Gita 10.26

Vibhuti Yoga

अश्वत्थः सर्ववृक्षाणां देवर्षीणां च नारदः । गन्धर्वाणां चित्ररथः सिद्धानां कपिलो मुनिः ॥

aśvatthaḥ sarva-vṛkṣāṇāṁ devarṣīṇāṁ ca nāradaḥ | gandharvāṇāṁ citrarathaḥ siddhānāṁ kapilo muniḥ ||

In essence: In the sacred tree that whispers wisdom, the wandering sage who stirs souls, the celestial musician who enchants, and the philosopher who reveals nature's secrets - recognize the Divine manifest in excellence across all realms.

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

Sadhak-Guru Dialogue

Sadhak: "A tree? Krishna is claiming to be a tree? How can the Supreme Being identify with a plant?"

Guru: "Have you ever sat beneath an ancient peepal tree in complete stillness?"

Sadhak: "Yes, there's one near our village temple. The air feels different there, somehow... cleaner, more alive."

Guru: "And did you wonder why?"

Sadhak: "I assumed it was just the shade, the silence away from the village noise."

Guru: "The Ashvattha releases oxygen continuously - day and night - unlike other trees. It purifies ceaselessly. When Buddha sought the tree to sit under for his final meditation, this tree drew him. When rishis sought locations for tapasya, they found this tree. Is it coincidence, or is something actually present there?"

Sadhak: "But surely that's just botany, not theology."

Guru: "Is there a line between them? When a tree serves spiritual awakening for millennia, when countless souls have found peace beneath its branches, when it gives without asking - is that merely biological function or divine presence expressing through biological form?"

Sadhak: "I suppose I've been trained to think the sacred is separate from the natural."

Guru: "And Krishna is training you otherwise. Now - Narada. What do you know of him?"

Sadhak: "The troublemaker! He goes around creating conflicts in the puranas, telling secrets, stirring things up."

Guru: "And what happens after the 'trouble' he creates?"

Sadhak: "Well... usually people realize some truth they had been avoiding. Or demons get defeated. Or devotees get strengthened."

Guru: "So his troublemaking serves awakening. He disturbs comfortable ignorance. He carries the divine name constantly - 'Narayana, Narayana' - and wherever he goes, things change. Is this not divine function?"

Sadhak: "So disruption can be sacred?"

Guru: "When it serves awakening. Not all disruption, but disruption that breaks spiritual complacency. Now tell me - why Kapila among the Siddhas?"

Sadhak: "Siddhas have powers - flying, becoming invisible, reading minds. Kapila was just a philosopher."

Guru: "'Just' a philosopher? What did Kapila's teaching accomplish?"

Sadhak: "He created Sankhya philosophy - the analysis of consciousness and matter."

Guru: "Which enabled how many souls to discriminate the eternal from the temporary? Powers impress; wisdom liberates. Which is truly superior?"

Sadhak: "I see. The excellence Krishna claims isn't about the spectacular but about what serves liberation."

Guru: "Now you're understanding vibhuti correctly."

Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.

🌅 Daily Practice

🌅 Morning

Ashvattha connection: If possible, spend a few minutes near a peepal tree (or any large, ancient tree) early in the morning. If no tree is accessible, visualize one. Feel the silent, ceaseless giving - oxygen, shade, shelter for birds, stability for soil. Reflect: 'This is divine presence in silent service.' Let the tree teach you how to give without expecting, how to serve without announcing. Set intention: 'Today I will give like the Ashvattha - steadily, silently, without counting.'

☀️ Daytime

Narada function: Throughout the day, notice where comfortable ignorance has settled - in yourself or around you. Where is truth being avoided? Where is spiritual complacency reigning? You needn't create trouble like Narada, but you can carry divine remembrance into each situation. Before entering any meeting or interaction, silently chant whatever divine name resonates with you. Like Narada, be a carrier of sacred presence into ordinary spaces.

🌙 Evening

Kapila's discrimination: Before sleep, practice Sankhya-style analysis. Review your day and identify: What was Purusha (pure awareness, the witness) and what was Prakriti (thoughts, emotions, reactions, the witnessed)? Notice how throughout the day, awareness remained constant while contents changed. This discrimination - 'I am the witness, not the witnessed' - is Kapila's gift. Rest in the recognition that what you truly are didn't participate in the day's dramas; it observed them.

Common Questions

Why would God identify with a tree? Doesn't this diminish divinity to identify with plants?

This doubt reflects an assumption that spiritual hierarchy means God should only identify with 'higher' forms. But Krishna's point is precisely that divine excellence permeates all categories of existence. The Ashvattha isn't a random tree - it's the most spiritually significant tree in Indian culture, the tree of enlightenment, the tree of eternal purification. God identifying with this tree elevates our understanding of what nature can be: not merely biological matter but sacred presence. The tree serves awakening silently for centuries - isn't this divine function? Moreover, in Chapter 15, Krishna will reveal the cosmic Ashvattha as the entire manifest universe. His identification here foreshadows that teaching.

Narada seems like a gossip and troublemaker in the stories. Why is he considered a divine sage?

This misunderstands Narada's function. Yes, he appears to create trouble by revealing secrets and stirring conflicts - but examine the results. In the Prahlada story, Narada's teaching in the womb creates an unshakeable devotee. In countless narratives, his 'interference' leads to demon-defeat, devotee-elevation, or truth-revelation. He's not a gossip serving entertainment; he's a catalyst serving awakening. His constant chanting of 'Narayana, Narayana' shows his actual nature - total absorption in the Divine. He disturbs not peace but complacency.

If Kapila founded Sankhya, which some say doesn't emphasize a personal God, why does Krishna claim to be him?

Sankhya philosophy, in its original form as taught by Kapila (as described in Srimad Bhagavatam), did include devotion - it was later interpreters who presented it as atheistic or impersonal. The Bhagavata Purana presents Kapila as an avatar of Vishnu who taught both discrimination AND devotion to his mother Devahuti. Even taking philosophical Sankhya, its precise categorization of Purusha and Prakriti serves liberation by enabling discrimination. Any wisdom that helps distinguish the eternal from the temporary serves divine purpose, regardless of its theological framework.

← Verse 10.25 Verse 10.27 →