10th chapter: 20th verse, 41st verse, verses 25-34

The summary of the 10th chapter is that everything is an expression of the divine. This divinity is immanent within us. We can manifest this divinity by seeing its presence in anything that is sublime supreme, beautiful and creative. Then, when we look around, we won’t see anything other than the divine.

The central thesis of the 10th chapter is in the 20th verse and 41st verse. It is important to properly understand both these verses to make sense of verse 21 onwards, where Lord Krishna describes his manifestations.

In the 20th verse, Lord Krishna says: “O Arjuna, I am present in the heart of all beings as the indweller– residing there I regulate and function everything. I am the beginning; I am the middle; and I am the end of all beings.”

In the 41st verse, Lord Krishna says: “Wherever you find some greatness, prosperity, power or excellence – know that to be a part of My splendor.” Wherever we find a unique manifestation that is sublime and beautiful, it is an expression of the divine reality.

From the 25th to 34th verse, Lord Krishna describes his manifestations.

In the 25th verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among the sounds, I am Omkara.” Omkara is the essence of all human sound and speech system. It represents the totality and oneness of existence. Omkara should be chanted with a lengthened vowel sound. It begins and ends in silence. Its chanting gives us inner tranquility and peace.

In the 25th verse, Lord Krishna also says: “Among prayers, I am japa-yajñaḥ”. Japa-yajñaḥ is the most sublime form of spiritual practice - a state where the devotee is naturally and spontaneously merged in the continuous recital of the mantra.

Mantra japa has four stages in descending order: Para (realize the essence), Pashyanti (focused on the meaning of the mantra), madhyama (verbal repetition, no sound) and Vaikhari (verbal repetition with sound). It is an evolution from the gross to the subtle, from outer to within, and from external practice to internalization.

In the 26th verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among sacred trees, I am Ashvattha; among divine sages, I am Narada; among perfect souls, I am Kapila.” Narada is a sage in Hindu mythology who appeared before anyone needing spiritual guidance and helped them.

In the 29th verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among the regulators, I am Yama.” Yama is the great equalizer – real equality is possible only in the palace of the Lord of death.

In the 30th verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among demons, I am Prahlada.” Prahlada is one of the greatest devotees, and was born to a demon, Hiranyakashipu.

In the 31st verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among warriors, I am Rama.” Rama was an embodiment of dharma. He was a warrior but an embodiment of ahimsa. Valmiki is the author of Valmiki Ramayana, and his own story of spiritual transformation is very inspiring.

In the 33rd verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among compounds, I am Dvandva; I am the dispenser of fruits of all actions.” Dvandva is a linguistic compound in Sanskrit in which any number of nouns can be concatenated together with equal importance. There is a cause effect link in whatever we do – the result of our action may be invisible, but it is felt. These results are dispensed by the indweller within us.

In the 34th verse, Lord Krishna says: “I am the all-consuming death. I take the form of the exquisite feminine qualities such as good name, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, and endurance.” Death is inescapable. However, it can be transcended when we realize our deathless dimension, as the Atman.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has a profound dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi where Maitreyi questions whether wealth can give eternal happiness and immortality.