Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 10 - Shloka (Verse) 18

व्याख्या--'विस्तरेणात्मनो योगं विभूतिं च जनार्दन'--भगवान्ने सातवें और नवें अध्यायमें ज्ञानविज्ञानका विषय खूब कह दिया। इतना कहनेपर भी उनकी तृप्ति नहीं हुई, इसलिये दसवाँ अध्याय अपनी ओरसे ही कहना शुरू कर दिया। भगवान्ने दसवाँ अध्याय आरम्भ करते हुए कहा कि 'तू फिर मेरे परम वचनको सुन।'

हे जनार्दन अपने योगको -- अपनी योगैश्वर्यरूप विशेष शक्तिको और विभूतिको यानी चिन्तन करनेयोग्य पदार्थोंके विस्तारको? विस्तारपूर्वक कहिये। गमन जिसका कर्म है ऐसी अर्द धातुका रूप जनार्दन है। असुरोंको यानी देवोंके प्रतिपक्षी मनुष्योंको नरकादिमें भेजनेवाले होनेसे भगवान्का नाम जनार्दन है। अथवा उन्नति और कल्याण -- ये दोनों पुरुषार्थरूप प्रयोजन सब लोगोंके द्वारा भगवान्से माँगे जाते हैं? इसलिये भगवान्का नाम जनार्दन है -- यद्यपि आप पहले कह चुके हैं तो भी फिर कहिये क्योंकि आपके मुखसे निकले हुए वाक्यरूप अमृतको सुनतेसुनते मुझे तृप्ति नहीं होती है -- संतोष नहीं होता है।

He concludes the current question—with 'Vistarena' etc.

'Janaardana' is derived from the root 'Ard' which means motion/going; the commentator explains its derivation—with 'Asuranam' etc.

He explains the meaning of the word in another way—with 'Abhyudaya' etc.

Objection: The Vibhuti and opulence of the Lord were already shown in the seventh and ninth chapters, so why is there a desire to hear it again? To this he says—'Bhuyah' (Again).

'Amritam' means like nectar.

Objection: Vibhuti and opulence were shown in the seventh and ninth chapters, so why ask again? To this he says—'Vistarena' etc. Tell me again ('Bhuyah') in detail Your specific Yoga-power-opulence and Vibhuti, even though mentioned before. O Janardana! Because You send the enemies of gods—the demons—to death and hell etc. Thus, telling the Yoga and Vibhuti suitable for meditation to destroy our enemies—attachment, aversion etc.—is appropriate as it befits Your name; this is the intention.

Or, since You are solicited by all people for the goals of prosperity (abhyudaya) and liberation (nihshreyasa), addressing You thus indicates that my request to You is also proper.

'Hi'—because, hearing the nectar of Your words, I have no satiety. To exclude satiety caused by tastelessness, 'Amritam' (nectar) is used. To exclude satiety caused by ignorance of taste, 'Me' (to me)—who am a connoisseur—is used. Even with nectar, one feels 'enough' when the stomach is full; to exclude that, 'Shrinvatah' (hearing) is used. Since the ear, which is of the nature of space (Akasha), cannot be filled/satiated by the quality of sound, there is no satiety.

'Na jayate' (He is not born) and 'ardayati samsaram' (He moves/destroys the world), hence 'Janardana'.

And in the Babhravya Shakha: 'He is the Being, He is Janardana.'

'For He was, He was not (born), He moved/impelled'.

'Yogam' means the Universal Form.

'Vibhutim' means the support for meditation.

'Amritam' means the means to Immortality (Moksha).

'I am the origin of all, everything proceeds from Me' (10.8)—tell me again in detail Your Yoga of creatorship etc. and Vibhuti (control) which were stated briefly.

For there is no satiety for me hearing the nectar of Your glory being spoken by You; the intention is that my lack of satiety is known to You alone.

Thus, so that even when the mind is extroverted, there may be contemplation of You alone here and there through the distinct Vibhutis—tell me in detail in that manner; he says 'Vistarena' etc.

Tell me again in detail Your own 'Yoga'—the opulence of Yoga characterized by omniscience, omnipotence, etc.—and 'Vibhuti'.

'Hi'—because, hearing Your words which are like nectar, I have no satiety, i.e., the feeling of 'enough'.

