Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 37 (BG 11.37) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

How could the perfected beings not bow down to You? You are the primordial cause even of Brahma, the creator himself. You are that original source which pervades the entire realm of creation and sustains all names and forms. Just as clay is the cause of all earthly vessels and gold is the cause of all ornaments, so too are You the fundamental substratum of all existence. The infinite Supreme Self is not merely this universe alone, but is also the Lord of all the celestial beings. For it is from that all-powerful Supreme Self that all the deities and the forces of nature derive their power and capability. This moving and unmoving creation can be divided into two categories: the manifest and the unmanifest. The manifest refers to those things which can be known through the senses, mind, and intellect—that which exists in both gross and subtle forms. The gross objects, emotions, and thoughts are called the manifest. That which is the cause of this manifest realm is called the unmanifest. This unmanifest cause that governs the life pattern of an individual is nothing but the impressions and latent tendencies within that person. According to the definition given by the Supreme Self, He is both the manifest and the unmanifest, and yet transcends both. You too transcend both. A drama upon the stage of a theatre may end in joy or sorrow, yet the light that illuminates both is beyond both. A ring and a necklace are both made of gold, yet gold cannot be defined merely as a ring or necklace. Gold is indeed these ornaments, yet it transcends both. In this way, being the essence of all names and forms, the Supreme Self is both manifest and unmanifest, and in His true nature, He is the imperishable, transcendent reality. That imperishable essence is consciousness itself, the illuminator of both the gross and the subtle. It is this imperishable consciousness that has assumed this cosmic form, which Arjuna now glorifies. This passage represents the universal prayers found in all the world's religions. People of any faith or community cannot object to it, for it embodies the very essence of the eternal truth that all spiritual traditions proclaim. It can elevate the devotee's heart to the threshold of the infinite. The devotee can experience it directly. Arjuna, in praising the Lord, speaks thus: