vāyur yamo ’gnir varuṇaḥ śhaśhāṅkaḥ
prajāpatis tvaṁ prapitāmahaśh cha
namo namas te ’stu sahasra-kṛitvaḥ
punaśh cha bhūyo ’pi namo namas te
Word meanings
vāyuḥ—the god of wind; yamaḥ—the god of death; agniḥ—the god of fire; varuṇaḥ—the god of water; śhaśha-aṅkaḥ—the moon-God; prajāpatiḥ—Brahma; tvam—you; prapitāmahaḥ—the great-grandfather; cha—and; namaḥ—my salutations; namaḥ—my salutations; te—unto you; astu—let there be; sahasra-kṛitvaḥ—a thousand times; punaḥ cha—and again; bhūyaḥ—again; api—also; namaḥ—(offering) my salutations; namaḥ te—offering my salutations unto you
English translation
You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, the Creator, and the great-grandfather. I offer my salutations to You a thousand times, and again I offer my salutations to You.
Translation by Swami Sivananda
Hindi meaning
।।11.39।। आप वायु, यम, अग्नि, वरुण, चन्द्रमा, प्रजापति (ब्रह्मा) और प्रपितामह (ब्रह्मा के भी कारण) हैं; आपके लिए सहस्र बार नमस्कार, नमस्कार है, पुन: आपको बारम्बार नमस्कार, नमस्कार है।।
Hindi rendering by Swami Tejomayananda
English meaning
You are the wind, you are death, you are the fire, the water, the moon, the father, and the grandfather. Honor and glory to you a thousand and a thousand times! Again and again, salutations to you, O my Lord!
Shri Purohit Swami
You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the Moon, Prajapati, and the great-paternal-grandfather; I offer salutations to You a thousand times, and again, even more salutations to You.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
Detailed explanation
Prajapati Marichi and others were the seven mindborn sons of Brahma. Kasyapa descended from Marichi and from Kasyapa came all other progeny. Therefore, Marichi, Kasyapa and others are known as Prajapatis or the gods or progeny. The word Prajapati here is interpreted by some as Kasyapa and other Prajapatis. But as the word has been used here in the singular number it is appropriate to take Brahma as Prajapati. Brahma is the grandfather (Pitamaha) of Kasyapa. Brahma or the Hiranyagarbha is the Karya Brahman (effect). Isvara is the Karana Brahman (the cause for Brahma). Therefore, Isvara is the greatgrandfather. He is the father of,even Brahma.Isvara has Maya as the limiting adjunct. Maya is His causal body. Isvara has no plane. Maya is in an undifferentiated state. She is in a state where the alities of Nature (Gunas) are in eilibrium. When the eilibrium is disturbed through the will of Isvara, the three Gunas, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva manifest.Thou art the moon alludes to and includes the sun also.Punah, Bhuyah Again. Salutations a thousand times and again salutations. This indicates that Arjuna had intense faith in and boundless devotion for Lord Krishna. He was not satisfied even if he prostrated himself a thousand times.
Commentary by Swami Sivananda
Hindi commentary
।।11.39।। अब तक अर्जुन भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण के पर? अक्षर और निर्गुण स्वरूप का स्तुतिगान कर रहा था। एक उपासक के मन में यह प्रश्न आ सकता है कि इस सर्वातीत निर्गुण स्वरूप सत्य का उसके अपने इष्ट देवता (उपास्य) के साथ निश्चित रूप से क्या सम्बन्ध है। प्राचीनकाल में प्राय प्राकृतिक शक्तियों के अधिष्ठातृ देवताओं की श्रद्धापूर्वक आराधना? प्रार्थना और उपासना की जाती थी।वेदकालीन साधकगण अन्तकरण की शुद्धि तथा एकाग्रता के लिए जिन देवताओं की उपासना करते थे? उनमें प्रमुख वायु? यम? अग्नि? वरुण (जल का देवता)? शशांङ्क (चन्द्रमा) और सृष्टिकर्ता प्रजापति। इन देवताओं का आह्वान स्त्रोतगान? पूजा तथा यज्ञयागादि के द्वारा किया जाता था। उस काल के शिक्षित वर्ग के लोगों के मन को भी ईश्वर के यही रूप इष्ट थे। प्राय सर्वत्र? लोग साधन को ही साध्य (लक्ष्य) समझने की गलती करते हैं। परन्तु? यहाँ अर्जुन प्रामाणिक ज्ञान के आधार पर यह दर्शाता है कि वस्तुत अनन्त तत्त्व ही समस्त देवताओं का मूल स्वरूप है। तथापि उस अनन्त को अर्जुन भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण के रूप में देखता है।वेदान्त का यह सिद्धांत है कि एक ही परमात्मा विविध उपाधियों के द्वारा व्यक्त होकर इन देवताओं के रूप में प्राप्त होता है। वर्तमान काल में भी भक्तगण अपने इष्ट देवता के रूप में परमेश्वर का आह्वान कर अपने इष्ट को ही देवाधिदेव कहते हैं। इस देवेश को ही अर्जुन प्रणाम करता है।
Swami Chinmayananda
।।11.39।। व्याख्या--वायुः--जिससे सबको प्राण मिल रहे हैं, मात्र प्राणी जी रहे हैं, सबको सामर्थ्य मिल रही है, वह वायु आप ही हैं।
Swami Ramsukhdas
Key teachings
Prajapati Marichi and others were the seven mindborn sons of Brahma.
Kasyapa descended from Marichi and from Kasyapa came all other progeny.
Therefore, Marichi, Kasyapa and others are known as Prajapatis or the gods or progeny.
Spiritual significance
In Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga (Yoga through Beholding the Cosmic Form of God), this verse belongs to the Gita’s teaching on bhakti yoga. Here the text presents that teaching through these words: You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, the Creator, and the great-grandfather. I offer my salutations to You a thousand times, and again I offer my salutations to You.
Chapter 11, verse 39 is part of Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga. In the English translation used on this page, it says: You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, the Creator, and the great-grandfather. I offer my salutations to You a thousand times, and again I offer my salutations to You.
What is the spiritual context of this verse?
It appears in Vishwaroopa Darshana Yoga, a chapter associated with Bhakti Yoga. The cosmic form.