'Janardana'—because He sends hostile people to hell etc., or because He is asked for their desires by favorable people.

To indicate the reason for the desire to know in detail, and to clarify the intended meaning of the word 'Yoga', he explains the result of the word 'Bhuyah' with 'Aham sarvasya' etc.

The word 'Amrita' here, due to collocation with 'Atripti' (lack of satiety), refers to the enjoyability of the glory.

To show it is most enjoyable, he says 'Tvaya uchyamanam' (Being spoken by You). The idea is 'flowing from the moon of Your face'.

He explains the intent of the word 'Hi' with 'Mama' etc.

दर्शनशास्त्र के तथा अन्य किसी विषय के विद्यार्थी में भी? सर्वप्रथम प्रखर जिज्ञासा का होना अत्यावश्यक है। विषय को जानने और समझने की इस जिज्ञासा के बिना कोई भी ज्ञान दृढ़ नहीं होता है और न विद्यार्थी के लिए वह लाभदायक ही हो सकता है। आत्मविकास के आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान में यह बात विशेष रूप से लागू होती है क्योंकि अन्य ज्ञानों के समान? न केवल इसे ग्रहण और धारण ही ऋ़रना है? वरन् यह आत्मज्ञान होने पर उसे अपने जीवन में दृढ़ता से जीना भी होता है। इसलिए श्रवण की इच्छा को एक श्रेष्ठ और आदर्श गुण माना गया है? जो वेदान्त के उत्तम अधिकारी के लिए अनिवार्य है। इस गुण के होने से ज्ञानमार्ग में प्रगति तीव्र गति से होती है।पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुन इस श्रेष्ठ गुण से सम्पन्न था जो कि उसके इस कथन से स्पष्ट होता है कि आपके अमृतमय वचनों को सुनकर मेरी तृप्ति नहीं होती है। इसमें कोई सन्देह नहीं कि वेदान्त का शुद्धिकारी प्रभाव रुचिपूर्वक श्रवण करने वाले सभी बुद्धिमान विद्यार्थियों पर पड़ता है। एक सच्चे ज्ञानी गुरु के मुख से आत्मतत्त्व का उपदेश सुनकर प्रारम्भ में शिष्य को होने वाला आनन्द क्षणिक उल्लास ही देता है? जो स्थिर नहीं रह पाता। जब वह शिष्य प्रवचन के बाद अकेला रह जाता है? तब उसका मन पुन अनेक कारणों से अशान्त हो सकता है। और फिर भी? कितना ही क्षणिक आनन्द क्यों न हो? उसमें अर्जुन के समान नवदीक्षित विद्यार्थियों को आकर्षित करने की सार्मथ्य होती है? जिसके कारण उनकी उस विषय के प्रति रुचि एक व्यसन के समान बढ़ती ही जाती है। वेदान्त प्रवचनों के श्रवणार्थ इस अधिकाधिक अभिरुचि को यहाँ स्पष्ट दर्शाया गया है। यद्यपि यह साधना है? साध्य नहीं? तथापि? निसन्देह यह एक शुभ प्रारम्भ है। जिन लोगों को तत्त्वज्ञान के बौद्धिक अध्ययन से ही सन्तोष का अनुभव होता हो? वे भी निश्चय ही उन सहस्रों लोगों से श्रेष्ठतर हैं? जो दिव्य आत्मस्वरूप को दर्शाने वाले एक भी आध्यात्मिक प्रवचन को नहीं सुन सकते? या सह नहीं सकतेएक अथक धर्म प्रचारक के रूप में भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण अत्यन्त धैर्य के साथ? अर्जुन से कहते हैं

Shankara says 'Janardana' means 'sending demoniac people to hell etc.' or 'being asked by people', based on the root definition 'Ard in motion and begging'. That explanation is unauthoritative.

But this (explanation given by Madhva) is acceptable because it is based on Sruti; with this intent he says 'Na jayate' etc. The negative particle (Na/a) is placed after (Jana -> Jana-a -> Jana). Hence there is no elision of 'n', as it is recalled in the latter position. 'Ardayati' means makes move/impels.

