The Bhagavadgîtâ, with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ — SBE Vol. 8 (trans. K. T. Telang, 1882)
The translator’s English as printed (K. T. Telang). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
Arguna said :
You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme goal, the holiest of the holy. All sages, as well as the divine sage Narada, Asita*, Devala, and Vyâsa, call you the eternal being, divine, the first god, the unborn, the all-pervading. And so, too, you tell me yourself, O Kesava! I believe all this that you tell me (to be) true; for, O lord! neither the gods nor demons understand your manifestation*. You only know your self by your self. O best of beings! creator of all things! lord of all things! god of gods! lord of the universe! be pleased to declare without exception your divine emanations, by which emanations you stand pervading all these worlds. How shall I know you, O you of mystic power! always meditating on you? And in what various entities 1, O lord! should I meditate on you? Again, O Ganârdana! do you yourself declare your powers and emanations ; because hearing this nectar, I (still) feel no satiety.
1 By the mere operation of my thought. As to ancients, cf. Aitareya-âraṇyaka, p. 136.
2 Sankara renders the word here by perseverance in pursuit of truth.
3 Ânandagiri calls Asita father of Devala. See also Davids’ Buddhism, p. 185; Max Miiller’s Anc. Sansk. Lit., p. 463.
4 Scil. in human form for the good of the gods and the destruction of demons.
Arjuna said:
You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme goal, the holiest of the holy. All the sages call you this, and so do the divine sage Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyâsa—they call you the eternal being, divine, the first god, the unborn, the all-pervading. And you yourself tell me the same, O Kesava! I believe everything you tell me to be true; for, O lord, neither the gods nor the demons understand your manifestation. You alone know yourself by yourself. O best of beings, creator of all things, lord of all things, god of gods, lord of the universe—please declare, without leaving anything out, your divine emanations, by which you stand pervading all these worlds. How shall I know you, O you of mystic power, as I meditate on you always? And in what various entities 1, O lord, should I meditate on you? Once more, O Janârdana, declare your own powers and emanations; for even after hearing this nectar, I feel no satiety.
1 By the mere operation of my thought. As to ancients, cf. Aitareya-âraṇyaka, p. 136.
2 Sankara renders the word here as perseverance in pursuit of truth.
3 Ânandagiri calls Asita the father of Devala. See also Davids' Buddhism, p. 185; Max Müller's Anc. Sansk. Lit., p. 463.
4 That is, in human form, for the good of the gods and the destruction of demons.