166. You are Me

Krishna says, “I am the all-devouring death and birth of future beings. Amongst feminine qualities I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, courage, and forgiveness (10.34). I am Brihatsama of hymns in the Sama Veda; I am Gayatri of metres, of months I am Margasirah, of seasons the spring (10.35). I am the gambling of the fraudulent, the splendor of the splendid. I am the victory, I am the resolve of the resolute, and the virtue of the virtuous (10.36). I am dand (sceptre) of the rulers, art of those who seek victory, I am also the silence of secrets, I am knowledge of knowers” (10.38).

He further says, “Amongst the descendants of Vrishni, I am Krishna, and amongst the Pandavas I am Arjuna. Know me to be Ved Vyas amongst the sages, and Shukracharya amongst the seers” (10.37). Interestingly, Krishna says I am Arjuna. One way to look at it is that He is the best among archers. Another way is that when we find Paramatma at the end of our spiritual journey, we invariably find Him within us. Firstly, there is no way that we can be separate from existence. Secondly, we can never know others better than we know ourselves. So, we find Him in ourselves and hence, Arjuna himself is Krishna.

Krishna describes glimpses of his glory (vibhuti). Though these are helpful in our spiritual journey, they are meant for Arjuna and in the context of his time. Krishna is like a mirror, and he is just reflecting Arjuna’s thoughts. If Krishna had narrated the Gita today, the description regarding vibhuti would be completely different. One should be aware of this fact instead of glorifying any of these vibhuti. It shouldn’t be like a baby who is looking at his mother’s finger pointing towards the moon instead of looking at the moon itself.