The Supreme Lord said: O mighty-armed one, hear again My supreme word, which I shall speak to you who are pleased, desiring your welfare.

Neither the hosts of gods nor the great sages know My origin, for I am the source of all the gods and great sages in every way.

One who knows Me as unborn, without beginning, the great Lord of the worlds, is undeluded among mortals and is freed from all sins.

Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, self-control, calmness, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear, and fearlessness—

Non-violence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame, and infamy—all these diverse qualities of beings arise from Me alone.

The seven great sages, the four ancient ones before them, and the Manus are born of My mind and possess My nature. From them have come all the creatures of this world.

One who truly knows this glory and power of Mine becomes established in unshakable yoga. Of this there is no doubt.

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly worship Me with all their hearts.

With their minds fixed on Me, with their lives devoted to Me, enlightening one another and always speaking of Me, they are satisfied and delighted.

To those who are constantly devoted and who worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy the darkness born of ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge.

Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode, the supreme purifier, the eternal divine Person, the primeval God, unborn and omnipresent.

All the sages proclaim this of You, as does the divine sage Narada, as well as Asita, Devala, and Vyasa, and now You Yourself declare it to me.

O Keshava, I accept as truth all that You have told me. Indeed, O Lord, neither the gods nor the demons know Your personality.

Indeed, You alone know Yourself by Your own Self, O Supreme Person, O source of all beings, O Lord of beings, O God of gods, O Master of the universe.

Please tell me in full detail Your divine glories, by which You pervade these worlds and remain in them.

O Yogi, how may I know You through constant meditation? In what various forms are You to be contemplated by me, O Lord?

Tell me again in detail Your yoga and Your glories, O Janardana. I am never satiated hearing Your nectar-like words.

The Supreme Lord said: Yes, I will tell you of My divine glories, but only of the most prominent, O best of the Kurus, for there is no end to My manifestations.

I am the Self, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings.

Among the Adityas, I am Vishnu; among lights, I am the radiant sun; among the Maruts, I am Marichi; among stars, I am the moon.

Among the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda; among the gods, I am Indra; among the senses, I am the mind; and in living beings, I am consciousness.

Among the Rudras, I am Shankara (Shiva); among Yakshas and Rakshasas, I am Kubera; among the Vasus, I am fire; and among mountains, I am Meru.

Know Me, O Partha, as the chief of priests, Brihaspati; among commanders, I am Skanda; among bodies of water, I am the ocean.

Among great sages, I am Bhrigu; among words, I am the sacred syllable Om; among sacrifices, I am the sacrifice of chanting; among immovable things, I am the Himalayas.

Among trees, I am the ashvattha (sacred fig); among celestial sages, Narada; among Gandharvas, Chitraratha; among perfected beings, the sage Kapila.

Know that among horses, I am Ucchaihshravas, born of nectar; among elephants, Airavata; and among humans, the king.

Among weapons, I am the thunderbolt; among cows, I am the wish-fulfilling Kamadhenu; I am Kandarpa, the cause of offspring; among serpents, I am Vasuki.

Among Nagas, I am Ananta; among aquatics, I am Varuna; among ancestors, I am Aryama; and among enforcers of law, I am Yama.

Among demons, I am Prahlada; among measurers, I am time; among beasts, I am the lion; and among birds, I am Garuda.

Among purifiers, I am the wind; among warriors, I am Rama; among fish, I am the shark; and among rivers, I am the Ganges.

Of creations, I am the beginning, the end, and the middle, O Arjuna. Among sciences, I am the science of the Self; among debaters, I am logical argument.

Among letters, I am the letter A; among compound words, I am the dual compound. I am inexhaustible time, and I am the creator facing everywhere.

I am all-devouring death and the source of all that shall be. Among feminine qualities, I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness, and patience.

Among the Sama hymns, I am the Brihat-sama; among meters, I am Gayatri; among months, I am Margashirsha; among seasons, I am flower-bearing spring.

I am the gambling of cheats; I am the splendor of the splendid; I am victory, I am determination, and I am the goodness of the good.

Among the Vrishnis, I am Vasudeva; among the Pandavas, Arjuna; among sages, I am Vyasa; and among poets, Ushana.

Among punishers, I am the rod of punishment; among those seeking victory, I am statesmanship; among secrets, I am silence; and I am the wisdom of the wise.

Furthermore, I am the seed of all beings, O Arjuna. There is no creature, moving or non-moving, that can exist without Me.

There is no end to My divine glories, O scorcher of foes. What I have spoken is merely a brief indication of the extent of My glories.

Know that all opulent, beautiful, and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.

But what need is there for all this detailed knowledge, O Arjuna? With a single fragment of Myself, I pervade and support this entire universe.