Gita 10.24

Vibhuti Yoga

पुरोधसां च मुख्यं मां विद्धि पार्थ बृहस्पतिम् | सेनानीनामहं स्कन्दः सरसामस्मि सागरः ||

purodhasāṁ ca mukhyaṁ māṁ viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim | senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ ||

In essence: Krishna embodies sacred leadership: Brihaspati the divine counselor among priests, Skanda the strategic commander among generals, and the ocean as destination of all waters.

A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply

Sadhak-Guru Dialogue

Sadhak: "Brihaspati and Skanda seem like opposite types - one intellectual, one martial. Why include both?"

Guru: "What does a king need for a complete kingdom?"

Sadhak: "Both wise counselors AND strong defenders."

Guru: "Exactly. The Divine isn't one-dimensional. Brihaspati represents the vibhūti of wisdom that guides rightly; Skanda represents the vibhūti of force that protects righteously. You need both: discernment to know what's right, strength to accomplish it. The Gita's teaching to Arjuna includes both - wisdom about the nature of Self (Brihaspati-dimension) and call to righteous action (Skanda-dimension). Neither alone suffices."

Sadhak: "But I'm uncomfortable with the war-god identification. Isn't spirituality supposed to be peaceful?"

Guru: "Was Arjuna's situation peaceful?"

Sadhak: "No - he faced unavoidable war."

Guru: "Sometimes reality presents conflict that cannot be avoided by wishing it away. The Skanda-vibhūti isn't aggression but readiness - strategic clarity and decisive capability when facing genuine threats. The spiritual warrior doesn't seek conflict but doesn't flee necessary confrontation. This might manifest as standing against injustice, protecting the vulnerable, or battling inner demons. Skanda-energy deployed righteously IS spiritual. Passivity in the face of adharma is not peace; it's complicity."

Sadhak: "And the ocean among waters - that seems different from leadership..."

Guru: "How does the ocean lead?"

Sadhak: "It doesn't... it just receives."

Guru: "And yet all waters eventually arrive there. Is that not a form of leadership - being so naturally aligned with truth that others inevitably find their way to you? The ocean's leadership is gravity, not coercion. It doesn't chase rivers; it makes their destination inevitable. This is the deepest form of spiritual leadership: become the truth, and truth-seekers will naturally flow toward you. The ocean teaches that ultimate authority isn't about pursuit but about presence."

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🌅 Daily Practice

🌅 Morning

Brihaspati invocation: Begin your day by seeking inner guidance. Sit quietly and ask: 'What wisdom does today require?' Don't force an answer; let clarity emerge. This invokes the counselor-principle. If you give advice or guidance to anyone today, let it be Brihaspati-guided - from understanding, not ego; for clarity, not control. Consider also: who serves as Brihaspati in your life? A teacher, wise friend, inner voice? Acknowledge that guidance as vibhūti.

☀️ Daytime

Ocean-awareness practice: Notice where your various energies flow. Attention flows somewhere; money flows somewhere; effort flows somewhere. Ask: toward what ocean am I flowing? Is your life-energy moving toward the ocean of truth, love, liberation - or toward smaller, brackish destinations? The ocean-vibhūti teaches: proper destination makes the journey meaningful. Course-correct if your rivers are flowing toward puddles rather than sea.

🌙 Evening

Skanda-readiness reflection: Review: did today require Skanda-energy? Was there confrontation, conflict, need for decisive action? If so, how did you handle it - with strategic clarity or reactive confusion? If you avoided necessary confrontation, consider: was that wisdom or cowardice? The Skanda-vibhūti isn't about seeking conflict but about not fleeing necessary battles. What righteous battles in your life are you avoiding? What would strategic, decisive action look like?

Common Questions

Brihaspati is the priest of the gods - but I'm not a priest. How is this relevant to ordinary seekers?

Brihaspati represents the principle of wise counsel and sacred guidance. You may not be a priest, but you certainly encounter situations requiring discernment: advising friends, making decisions, guiding those who depend on you. The Brihaspati-vibhūti operates whenever wisdom guides action. When you give good advice, when your understanding illuminates another's confusion, when your clarity helps navigate difficulty - you're channeling this vibhūti. Moreover, connecting with wise guidance (teachers, texts, inner wisdom) is invoking the Brihaspati-principle. This vibhūti is less about formal priesthood than about the sacred function of enlightened guidance wherever it occurs.

If the ocean just receives all waters, doesn't that suggest God is passive? What about divine intervention?

The ocean's receptivity isn't passivity - it's inevitability. The ocean shapes coastlines, drives weather systems, supports vast ecosystems. Its power is immense precisely because of its depth and extent. Similarly, the Divine's 'receptivity' to seekers isn't inactivity. The ocean's presence makes water's flow meaningful - without the ocean, rivers would have no destination. Similarly, divine presence makes spiritual seeking meaningful - without the destination, the journey would be pointless. 'Divine intervention' in this framework is less about miraculous intrusions and more about the constant pull of truth on consciousness - like gravity on water, guiding all seekers oceanward whether they know it or not.

Skanda is specifically a Hindu deity. Can non-Hindus relate to this identification?

Skanda represents the principle of righteous strategic force - the capacity to organize energy toward decisive righteous outcomes. Every tradition has equivalent figures: Michael the Archangel in Christianity, various warrior-saints in Islam, defenders of dharma in Buddhism. The principle transcends particular mythologies. The question for any seeker is: when confronted with genuine evil or injustice requiring active opposition, can you marshal your energies strategically and act decisively? That capacity - focused, righteous, strategically intelligent force - is the Skanda-vibhūti. You don't need to worship Skanda to recognize this principle as divine manifestation.

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