Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 21

English Translation

Among the Adityas [viz Dhata, Mitra, aryama, Rudra, Varuna, Surya, Bhaga, Vivasvan, Pusa, Savita, Tvasta and Visnu.-Tr.] I am Visnu; among the luminaries, the radiant sun; among the (forty-nine) Maruts [The seven groups of Maruts are Avaha, Pravaha, Vivaha, Paravaha, Udvaha, Samvaha and parivaha.-Tr.] I am Marici; among the stars I am the moon.

Detailed Commentary

।।10.21।। Explanation -- 'Among the Adityas, I am Vishnu' -- Among all the sons of Aditi, such as Dhata, Mitra, etc., 'Vishnu', that is, Vamana, is paramount. It was Bhagavan Himself who, taking Avatara as Vamana, accepted the wealth of the Daityas as an offering and bestowed it upon the sons of Aditi (the Devas). 'Among luminaries, I am the radiant sun' -- Among all luminous objects like the moon, constellations, stars, fire, etc., the sun with its rays is My Vibhuti, because the sun is supreme in providing light. All things become illuminated by the light of the sun. 'Among the Maruts, I am Marichi' -- Among the forty-nine Maruts, known by names such as Sattvajyoti, Aditya, Harita, etc., I am their chief radiance. It was due to the power of that radiance that even after Indra cut Diti's embryo into seven parts, and each of those seven parts again into seven, they did not die, but instead multiplied from one to forty-nine. 'Among the Nakshatras, I am the moon' -- Among the twenty-seven Nakshatras like Ashvini, Bharani, Krittika, etc., the moon, their lord, is I. The distinctiveness and greatness found in these Vibhutis truly belong to Bhagavan. [In this section, the Vibhutis described have been declared by Bhagavan as aspects of His glory, not as Avatars; for instance: 'Among the sons of Aditi, I am Vamana' (10.21), 'Among wielders of weapons, I am Rama' (10.31), 'Among the Vrishnis, I am Vasudeva (Krishna), and among the Pandavas, I am Dhananjaya (Arjuna)' (10.37), and so on. This is because the context here is of Vibhutis.]