Bhagavad Gita BG 10.40

Chapter 10, Verse 40 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation

नान्तोऽस्ति मम दिव्यानां विभूतीनां परन्तप । एष तूद्देशतः प्रोक्तो विभूतेर्विस्तरो मया ॥

nanto 'sti mama divyanam vibhutinm parantapa esha tu 'ddeshatah prokto vibhuter vistaro maya

Meaning

There is no end (anta) to My divine vibhutis, O Parantapa (scorcher of foes). This account of My vibhuti has been declared (prokto) by Me only by way of example (uddeshatah).

Understanding

The perfect conclusion: nantah asti (there is no end) mama divyanam vibhuthinam (of My divine vibhutis), O Parantapa. The Infinite cannot be enumerated. What has been shared in verses 20-39 is not an exhaustive catalogue but uddeshatah — by way of indication, by example. Uddesha means 'pointing toward' — the vibhutis are pointers, not the complete picture. The complete picture is inexhaustible. This is the Gita's consistent teaching: the Absolute cannot be grasped by any finite enumeration. The vibhutis are windows; the Supreme is what is glimpsed through them — infinite, without end, the inexhaustible ground of all excellence. The practitioner's role: learn to see the Infinite through any and every finite excellence.

Word by Word

Word IAST Meaning
नान्तः अस्ति na antah asti there is no end, without end
दिव्यानाम् divyanam of the divine, of the celestial/transcendent
विभूतीनाम् vibhuthinam of the divine glories/powers/manifestations
परन्तप parantapa O Parantapa (scorcher of foes, epithet of Arjuna)
उद्देशतः uddeshatah by way of example, by indication, as a sample/pointer
प्रोक्तः proktah declared, stated, spoken
न na not
अन्तः antaḥ end, limit
अस्ति asti there is
मम mama My
दिव्यानाम् divyānām of divine
विभूतीनाम् vibhūtīnām of opulences
एषः eṣaḥ this
तु tu but
उद्देशतः uddeśataḥ by way of example, briefly
प्रोक्तः proktaḥ has been declared
विभूतेः vibhūteḥ of the opulences
विस्तारः vistāraḥ the extent, elaboration
मया mayā by Me

📖 Learn "Divine Glories — Death, Speech, Seasons, and No End" →