Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 1

Chapter 10 – Vibhuti Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
भूय एव महाबाहो शृणु मे परमं वचः ।
यत्तेऽहं प्रीयमाणाय वक्ष्यामि हितकाम्यया ॥

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca .
bhūya eva mahābāho śṛṇu me paramaṃ vacaḥ .
yatte.ahaṃ prīyamāṇāya vakṣyāmi hitakāmyayā ॥

Meaning

The Blessed Lord said: Listen once more, O mighty-armed, to My supreme word, which I shall speak to you, who delight in it, out of desire for your welfare.

Word meanings

श्रीभगवान् उवाच – the Blessed Lord said
भूयः – again
एव – indeed
महाबाहो – O mighty-armed
शृणु – hear
मे – My
परमम् – supreme
वचः – word
यत् – which
ते – to you
अहम् – I
प्रीयमाणाय – to you who take delight
वक्ष्यामि – shall speak
हितकाम्यया – wishing your good

Anvaya (word order)

श्रीभगवान् उवाच — महाबाहो, भूयः एव मे परमं वचः शृणु, यत् अहं प्रीयमाणाय ते हितकाम्यया वक्ष्यामि ।

Explanation

The tenth chapter is called Vibhuti Yoga, the yoga of divine manifestations. Chapter 9 ended with the command man-mana bhava, ‘fix your mind on Me’. But the mind does not settle without something concrete to rest upon. So Krishna now describes His vibhutis, the special expressions of His glory, so that Arjuna can remember the Lord in every excellent thing in the world.

Bhuya eva, ‘once again’. Krishna has already spoken of His glory in chapters 7 and 9, yet He repeats it. Shankara says this repetition is no fault: what must be firmly planted in the heart needs to be said again and again, as a mother patiently explains the same thing to her child many times.

Priyamanaya is a tender word. Krishna says: you take such delight in My words, as if drinking nectar, that I will tell you more. A speaker’s joy too depends on a listener who hears with love. Arjuna’s eagerness and affection moved the Lord to keep speaking.

Hita-kamyaya, ‘wishing your good’. Every teaching of the Lord is solely for the disciple’s welfare; He gains nothing by declaring His greatness. It is paramam vachah, the supreme word, because it reveals the nature of the Supreme Himself.

Context

Chapter 9 closed with the teaching ‘fix your mind on Me, be My devotee’. At the start of chapter 10 Krishna, pleased by Arjuna’s love, promises to speak again of His glory. In the next verse He says that neither gods nor great sages know His origin.

Life lesson

Deep truths sink into the heart only through repeated hearing and reflection. When we listen with love and curiosity, teachers are moved to give more. Eagerness to learn opens the door to wisdom.

Key terms

Vibhuti: a special manifestation of divine glory
Priyamana: one who listens with delight
Hitakamya: desire for another’s welfare
Paramam vachah: the supreme teaching