Bhagavad Gita BG 10.19
Chapter 10, Verse 19 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
श्रीभगवानुवाच हन्त ते कथयिष्यामि दिव्या ह्यात्मविभूतयः । प्राधान्यतः कुरुश्रेष्ठ नास्त्यन्तो विस्तरस्य मे ॥
shri bhagavan uvaca hanta te kathayishyami divya hy atma-vibhutayah pradhanytah kuru-shreshtha nasty anto vistarasya me
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: Well then, I shall tell you of My divine vibhutis (divine glories) — only the principal ones (pradhanytah), O best of the Kurus (Kuru-shreshtha). For there is no end to My extent (vistarasya).
Understanding
Krishna's response to Arjuna's request is gracious but immediately calibrated: hanta (well then! — an expression of willing response), te kathayishyami (I shall tell you) divyah atma-vibhutayah (My divine vibhutis — the glorious self-expressions of the Absolute). But immediately: pradhanyatah — only the principal ones, only the chief ones. Why? Nasti anto vistarasya me — there is NO END to My extent/elaboration. The infinite cannot be enumerated. What follows (verses 20-39) is therefore not an exhaustive catalogue but a representational sample — a glimpse of the Infinite through its principal glories. The teaching is: wherever you see extraordinary excellence, recognize the trace of the Supreme.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| हन्त | hanta | well then, yes, an expression of glad willingness |
| विभूतयः | vibhutayah | divine glories, powers, extraordinary manifestations |
| प्राधान्यतः | pradhanytah | principally, only the chief ones, by way of the most prominent |
| कुरुश्रेष्ठ | kuru-shreshtha | best of the Kurus (epithet of Arjuna) |
| विस्तरस्य | vistarasya | of extent, of elaboration, of spread |
| श्री भगवान् उवाच | śrī bhagavān uvāca | the blessed Lord said |
| ते | te | to you |
| कथयिष्यामि | kathayiṣyāmi | I shall tell |
| दिव्याः | divyāḥ | divine |
| हि | hi | indeed |
| आत्म-विभूतयः | ātma-vibhūtayaḥ | My divine opulences |
| प्राधान्यतः | prādhānyataḥ | by prominence, the most important |
| कुरु-श्रेष्ठ | kuru-śreṣṭha | O best of the Kurus |
| नास्ति | nāsti | there is no |
| अन्तः | antaḥ | end, limit |
| मे | me | My |