The Heart of the Matter

The Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-Gītā

Yamunacharya says, “to further the origination and increase of bhakti, the 10th chapter sets forth in detail the knowledge of the infinite variety of God’s beautiful qualities and the utter dependence of the universe on God."

Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, " O mighty-armed Arjuna, listen again to the Word of God. Hear this for your benefit: It will give thee joy. The hosts of gods know not my origin. Neither gods nor rishis know me completely, for I am the origin of the gods and the high-souled rishis. He who knows me as the Supreme Lord of the worlds, without birth or beginning, he undeluded among mortals, is free from all sins. Intelligence, knowldege, the absence of delusion, forgiveness, truth, self-restraint, and tranquility, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear and also security, abstention from harm, evenness of mind, contentment, ascetic austerities, charity, fame and infamy are different qualities of material nature that have Me as their origin."

"The seven great rishis and the four Maharishis before them, even the Manus, were born from my mind. All the creatures in this world are ultimately offspring of these primal progenitors. Whoever knows the truth about this, understands my mystic Power and Glory. Who knows of my pre-eminence and mystic power will soon engage in devotional service and dedicate himself to me. Of this there is no doubt."

"I am the origin of all worlds, spiritual and material. Everything emanates from Me.  The wise who realize this worship Me and engage in devotional service to Me. They worship Me with all their hearts and become devoted to Me.  Their hearts absorbed in Me, their lives devoted to Me, they instruct one another about Me and  recite my glories. Those who verily know the glories of God relish hearing of them. Thus they are content and happy. "

As we have pointed out, Kṛṣṇa here asserts his divinity as the primordial monotheistic deity, and describes the perfection of divine love. He explains that the wise who understand these principles, dedicate themselves to Kṛṣṇa. These realized souls experience eternal ananda or transcendental ecstasy by celebrating the glories of God, Kṛṣṇa. These great souls are endowed with complete knowledge. Their ultimate destination is no less than Krsna's abode. Without divine love, the blessings of Kṛṣṇa are inconceivable even to the great scientists of spiritual knowledge.

The attributes of God are explored in this chapter. He is the ultimate abode, the purest & absolute truth. He is eternal, transcendental and the original person. While the opulences of God are boundless, Kṛṣṇa gives us a hint in this chapter of His glories. The Sanskrit word, "Bhagavan" means "One who is full in all opulences."

 Paraśara Muni has defined the opulence of Bhagavan as sublime power, excellent beauty, opulent fortune, absolute renunciation, perfect fame, and divine knowledge. Whatever aspects of these opulences are found in our experience are but pale imitations of God's  divine energies and opulence. The 10th chapter makes clear that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme cause of all causes and the essence of all living things.  Arjuna accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme, but still asks to see his unlimited universal form in the the 11th chapter.

 Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has called verses eight through twelve the catuh-sloki of the Bhagavad-gita. These four verses have an external meaning for practicing devotees and an internal meaning for those initiated in the confidential aspects of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti.  The best representative of his thought in the 20th century was Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara dev Goswāmī.
It's worth taking a more detailed look at his commentary. Here's the first of the four core verses of the Bhagavad-Gītā:

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo 

mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

 iti matvā bhajante māṁ 

bhudhā bhāva samanvitāḥ

अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो

 मत्तः सर्वं प्रवर्तते

 इति मत्वा भजन्ते मां 

भुधा भाव समन्विताः

(BG 10.8)

Śrīdhara Mahārāja's translator has the following:
"I am Kṛṣṇa, the Sweet Absolute. I am the root cause of the all-comprehensive aspect of the Absolute, the all permeating aspect of the absolute, and also the personal aspect of the absolute – the master of all potencies, who commands the respect of everyone – Lord Nārāyaṇa of Vaikuṇṭha.

The universes of mundane and divine flow, every attempt and movement, the Vedas and allied Scriptures which guide everyone's worship – are all initiated by me alone. Realizing this hidden treasure, the virtuous souls were blessed with fine theistic intelligence surpass the standards of duty on duty, and embrace the paramount path of love divine, rāga-mārga, and adore me forever."

Śrīdhara Mahārāja comments as follows: "verses 8 to 11 are the four principal verses of the Bhagavad-Gita. The ontological substance of the book is contained within these four essential verses, beginning with verse 8, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo... Everything emanates from me."

