Bg. 10.12-13

अर्जुन उवाच ।
परं ब्रह्म परं धाम पवित्रं परमं भवान् ।
पुरुषं शाश्वतं दिव्यमादिदेवमजं विभुम् ॥१२॥
आहुस्त्वामृषयः सर्वे देवर्षिर्नारदस्तथा ।
असितो देवलो व्यासः स्वयं चैव ब्रवीषि मे ॥१३॥

arjuna uvāca
paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum

āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve
devarṣir nāradas tathā
asito devalo vyāsaḥ
svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me

arjunaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigarjunaḥ

Arjuna; by the name Kārtavīryārjuna; Kārtavīryārjuna. uvācaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biguvāca

answered; described; explained; he recited; he said; inquired; prayed; replied; said; she said; she spoke; spoke; talked with them.—Arjuna said; paramplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigparam

above; absolute; after; after the initiation; afterwards; and afterward; another; as long as that of Lord Brahmā; as the ultimate goal of life; best; better means; beyond; beyond material nature; beyond that; but; but afterwards; distant; elevation to the heavenly planets or becoming one by merging into Brahman; enemies; far superior things; final; further supreme; Godhead; great; greater; greatest; heavy; higher; highest; liberation; merely; more supreme; most glorious; only; only or ultimately; only this earth; other; other thing; others; perfect; perfectly; sublime; superior; superior life; supreme; supreme, transcendental; that much only; the actual transcendental position; the best; the foremost; the goal of life; the greatest; the highest; the most exalted; the only means; the supreme; the supreme abode; the supreme knowledge (by which one can attain devotional service); the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Person; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the supreme whole; the transcendental world; the ultimate goal; to the transcendental spiritual kingdom; to the transcendental world; topmost; transcendence; transcendental; transcendental knowledge; transcendental to, beyond; transcendental world; ultimate; uncommon; under control; very great; very much; who are transcendental, beyond this material world; who is transcendental.—supreme; brahmaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbrahma

brahma; brāhmaṇas; mantras beginning with oṁ (such as oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ); Veda; Vedas; absolute; Absolute Truth; all my brahminical qualifications; all the Vedas; all the Vedas with their different branches of knowledge; all the Vedas; all transcendental literatures; and brahma; Being; brahma; Brahmaloka; Brahman; brahminical civilization; brahminical culture; by Lord Brahmā; called by the name Brahman; from the activities of Brahman realization or austerity; Gāyatrī hymns; impersonal Brahman; impersonal Brahman realization; is the brāhmaṇas; knowledge of Brahman; Kṛṣṇa; Lord Brahmā; of a brāhmaṇa; of impersonal Brahman; of impersonal Brahman, or the Absolute Truth; of Lord Brahmā; of the brāhmaṇas; of the impersonal effulgence; spirit; spiritual; spiritual kingdom; spiritual knowledge; spiritual nature; spiritual power; Supreme; the brāhmaṇas; the Vedas; the Absolute; the Absolute Truth; the all-pervading Absolute Truth; the brahminical culture; the greatest; the Gāyatrī mantra; the impersonal Brahman (which is an emanation from Kṛṣṇa); the impersonal Brahman; the impersonal Brahman effulgence; the impersonal feature; the Parabrahman, Kṛṣṇa; the personified Vedas; the Supreme; the Supreme Absolute Truth; the Supreme Brahman; the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the supreme spirit; the supreme truth, the Absolute Truth, Brahman; the Vedic knowledge; the Vedic literatures; the Vedic wisdom; Transcendence; transcendental; truth; unlimited; Vedic; Vedic knowledge; Vedic sound; without change; You are known as Brahman.—truth; paramplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigparam

above; absolute; after; after the initiation; afterwards; and afterward; another; as long as that of Lord Brahmā; as the ultimate goal of life; best; better means; beyond; beyond material nature; beyond that; but; but afterwards; distant; elevation to the heavenly planets or becoming one by merging into Brahman; enemies; far superior things; final; further supreme; Godhead; great; greater; greatest; heavy; higher; highest; liberation; merely; more supreme; most glorious; only; only or ultimately; only this earth; other; other thing; others; perfect; perfectly; sublime; superior; superior life; supreme; supreme, transcendental; that much only; the actual transcendental position; the best; the foremost; the goal of life; the greatest; the highest; the most exalted; the only means; the supreme; the supreme abode; the supreme knowledge (by which one can attain devotional service); the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Person; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the supreme whole; the transcendental world; the ultimate goal; to the transcendental spiritual kingdom; to the transcendental world; topmost; transcendence; transcendental; transcendental knowledge; transcendental to, beyond; transcendental world; ultimate; uncommon; under control; very great; very much; who are transcendental, beyond this material world; who is transcendental.—supreme; dhāmaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdhama

a plenary expansion; abode; abodes; are situated; for the topmost planet; Her bodily luster; incarnation; is the reservoir; place; planets; refuge; reservoir; shelter; sustenance; the abode; the glories; the place; the plenary expansion; the residence; the spiritual effulgence; the spiritual world; to His abode; to the abode; to the spiritual world; which is the place of repose.—sustenance; pavitramplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpavitram

perfectly pure; pure; purest; purified; sacred; sanctified; that which purifies; the purest; very pure; very sanctified.—purest; paramamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigparamam

a supreme; divine; extreme; foremost; highest; is the supreme; most; supreme; the best (within the universe); the best; the Supreme; the ultimate; the ultimate goal; topmost; transcendental; ultimate; very; very great; very severe; with great.—supreme; bhavānplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhavan

