Gita : Ch-10. Slo-17.

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita :


Chapter-10. ( Vibhuthi-yogam )


Slokam-17. ( Arjuna's doubt : How should I meditate on You? In what various forms are You to be contemplated, O Blessed Lord? )


katham  vidyamaham yogin  tvam  sada  paricintayan,


keshu  keshu  ca  bhaveshu  cintyosi  bhagavan  maya.



 yogin  -  hey  yogesvara  ( addressing Lord );

aham  katha  sada  =  I  in  which  way  ( path )  ever  ( always );

paricintayan  tvam  vidyam  =  by  meditation I  know you;

bhagavan  = O, Lord;

keshu  keshu  ca  bhaveshu  =  in  which,  in  which,  bhava (  nature);

maya  cintyah  asi  =  I  have  to  meditate  upon  you?


As it is stated in the previous chapter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is covered by His yoga-maya.

Only surrendered souls and devotees can see Him.

Now Arjuna is convinced that His friend, Krishna, is the Supreme Godhead, but he wants to know the general process by which the all-pervading Lord can be understood by the common man.

No common man, including the demons and atheists, can know Krishna because He is guarded by His yoga-maya energy.

Again, these questions are asked by Arjuna for their benefit.

The superior devotee is not only concerned for his own understanding, but for the understanding of all mankind.

Out of his mercy, because he is a Vaishnava, a devotee, Arjuna is opening the understanding for the common man as far as the all-pervasiveness of the Supreme is concerned.

He addresses Krishna specifically as yogin because Sri Krishna is the master of the yoga-maya energy by which He is covered and uncovered to the common man.

The common man who has no love for Krishna cannot always think of Krishna; therefore he has to think materially.

Arjuna is considering the mode of thinking of the materialistic persons of this world.

Because materialists cannot understand Krishna spiritually, they are advised to concentrate the mind on physical things and try to see how Krishna is manifested by physical representations.



These questions are asked to Lord Krishna by the words katham vidyam aham yogims meaning how to be able to know and follow yoga the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness, and engage in constant meditation on Him with devotion.

Devotion knowing the Supreme Lord is endowed with the six opulence of total power, total beauty, total wisdom, total fame, total wealth and total renunciation which accompany His illustrious attributes of omniscience, perfection, eternity, sovereignty, majesty etc.

Now Arjuna desires to know in what other ways yet untold is Lord Krishna's vibhuti transcendental majestic opulence displayed throughout existence which exemplifies His Supreme eminence and paramount position as the ultimate controller of all creation.



The necessity of accurately and distinctly knowing the Supreme Lord Krishna's vibhuti or divine, transcendental opulence is expressed by Arjuna with the word katham vidyam aham meaning how to know.

The word yogim is expressing that Lord Krishna is the master of yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness.

Being inferior to the Supreme Lord it is not possible to fathom His glories, powers and paramount supremacy without His mercy so he is requesting Lord Krishna to explain His unimaginable glories that are beyond even elevated and advanced conceptions so he can get an idea how to correctly meditate upon the Supreme Lord and not imagine or concoct some ideas that have no validity to reality.

Because only the Supreme Lord knows Himself and it is not possible to understand and meditate upon Him in full.



Expressing the need for Lord Krishna to definitively reveal precisely how He should be meditated upon; He is humbly beseeched in this verse and the next. Although the Supreme Lord can be meditated upon by focusing on His different potencies, qualities and glories, Arjuna's concern was what was the best way for him to contemplate the Supreme Lord. In which way specifically should he always think of Lord Krishna throughout his life in order that he would most assuredly attain Him.

To be continued...