The Supreme Lord said: O heroic Arjuna, listen to My supreme word once again. Desiring your welfare, I shall speak to you, who are very dear to Me.

Neither the demigods nor the great sages can understand My transcendental appearance in this world, as I alone am the origin of those celestial beings and sages.

One who knows Me, the son of Devaki, as the birthless, beginningless, Supreme Lord of all beings, is undeluded among men and completely liberated from sin.

Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from delusion, forbearance, truthfulness, mental control, sense control, happiness, unhappiness, birth, death, fear, courage, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame, and infamy — all these various attributes of the living beings are born of Me alone.

The seven great sages headed by Marichi, and preceding them, the four brahman sages headed by Sanaka, and also the fourteen Manus or progenitors headed by Svayambhuva — all are empowered by Me and are born of Lord Brahma, who is a manifestation of My mind. Mankind and all progeny descends from these patriarchs.

One who thus knows in truth My supremacy and devotional service serves Me in unwavering realisation. Of this there is no doubt.

Arjuna said: O Lord, You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme shelter, and the supreme saviour. All the prominent sages such as Devarsi Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa have described You as the self-manifest, eternal Supreme Person, the fountainhead of all opulences and the root of all existence from whose divine play everything emanates. And now You are personally declaring this to be the truth.

O Kesava, I fully accept all that You have said. O Lord, indeed neither demigods nor demons know Your personality in full.

O Supreme Person, universal father, Lord of all beings, God of the gods, Lord of the universe! Only You can know Yourself, by Your own divine potency.

Please describe to me in full Your personal opulences by which You pervade all these worlds.

O Lord of divine potency, how can I be constantly absorbed in thought of You, how can I know You, and in which forms should I think of You?

O Janardan, please again describe in detail Your opulences and the path of devotion to You, for I never tire of hearing Your ambrosial words.

The Supreme Lord said: O Arjuna, best of the Kurus, My glories are unlimited, so I shall tell you of My principal transcendental opulences, manifest in this world by My divine potency.

O conqueror of sleep, I am the Supersoul within the hearts of all beings, and I am their beginning, middle, and end.

Of the twelve Adityas I am Visnu; of the luminaries I am the radiant sun; of the Vayus I am Marichi, of stars I am the moon.

Of the Vedas, I am Sama-veda; of the demigods I am Indra; of the senses I am the mind, and I am the life of all that lives.

Of the eleven Rudras I am Sankara, and of the Yaksas and Raksasas I am Kubera. Of the eight Vasus I am Agni, and of mountains I am Sumeru.

O Partha, you should know Me as the chief of priests, Brhaspati; of generals I am Kartikeya, and of reservoirs I am the ocean.

Of great sages, I am Bhrgu; of sound vibrations, I am Om; of all sacrifices, I am the chanting of the Holy Names; and of the immovable, I am the Himalayas.

I am the Asvattha among trees, Narada of godly sages, Chitraratha of heavenly singers, and Kapila Muni of perfected beings.

Among horses know Me as Uchchaihsrava, who was born of nectar; know Me as Airavata among elephants, and king among men.

Of weapons I am the thunderbolt, and of cows I am the heavenly desire-fulfilling cow. Of cupids I am the progenitor, and of one-headed venomous snakes I am Vasuki, the king of snakes.

Of the multi-headed non-poisonous serpents I am the Ananta Naga, and of aquatics I am Varunadev. Of the deified ancestors I am Aryama, and of ministers I am Yamaraj, the lord of punishment.

Of the Daityas I am Prahlad, and of subjugators I am time. Of animals I am the lion, and of birds I am Garuda.

Of sanctifiers I am the wind; of weapon-wielding heros I am Lord Parasuram; among fish I am the shark, and of rivers I am the Ganges.

O Arjuna, of all that is manifest I am the beginning, middle, and end. Of all wisdom I am self-knowledge, and I am the philosophy of philosophers.

Of the primary letters of the alphabet I am the letter ‘a’, and of compound words I am the dual. I alone am the endless flow of time, and of universal creators I am the four-headed Lord Brahma.

Of plunderers I am all-devouring death, and of the predestined six transformations I am birth, the foremost. Of the feminine qualities I am fame, beauty, perfect speech, remembrance, intelligence, patience, and forgiveness — the seven wives of Dharma.

Of all the mantras in the Sama-veda I am the Brhatsama prayer to Lord Indra, and of metrical mantras I am the holy Gayatri mantra. Of the months I am the foremost, Agrahayan, and of the seasons I am flowerbearing spring.

I am the gambling of cheats, and the glory of the glorious. I am victory, I am perseverance, and I am the power of truth of the honest.

Of the Yadavas I am Vasudev, of the Pandavas I am Arjuna, of the sages I am Vyasadev, and of knowers of the scriptures I am Sukracharya.

I am the punishment meted out by the enforcers of the law, I am the political wisdom of those desiring to conquer. I am the silence of all secrets, I am the wisdom of the wise.

O Arjuna, whatever is considered the origin of all beings, I am that. Nothing, whether stationary or moving, can exist without Me.

O conqueror of the enemy, My divine glories have no end. I have given you but an indication of them.

Know for certain that whatever is magnificent, beautiful or glorious is born of but a fraction of My power.

But, O Arjuna, what is the need of elaborating further on My opulences? I support this entire universe in My fractional expansion as the Supersoul of material nature.