O father; O my Lord; of yourself; unto you; You; you are; you are that person; you yourself; your good self; Your Goodness; Your Grace; Your Honor; Your Lordship (Mahārāja Parīkṣit); Your Lordship; Your Majesty; yourself.—Yourself; puruṣamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpurusam

a male; a man; a person; another person; enjoyer; human; incarnation for cosmic manifestation; living entities; Lord Viṣṇu; man; person; personalities; personality; Personality of Godhead; the enjoyer; the living entities; the living entity; the living entity, the enjoyer; the Lord; the man; the person; the person situated in everyone's heart; the Personality of Godhead; the spirit soul; the Supersoul; the supreme enjoyer; the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Person; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; to a person; to the Supreme person; unto the Personality of Godhead; unto the Supreme Person; unto the Supreme Personality; unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.—personality; śāśvatamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsasvatam

eternal.—original; divyamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdivyam

celestial; divine; easily obtained because of rainfall from the sky; extraordinary; heavenly; in the spiritual kingdom; of the demigods; pertaining to the demigods in the higher planets; spiritual; superhuman; transcendental; uncommon; wonderful.—transcendental; ādiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigādi

a beginning; all such places; all these; all together; and other arrangements; and other things; and others; and similar other persons; and so on; and the other; beginning; beginning with; by artificially practicing detachment, by the mechanical practice of yoga, by studying the Sāṅkhya philosophy, and so on; etc; everything; first; headed by; heading; heading the list; in the beginning; in the beginning of the millennium; original; originally; other subject matters; primarily; the beginning; the first; the original.-devamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdevam

a demigod; as the worshipable deity; at last to the chief demigod; divine; Lord Viṣṇu; Lord Vāsudeva; Lord Śiva; shining; the demigod; the great demigod; the Lord; the Personality of Godhead; the sun-god; the supreme demigod; the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Lord Himself; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; unto Lord Śiva; unto the Deity; unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; upon the Lord.—original Lord; ajamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigajam

birthless; Lord Brahmā; the unborn; to the unborn (Brahmā); unborn; unto Lord Brahmā; unto the supreme unborn one; who is never born, eternally existing.—unborn; vibhumplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvibhum

all-pervading; all-powerful; before Lord Brahmā; for the Supreme Personality of Godhead; greatest; Lord Śiva; that great personality; the great Almighty; the Lord; the Supreme; the Supreme Lord; the supreme person within this universe; the very great personality; unto King Indra; unto the Lord; Vibhu.—greatest; āhuḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigāhuḥ

all the learned scholars say; are called; declare; have said; is called; is known; is said; is spoken; it is said; it is so said; learned scholars say; said; say; says; speak; the gopīs said; they began to say; they call; they said; they say.—say; tvāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtvam

establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.—unto You; ṛṣayaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigrsayah

all learned ṛṣis, saintly persons; all the ṛṣis; all the great saintly persons; all the sages; all the saintly persons; all the saintly sages; great sages; great sages and saintly persons; great saintly persons; great saintly persons like Mārkaṇḍeya; great saintly sages; great saints; learned scholars; O great sages; sages; sages who perform such sacrifices; saintly persons; the great ṛṣis such as Bhṛgu; the great sages; the great sages and saintly persons; the great saintly persons; the great saintly sages; the learned sages; the sages (in the forest); the sages; the seven ṛṣis; the seven ṛṣis of the seven planets; the seven famous sages; the seven sages; those who are active within; very saintly persons.—sages; sarveplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsarve

all (great political, social and religious leaders); all (such places); all; all collectively; all his younger brothers; all kinds of; all of the demigods; all of them; all of us; all of you; all other; all present; all sorts of; all the boys and Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; all the cowherd boys; all the demigods; all the demons; all the Prajāpatis; all the soldiers (on both sides); all these; all together; every one of them; everyone; everything; in all; Kṛṣṇa and all the cowherd boys; respectively; taken together; totally.—all; devarṣiḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdevarṣiḥ

the great ṛṣi among the gods; the great sage Nārada; the great saint Devarṣi Nārada; the greatest saintly person, Nārada; the sage among the demigods; the sage of the gods.—the sage among the demigods; nāradaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bignāradaḥ

