Devanagari
कथं विद्यामहं योगिंस्त्वां सदा परिचिन्तयन् ।
केषु केषु च भावेषु चिन्त्योऽसि भगवन्मया ॥ १७ ॥
Verse text
kathaṁ vidyām ahaṁ yogiṁs
tvāṁ sadā paricintayan
keṣu keṣu ca bhāveṣu
cintyo ’si bhagavan mayā
Synonyms
katham
—
how
;
vidyām aham
—
shall I know
;
yogin
—
O supreme mystic
;
tvām
—
You
;
sadā
—
always
;
paricintayan
—
thinking of
;
keṣu
—
in which
;
keṣu
—
in which
;
ca
—
also
;
bhāveṣu
—
natures
;
cintyaḥ asi
—
You are to be remembered
;
bhagavan
—
O Supreme
;
mayā
—
by me.
Translation
O Kṛṣṇa, O supreme mystic, how shall I constantly think of You, and how shall I know You? In what various forms are You to be remembered, O Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
17. O master of yoga māyā, by what method of thinking can I know You at all times? How should I think of You with devotion in various objects, O Lord?
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
17. O master of yoga māyā, in contemplating You constantly, in what manner should I know You? In which objects should I think of you while meditating, O Lord?
Translation (Bhurijana Dasa)
O Krsna, O supreme mystic, how shall I constantly think of You, and how shall I know You? In what various forms are You to be remembered, O Supreme Personality of Godhead?
(com) Krsna is yoga because He is covered by His yoga maya ‑ paricintayan ‑ thinking around You only.
"I can be known only by bhakti, please teach me. "Cintan bhakti" thinking of You will be my devotion and while doing this I'll work."
Gita Bhushan:
"How will I know You who has all auspicious qualities and who is the Lord of yoga maya. How should I meditate on You?"
Krsna: "Tell Me clearly what you want Me to do? Show My opulences or how I should be meditated upon?"
Arjuna: "O Janardana, again please describe in detail the mystic power of Your opulences. I am never satiated in hearing about You, for the more I hear the more I want to taste the nectar of Your words." (text 18)
Visvanath:
Krsna: "Why you are again and again asking?
I've answered with aham sarvasya 10.8. I've already explained."
Arjuna: "That's just seed. Explain to me more in detail. Ja nardhana ‑ means killer of people. Why?
By Your sweet teachings, You have created greed in Me and by that You are making me beg more and more from You." (ardana means beg also)
"My ears have become the agent for taste by Your speaking." (like tongue).
Gita Bhushan:
"I've already spoken ajo pi sam 4.6. raso ham apso. I've spoken so many times, why are you again asking?"
Vistarena ‑ "I want to hear in detail. By hearing Your sweet opulences, I'm still dissatisfied."
Purport
As it is stated in the previous chapter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is covered by His yoga-māyā. Only surrendered souls and devotees can see Him. Now Arjuna is convinced that his friend, Kṛṣṇa, is the Supreme Godhead, but he wants to know the general process by which the all-pervading Lord can be understood by the common man. Common men, including the demons and atheists, cannot know Kṛṣṇa, because He is guarded by His yoga-māyā energy. Again, these questions are asked by Arjuna for their benefit. The superior devotee is concerned not only for his own understanding but for the understanding of all mankind. So Arjuna, out of his mercy, because he is a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee, is opening for the common man the understanding of the all-pervasiveness of the Supreme Lord. He addresses Kṛṣṇa specifically as yogin because Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the master of the yoga-māyā energy, by which He is covered and uncovered to the common man. The common man who has no love for Kṛṣṇa cannot always think of Kṛṣṇa; therefore he has to think materially. Arjuna is considering the mode of thinking of the materialistic persons of this world. The words keṣu keṣu ca bhāveṣu refer to material nature (the word bhāva means “physical things”). Because materialists cannot understand Kṛṣṇa spiritually, they are advised to concentrate the mind on physical things and try to see how Kṛṣṇa is manifested by physical representations.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
“O Lord, one who possesses the yoga-māyā-śakti (yogin)!” This is similar to the construction of vanamalin, one who wears a garland of flowers. How can I, thinking of You, know You (vidyām) at all times? Of course you say bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ: only by bhakti can I be known as I am in truth. (BG 18.55) But in which objects (bhāveṣu) can I think of You? This means “How can I perform bhakti by thinking of You in various objects?”
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
“For what purpose are you saying this?”
Yoga refers to yoga māyā and yogī means the possessor of yoga māyā śakti. O yogī, master of yoga māyā! In contemplating You intently (paricintayan) and constantly (sadā), how should I understand you as the master of yoga māyā, full of unlimited, auspicious qualities? In which objects do you reveal Yourself (keṣu keṣu bhāveṣu) so that I can meditate upon You? Answer both of these questions. This can be done through describing the vibhūtis. Thus, teach me about those vibhūtis.
Surrender Unto Me
Krsna has already said that one who knows His opulences become united with Him in Yoga. He said that in the end of Section A of this Chapter (10:7). Arjuna wants to know about Krsna from Krsna, about all His opulences. If he doesn't hear about Krsna , from Krsna, Krsna will remain unknowable.
Krsna asks Arjuna: "What you want to hear? You want Me to tell you how you can meditate on Me or remember Me?"
Arjuna answers in next text, that he wants to hear more and more about Krsna and how he can be meditating upon Him.