Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 12

Chapter 10 – Vibhuti Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

अर्जुन उवाच ।
परं ब्रह्म परं धाम पवित्रं परमं भवान् ।
पुरुषं शाश्वतं दिव्यमादिदेवमजं विभुम् ॥

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca .
paraṃ brahma paraṃ dhāma pavitraṃ paramaṃ bhavān .
puruṣaṃ śāśvataṃ divyamādidevamajaṃ vibhum ॥

Meaning

Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode, the supreme purifier; the sages call You the eternal divine Person, the first of the gods, unborn and all-pervading.

Word meanings

अर्जुन उवाच – Arjuna said
परम् – supreme
ब्रह्म – Brahman
परम् – supreme
धाम – abode, light
पवित्रम् – purifier
परमम् – supreme
भवान् – You
पुरुषम् – Person
शाश्वतम् – eternal
दिव्यम् – divine
आदिदेवम् – the primal God
अजम् – unborn
विभुम् – all-pervading

Anvaya (word order)

अर्जुन उवाच — भवान् परं ब्रह्म, परं धाम, परमं पवित्रं, शाश्वतं दिव्यं पुरुषम्, आदिदेवम्, अजं विभुम् (त्वाम्) —

Explanation

Hearing the four essential verses, Arjuna’s heart overflows and he begins to praise the Lord. This is one of Arjuna’s most moving moments in the Gita. Until now he has asked questions and voiced doubts; now he sings of the Lord’s glory.

Arjuna addresses Krishna with eight epithets. Param brahma: You are the Supreme Brahman, the highest reality spoken of in the Upanishads. Param dhama: the supreme abode. Shankara reads dhama as ‘supreme light’; Ramanuja as ‘supreme refuge’. Pavitram paramam: You are the supreme purifier, whose remembrance alone cleanses all.

Purusham shashvatam: You are the eternal Person, who always was and always will be. Divyam: divine, beyond this material world. Adidevam: the first of the gods, as Krishna Himself said in verse 2. Ajam: unborn. Vibhum: all-pervading.

Notice that Arjuna repeats the very words Krishna used, unborn, beginning and so on. This is the mark of a true disciple: not merely to hear the teacher’s words but to absorb them and express them in one’s own voice. The praise continues into the next verse, where Arjuna says that the sages too declare the same.

Context

In verses 8 to 11 Krishna gave the essence of devotion and of His grace. Moved by this, Arjuna begins his hymn of praise here. In the next verse he says that sages like Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa declare the same, and that Krishna Himself is now saying it.

Life lesson

When true knowledge enters the heart, it overflows as gratitude and praise. Expressing what you have learned in your own words is one of the best ways to make it firm.

Key terms

Param Brahma: the Supreme Brahman, highest reality
Param dhama: supreme light, supreme refuge
Shashvata Purusha: the eternal Supreme Person
Adideva: the first of the gods
Vibhu: all-pervading