Mahāmuni Nārada; Nārada; Nārada Muni; the great sage Nārada; the great saint; the great saint Nārada; the heavenly sage Nārada; the sage Nārada.—Nārada; tathāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigtatha

so.—also; asitaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigasitah

Asita; not bound.—Asita; devalaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdevalaḥ

Devala; the great sage Devala.—Devala; vyāsaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvyāsaḥ

the great sage of Vyāsa; Vyāsa; Vyāsa, the compiler of all Vedic literature; Vyāsadeva.—Vyāsa; svayamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsvayam

automatically; by himself; by itself; by Yourself; he himself; he, the living entity himself; himself; his own life; his own self; in its own way; in person; independently (without asking permission from Indra); independently; is Himself; itself; of his own accord; personal; personality (as Viṣṇu); personality; personally; personally deliberating; personally Himself; personally Lord Kṛṣṇa; personally the Supreme Personality of Godhead; personified; self; self-sufficient; themselves; yourself.—personally; caplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigca

ca; all these; also; also other bodily forms; also that I have not been able to ask; and (the five gross material elements and the ten acting and knowledge-gathering senses); and; and also; and Devahūti; and for all; and the paraphernalia; as also; as much as; as well; as well as; but; certainly; either; however; indeed; only; or; over and above; respectively; the word ca; this word ca; thus; totally; unlimitedly; verily.—also; evaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigeva

alone; also; also the word eva; although; as; as it is; as it were; as much as; as they are; at all; at that time; certainly; certainly,; certainty; completely; definitely; even; ever; exactly; exactly like; factually; Himself; immediately; in fact; in this way; indeed; it is all like that; just; just so; like; like that; like this; of course; on the very; only; quite; simply; so; surely; the word eva; they are; thus; truly; undoubtedly; very; without doubt.—certainly; bravīṣiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbravīṣi

as you speak; explaining.—explaining; meplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigme

about me; by me; executed by me; for me; from Me; Me; mind; mine; my; my duty; myself; of me (Hiraṇyakaśipu); of me; of Mine; of Myself; on me; to Me; unto me; upon me; with me.—unto me. ¶

Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. ¶

In these two verses the Supreme Lord gives a chance to the modern philosopher, for here it is clear that the Supreme is different from the individual soul. Arjuna, after hearing the essential four verses of Bhagavad-gītā in this chapter, became completely free from all doubts and accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He at once boldly declares, “You are Parambrahma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” And previously Kṛṣṇa states that He is the originator of everything and everyone. Every demigod and every human being is dependent on Him. Men and demigods, out of ignorance, think that they are absolute and independent of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. That ignorance is removed perfectly by the discharge of devotional service. This is already explained in the previous verse by the Lord. Now by His grace, Arjuna is accepting Him as the Supreme Truth, in concordance with the Vedic injunction. It is not because Kṛṣṇa is an intimate friend of Arjuna that he is flattering Him by calling Him the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth. Whatever Arjuna says in these two verses is confirmed by Vedic truth. Vedic injunctions affirm that only one who takes to devotional service to the Supreme Lord can understand Him, whereas others cannot. Each and every word of this verse spoken by Arjuna is confirmed by Vedic injunction. ¶

In the Kena Upaniṣad it is stated that the Supreme Brahman is the rest for everything, and Kṛṣṇa has already explained that everything is resting on Him. The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad confirms that the Supreme Lord, in whom everything is resting, can be realized only by those who engage constantly in thinking of Him. This constant thinking of Kṛṣṇa is smaraṇam, one of the methods of devotional service. It is only by devotional service to Kṛṣṇa that one can understand his position and get rid of this material body. ¶

In the Vedas the Supreme Lord is accepted as the purest of the pure. One who understands that Kṛṣṇa is the purest of the pure can become purified from all sinful activities. One cannot be disinfected from sinful activities unless he surrenders unto the Supreme Lord. Arjuna’s acceptance of Kṛṣṇa as the supreme pure complies with the injunctions of Vedic literature. This is also confirmed by great personalities, of whom Nārada is the chief. ¶

Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and one should always meditate upon Him and enjoy one’s transcendental relationship with Him. He is the supreme existence. He is free from bodily needs, birth and death. Not only does Arjuna confirm this, but all the Vedic literatures, the Purāṇas and histories. In all Vedic literatures Kṛṣṇa is thus described, and the Supreme Lord Himself also says in the Fourth Chapter, “Although I am unborn, I appear on this earth to establish religious principles.” He is the supreme origin; He has no cause, for He is the cause of all causes, and everything is emanating from Him. This perfect knowledge can be had by the grace of the Supreme Lord. ¶

Here Arjuna expresses himself through the grace of Kṛṣṇa. If we want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, we should accept the statements in these two verses. This is called the paramparā system, acceptance of the disciplic succession. Unless one is in the disciplic succession, he cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. It is not possible by so-called academic education. Unfortunately those proud of their academic education, despite so much evidence in Vedic literatures, stick to their obstinate conviction that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary person. ¶