“Arjuna said, ’Thou art the Supreme Brahma, the Supreme Abode, the Holiest of the Holy, the eternal Male Being Divine, the First of gods Unborn, the Lord.  All the Rishis proclaim thee thus, and also the celestial Rishi Narada; and Asita, Devala, (and) Vyasa; thyself also tellest me (so).  All this that thou tellest me, O Kesava, I regard as true since, O Holy One, neither the gods nor the Danavas understand thy manifestation.  Thou only knowest thyself by thyself.  O Best of Male Beings.  O Creator of all things; O Lord of all things, O God of gods, O Lord of the Universe, it behoveth thee to declare without any reservation, those divine perfections of thine by which perfections pervading these worlds thou abidest.  How shall I, ever meditating, know thee, O thou of mystic powers, in what particular states mayst thou, O Holy One, be meditated upon by me?[235] Do thou again, O Janardana, copiously declare thy mystic powers and (thy) perfections, for I am never satiated with hearing thy nectar-like words.”

“The Holy One said,—­’Well, unto thee I will declare my divine perfections, by means of the principal ones (among them), O chief of the Kurus, for there is no end to the extent of my (perfections).[236] I am the soul, O thou of curly hair, seated in the heart of every being, I am the beginning, and the middle, and the end also of all beings.  I am Vishnu among the Adityas, the resplendent Sun among all luminous bodies; I am Marichi among the Maruts, and the Moon among constellations.[237] I am the Sama Veda among the Vedas; I am Vasava among the gods; I am the mind among the senses; I am the intellect in (living) beings.  I am Sankara among the Rudras, the Lord of treasures among the Yakshas and the Rakshasas; I am Pavaka among the Vasus, and Meru among the peaked (mountains). [238] Know me, O son of Pritha, to be Vrihaspati, the chief of household priests.  I am Skanda among commanders of forces.  I am Ocean among receptacles of water.  I am Bhrigu among the great Rishis, I am the One, undestructible (syllable Om) among words.  Of sacrifices I am the Japa-sacrifice.[239] Of immobiles I am the Himavat.  I am the figtree among all trees, I am Narada among the celestial Rishis.  I am Chitraratha among the Gandharvas and the ascetic Kapila among ascetics crowned with Yoga success.  Know me to be Uchchaisravas among horses, brought forth by (the churning for) nectar, Airavata among princely elephants, and the king among men.  Among weapons I am the thunderbolt, among cows I am (she called) Kamadhuk.  I am Kandarpa the cause of reproduction, I am Vasuki among serpents.[240] I am Ananta among Nagas, I am Varuna among acquatic beings, I am Aryaman among the Pitris, and Yama among those that judge and punish.[241] I am Prahlada among the Daityas, and Time among things that count.  I am the lion among the beasts, and Vinata’s son among winged creatures.  Of purifiers I am the wind.  I am Rama among wielders of weapons.  I am the Makara among fishes, and I am Jahnavi (Ganga)