Bhagavad Gita -Srila Prabhupada 468

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita As It Is -Shri Shrimad A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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The Opulence of the Absolute
Chapter 10: Verse-37

vrsninäm väsudevo ’smi pändavänäm dhananjayah
muninäm apy aham vyäsah kavinäm usanä kavih[1]

TRANSLATION

Of the descendants of Vrsni I am Väsudeva, and of the Pandavas I am Arjuna. Of the sages I am Vyäsa, and among great thinkers I am Usanä.

PURPORT

Krsna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Baladeva is Krsna’s immediate expansion. Both Lord krsna and Baladeva appeared as sons of Vasudeva, so both of Them may be called Väsudeva. From another point of view, because krsna never leaves Vrndävana, all the forms of krsna that appear elsewhere are His expansions. Väsudeva is Krsna’s immediate expansion, so Väsudeva is not different from Krsna. It is to be understood that the Väsudeva referred to in this verse of Bhagavad-gita is Baladeva, or Balaräma, because He is the original source of all incarnations and thus He is the sole source of Väsudeva. The immediate expansions of the Lord are called svämsa[2], and there are also expansions called vibhinnämsa [3]

Amongst the sons of Pandu, Arjuna is famous as Dhananjaya. He is the best of men and therefore represents Krsna. Among the munis, or learned men conversant in Vedic knowledge, Vyäsa is the greatest because he explained Vedic knowledge in many different ways for the understanding of the common mass of people in this Age of Kali. And Vyäsa is also known as an incarnation of Krsna; therefore Vyäsa also represents Krsna. Kavis are those who are capable of thinking thoroughly on any subject matter. Among the kavis, Usanä, Sukräcärya, was the spiritual master of the demons; he was an extremely intelligent and far-seeing politician. Thus Sukräcärya is another representative of the opulence of Krsna.



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References

  1. vrsninäm=of the descendants of Vrsni; väsudevah=Krsna in Dvärakä;
    asmi=I am; pändavänäm=of the Pandavas; dhananjayah=Arjuna; muninäm=of the sages; api=also; aham=I am; vyäsah=Vyäsa, the compiler
    of all Vedic literature; kavinäm=of all great thinkers; usanä=Usanä; kavih=the thinker.
  2. personal expansions
  3. separated expansions

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