Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 16 (BG 10.16) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

Prince Arjun has become convinced that the Lord alone is the foundation of the universe—without whom the existence of the world cannot be established. Yet when he observes the external world through the means available and familiar to him—the senses, mind, and intellect—he experiences only objects, emotions, and thoughts, which by no measure can be called divine. When, on the occasion of a festival, electric lights are arranged on a building, diverse colors and bulbs of varying electrical capacities appear to emit light. But when we are told that a single current of electricity flows through all of them, sustaining them, an ignorant and uneducated person would naturally wish to see the electricity manifested in each bulb. In the same way, the Lord in His cosmic form is both the totality of creation (vibhuti) and the individual manifestations (yoga) of this world of names and forms. Although this can be experienced through a heart filled with faith, even the sharpest intellect cannot grasp it. Therefore, it is natural that Arjun requests Lord Sri Krishna to describe those divine manifestations through which He pervades and sustains this world. Because Arjun was a man of action, he possessed a highly practical intellect; therefore, he wished to gather more and more facts that he could examine, classify, and thereby understand. Is this merely intellectual curiosity that prompts Arjun's question? He himself clarifies this, saying—