'Sa hi asit'—He is 'Bhuta', meaning existing from beginningless time. 'Sa na asit'—He is not born (not having janma); and 'Sa ardayati'—He impels; hence 'Janardana' (Jana [birth] + Ar [no/not] + Dana [giving/moving] -> One who has no birth and moves the world? Or Jana [living beings] + Ardana [moving]?). Note: Madhva's etymology seems to rely on a specific Vedic interpretation where 'Jana' relates to birth/becoming and 'Ard' to moving, with a negation involved.

Therefore, tell me again ('Bhuyah') in detail ('Vistarena') Your own 'Yoga'—the excess of opulence characterized by omniscience, omnipotence, etc.—and 'Vibhutim'—the support for meditation—even though spoken of briefly in the seventh and ninth chapters.

Since You are asked by all people for the purpose of prosperity and liberation, O Janardana! Therefore my request to You is indeed appropriate.

Why do you ask for the repetition of what has been said? To this he says—'Triptih'—cessation of desire by the feeling of 'enough'—does not exist for me.

'Hi'—because, 'Shrinvatah'—drinking through hearing—Your words which are Amrita (nectar), tasty at every step like nectar.

Here, by not explicitly saying 'Tvad-vakyam' (Your words) [and saying only Amritam], this mixture of Apahnuti (concealment), Atishayokti (hyperbole), and Rupaka (metaphor) reveals the excess of longing due to the experience of excessive sweetness.

By contemplating which I attain You and know You in reality—Your own 'Yoga'—the Yoga of sport in objects;

and again such 'Vibhuti'; O Janardana—Destroyer of all ignorance! Even though told briefly before, tell me again in detail.

'Hi'—because hearing Your words which are 'Amrita'—of the nature of liberation, dispelling death, and blissful—I have no satiety, no feeling of 'enough'; this is the meaning.

'Vistarena'—in detail—Your own 'Yoga'—specific power of Yoga-lordship, and 'Vibhutim'—the expanse of objects for meditation; O Janardana!

Derived from 'Ard' meaning motion; because He sends the demons—people opposed to gods—to hell etc., He is Janardana; or because He is asked by all people for the goals of prosperity and liberation.

'Bhuyah'—tell me again, though told before. 'Triptih'—satisfaction—indeed does not exist for me, hearing the nectar of words issuing from Your mouth.

The Blessed Lord said—

Then with 'Vistarena', the entire question is clarified—'Vibhutim yogam cha'.

Although You mentioned the Vibhuti before, it was brief; so now tell me in detail—thus he asks.

(This is part of the combined commentary with the previous verse).

विस्तरेण in detial? आत्मनः Thy? योगम् Yoga? विभूतिम् glory? च and? जनार्दन O Janardana? भूयः again? कथय tell? तृप्तिः contentment? हि for? श्रृण्वतः (of) hearing? न not? अस्ति is? मे of me? अमृतम् nectar.Commentary The Lord is called Janardana because all pray to Him for worldly success? prosperity and also salvation. Arjuna also prays to the Lord to explain His Yogic power and glory? for his salvation.Arjuna says to Lord Krishna Tell me in detail of Thy mysterious power (Yoga) and sovereignty (Aisvarya) and the various things to be meditated upon. Tell me again though You have described earlier in the seventh and the ninth chapters succinctly for there is no satiety in hearing Thy ambrosial speech or nectarlike conversation. However much of it I hear? I am not satisfied surely it is nectar of immortality for me.

O Janardana: ardana is derived from ard, in the sense of the act of going; by virtue of making the janas, the demons who are opposed to the gods, go to hell etc. He is called Jana-ardana. Or, He is called so because He is prayed to [The verbal root ard has got a second meaning, 'to pray'.] by all beings for the sake of human goals, viz prosperity and Liberation.
Kathaya, narrate to me; bhuyah, again, though spoken of earlier; atmanah, Your own; yogam, yoga-the special ability in the form of mystic powers; and vibhutaim, the (divine) manifestations-the variety of the objects of meditation; vistarena, elaborately. Hi, for; srnvatah, while hearing; (Your) amrtam, nectar-like speech issuing out of Your mouth; na asti, there is no; trptih, satiety; me, in me.

Speak to me again in full, your association with the alities of being the creator etc., and Your sovereignty, Your rulership, which have been briefly described in 'I am the origin of all; from Me proceed everything' (10.8). For I am not satiated by hearing Your ambrosial words. The meaning is, 'My enthusiasm to know more and more of your ambrosial teachings is known to You.'