A question · devotional in mood · a little context helps
“Only the source can fully name its own presence in the world.”
Only you can fully describe your own divine manifestations, by which you pervade and sustain all these worlds.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyyou are able to speak · completely · divine · indeed · your own manifestations · by which · with manifestations · the worlds · these · you · pervading · you stand
Arjuna says only Krishna can fully explain his own divine manifestations, because Krishna pervades and supports all the worlds through them.
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vibhuti Yoga" (The Yoga of Divine Glories).
Verse 16 sits in Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vibhuti Yoga, "The Yoga of Divine Glories". The chapter has 42 verses in total.
You meet someone whose presence seems to change the whole room, but you cannot explain why. Some realities are only understood by the one who embodies them.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the mind from trying to define the whole to receiving the whole through its living expressions.
What this verse means
Arjuna says only Krishna can fully explain his own divine manifestations, because Krishna pervades and supports all the worlds through them.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna has already admitted that Krishna's nature surpasses ordinary sight. Now, overwhelmed by the revelations, he asks Krishna to describe completely the divine manifestations through which Krishna fills and holds every world.
Why this verse still matters
You meet someone whose presence seems to change the whole room, but you cannot explain why. Some realities are only understood by the one who embodies them.
“Awe becomes humility: the more reality is seen, the more limited ordinary language feels.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses), arjuna prayer (14 verses), bhagavan (11 verses)