Gita 10.19
Vibhuti Yoga
श्रीभगवानुवाच | हन्त ते कथयिष्यामि दिव्या ह्यात्मविभूतयः | प्राधान्यतः कुरुश्रेष्ठ नास्त्यन्तो विस्तरस्य मे ||
śrī-bhagavān uvāca | hanta te kathayiṣyāmi divyā hy ātma-vibhūtayaḥ | prādhānyataḥ kuru-śreṣṭha nāsty anto vistarasya me ||
In essence: Krishna joyfully agrees to reveal His infinite glories, yet confesses they are endless - He can only share the principal ones.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "Krishna seems almost excited here - that word 'hanta.' Why would God be excited to talk about Himself? Isn't that ego?"
Guru: "When a child asks their parent 'Tell me about yourself,' does the parent's joy in responding indicate ego?"
Sadhak: "No, it indicates love - they're happy to be known by someone who wants to know them."
Guru: "Exactly. 'Hanta' is the Divine's joy at being sought. The ego inflates when no one asks; love delights when someone does. Krishna has waited ten chapters for this question. Now Arjuna truly wants to know His glories - not for intellectual curiosity but for devotion. Krishna's enthusiasm is love responding to love."
Sadhak: "But He says He can only give the principal ones because there's no end. Isn't an omnipotent God capable of describing everything?"
Guru: "Could any finite description contain infinity?"
Sadhak: "No - by definition, infinity exceeds any finite enumeration."
Guru: "So Krishna's acknowledgment of limitlessness IS the truest description. By saying 'there is no end to My extent,' He reveals more than any complete list could. This is not inability but integrity - truthful disclosure that these examples are windows, not walls. Each vibhūti named is meant to be a doorway through which you contemplate what cannot be enumerated."
Sadhak: "So I should see the examples that follow as representative, not exhaustive?"
Guru: "Precisely. When Krishna says 'among lights I am the sun,' He's not limiting Himself to the sun. He's teaching you how to see - so that eventually you recognize the Divine in every light, every excellence, every wonder. The list trains perception; it doesn't constrain Presence."
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🌅 Daily Practice
The 'Hanta' practice: Begin your day with joyful readiness to see divine glories. Say aloud: 'Yes! Today show me Your manifestations!' This establishes the receptive, enthusiastic attitude Krishna models. Then ask specifically: 'What principal glory will I witness today?' Don't answer - just carry the question. This primes your perception to notice vibhūtis as they appear.
Excellence-recognition: Whenever you encounter something excellent in its category - the best sunrise you've seen this month, a particularly skillful colleague, an exceptionally wise statement - pause and think: 'Here is a vibhūti.' Don't rush past excellence. Let it be a reminder of infinite extent manifesting finitely. Krishna says His glories are endless; your day contains countless minor glimpses of them.
Infinite reflection: Before sleep, acknowledge the impossibility of completion. List three divine glories you witnessed today. Then acknowledge: 'These are prādhānya - principal examples only. What I noticed is a fraction of what manifested, which is a fraction of what exists, which is a fraction of the Divine's infinite extent.' Rest in the wonder of inexhaustibility.