana the twelve Ādityas are born." This Nārāyana is an expansion of Krishna.
It is said in the same Vedas, brahmanyo devakī-putrah: "The son of Devakī, Krishna, is the Supreme Personality." (Nārāyana Upanishad 4) Then it is said, eko vai nārāyana āsīn na brahmā na īśāno nāpo nāgni-samau neme dyāv-āprithivī na nakshatrāni na sūryah: "In the beginning of the creation there was only the Supreme Personality Nārāyana. There was no Brahmā, no Śiva, no water, no fire, no moon, no stars in the sky, no sun." (Mahā Upanishad 1) In the Mahā Upanishad it is also said that Lord Śiva was born from the forehead of the Supreme Lord. Thus the Vedas say that it is the Supreme Lord, the creator of Brahmā and Śiva, who is to be worshiped.
In the Moksha-dharma Krishna also says,
prajāpatim ca rudram cāpy
"The patriarchs, Śiva and others are created by Me, though they do not know that they are created by Me because they are deluded by My illusory energy." In the Varāha Purāna it is also said,
nārāyanah paro devas
tasmāj jātaś caturmukhah
tasmād rudro 'bhavad devah
"Nārāyana is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and from Him Brahmā was born, from whom Śiva was born."
Lord Krishna is the source of all generations, and He is called the most efficient cause of everything. He says, "Because everything is born of Me, I am the original source of all. Everything is under Me; no one is above Me." There is no supreme controller other than Krishna. One who understands Krishna in such a way from a bona fide spiritual master, with references from Vedic literature, engages all his energy in Krishna consciousness and becomes a truly learned man. In comparison to him, all others, who do not know Krishna properly, are but fools. Only a fool would consider Krishna to be an ordinary man. A Krishna conscious person should not be bewildered by fools; he should avoid all unauthorized commentaries and interpretations on Bhagavad-gītā and proceed in Krishna consciousness with determination and firmness.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness