Essays on the Gita

364 <strong>Essays</strong> on the Gitaamong the elephants, among the birds Garuda, Vasuki the snakegodamong the serpents, Kamadhuk the cow of plenty amongcattle, the alligator among fishes, the lion among the beasts ofthe forest. I am Margasirsha, first of the months; I am spring,the fairest of the seasons.In living beings, the Godhead tells Arjuna, I am consciousnessby which they are aware of themselves and their surroundings.I am mind among the senses, mind by which they receivethe impressions of objects and react upon them. I am man’squalities of mind and character and body and action; I am gloryand speech and memory and intelligence and steadfastness andforgiveness, the energy of the energetic and the strength of themighty. I am resolution and perseverance and victory, I am thesattwic quality of the good, I am the gambling of the cunning; Iam the mastery and power of all who rule and tame and vanquishand the policy of all who succeed and conquer; I am the silenceof things secret, the knowledge of the knower, the logic of thosewho debate. I am the letter A among letters, the dual amongcompounds, the sacred syllable OM among words, the Gayatriamong metres, the Sama-veda among the Vedas and the greatSama among the mantras. I am Time the head of all reckoningto those who reckon and measure. I am spiritual knowledgeamong the many philosophies, arts and sciences. I am all thepowers of the human being and all the energies of the universeand its creatures.Those in whom my powers rise to the utmost heights ofhuman attainment are myself always, my special Vibhutis. I amamong men the king of men, the leader, the mighty man, thehero. I am Rama among warriors, Krishna among the Vrishnis,Arjuna among the Pandavas. The illumined Rishi is my Vibhuti;I am Bhrigu among the great Rishis. The great seer, the inspiredpoet who sees and reveals the truth by the light of the ideaand sound of the word, is myself luminous in the mortal; I amUshanas among the seer-poets. The great sage, thinker, philosopheris my power among men, my own vast intelligence; I amVyasa among the sages. But, with whatever variety of degreein manifestation, all beings are in their own way and nature