In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, (1.2.11, the three main conceptions of the absolute are given as Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Brahman is the all-comprehensive aspect of the Absolute, Paramātmā is the all-premeating aspect of the Absolute, and Bhagavān is the personal conception of the Absolute. The general definition of the word Bhagavān is given,

aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīrysasysa yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ

jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣaṇṇām bhaga itīṇganā 

(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

ऐश्वर्यस्य समग्रस्य वीर्य्सस्य्स यशसः श्रियः

ज्ञान-वैराग्ययोश् चैव षण्णाम् भग इतीण्गना

(विष्णु पुराण ६.५.४७)

Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord, is thus defined as "he who is inseparably replete with the six inconceivable qualities of wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation."
The characteristics of Bhagavān, as Lord Nārāyaṇa, is that all kinds of potencies are personally controlled by him. However,Śrīla Jīva Goswāmī has given a special and particularly fine interpretation. Bhagavān means bhajanīya guṇa-viśiṣṭa. His nature is such that whoever comes into contact with cannot resist serving you no one can resist feeling to worship and adore his charming personality. As Lord Kṛṣṇa, he attracts the love of everyone.
 Therefore, by the word sarvasya,  Lord Kṛṣṇa indicates, "I am svayaṁ Bhagavān, the supreme Lord to him self. I have the origin of not only Brahman, the all comprehensive aspect, and Paramātmā, the all pervading aspect. I have also the origin of the master of all potencies, who commands the respect of everyone – Lord Nārāyaṇa of Vaikuṇṭha."
In the next line, mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate "every attempt and movement begins from me, including the methods by which everyone worships and serves me in devotion."

nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo

na medhayā na bahunā śrutena

yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas

tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛnute tanūṁ svām

(Kaṭhopaniṣad 1.2.23)

नायम् आत्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यो

न मेधया न बहुना श्रुतेन

यम् एवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्यस्

तस्यैष आत्मा विवृनुते तनूं स्वाम्

(कठोपनिषद् १.२.२३)

"The Lord cannot be known by copious logic, intelligence, deep study of the Scriptures. But he reveals himself personally to the soul who, having become eager to engage in his devotional service, praise to him for his mercy."
In this way, mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate-- I am the first to reveal to the public, "worship me in this way." I appear as guru.  Since every attempt and movement flows from Krishna, including the methods by which he is worshiped and served, Krishna also reveals himself as guru. Krishna says here, "I appear as the guru and through him, I reveal the proper worship of myself." I show how to worship myself, appearing as guru.
In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, the guru is described by the Lord as his own direct manifestation.

ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān

 nāvamanyeta karhicit

 na martya buddhyāsūeyeta

 sarva deva mayo guruḥ

(bhāg 11. 17.27)

आचार्यं मां विजानीयान् 

नावमन्येत कर्हिचित् 

न मर्त्य बुद्ध्यासूएयेत

 सर्व देव मयो गुरुः

(भाग् ११. १७.२७)

Lord Krishna said to his devotee Uddhava, "you should know the bona fide spiritual master as my very self. Never dishonor him. The nature of gurudeva is everything that is godly, he should never be envied by ascribing one's mundane conception of place time and circumstances upon him."
Furthermore the Lord's finest potency is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇi. Of course, there are many other internal associates, but the highest order of devotional services represented in  Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇi. The Lord is therefore saying here, "Every attempt and movement begins from the. The methods by which everyone worships serves me originates enemy. My worship is shown by me. How? I, as my finest potency, worship myself."

Kṛṣṇa says, iti matvā bhajante māṁ, "understanding this conception, the devotee will come to worship me, always under the direction of my best worship – my finest potency and representation – Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇi, or gurudeva. Crossing gurudeva, who is the representative of her line, the highest and most desirable form of service to me is not possible.." Rādhā-dāsyam, the servitorship of  Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇi, is indicated here. Only those who are blessed with divine intelligence will be able to appreciate this, not persons with self acquired intelligence from this māyika quarter, the world of misconception. In this verse, the word budhāḥ  refers to sumedhasaḥ  as described in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.5.32): persons of fine theistic intelligence arising from direct connection with the transcendental plane.

The inner guidance and direction they receive is the outcome of sukṛti, divine merit acquired by the association of pure devotees.

The word bhāva-samanvitāḥ means rāga-samanvitāh--anurāga--love and attraction which is affinity, not by strictly following scriptural rules, or drawn from any plane of loss and gain, but from bhāva,  inner divine inspiration. Devotion of this high type is completely non-calculative (jñāna-śunya bhakti)  as described by Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī in Śrī Bhakti rasāmṛta-sindhu:

anyābhilāṣita śunyam

 jñāna karmādy anāvṛtam

 ānukūlena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

(BRS 1.1.9)

आचार्यं मां विजानीयान् नावमन्येत कर्हिचित् न मर्त्य बुद्ध्यासूएयेत सर्व देव मयो गुरुः

(भाग् ११. १७.२७)

"the highest devotion pleases the transcendental desires of Lord Krishna and is free from the extra wallcoverings of any pursuits based on action or knowledge."
The most rare and elevated stage of devotion is the line of spontaneous devotion known as rāga-marga.  In that line, guided by the qualified guru, and elevated pure difficulty may gradually come to render service to a leader of one of the groups of Kṛṣṇa's personal associates, who serve the Lord in his pastimes in friendship,  parenthood, or consort. (sakhya, vatsalya, or madhura-rasa.)

In Vṛṇdāvana, the Lord is being served in spontaneous devotion by his friends such as Subala Sakhā, and by his parents, Nanda Mahārāja and mother Yaśoda. Gopīs  such as Lalitā and Viśakhā serve Him in conjugal love. But amongst all His associates, and amongst all the gopīs,  the highest order of divine loving serrvice is rendered to the Lord by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. There fore, the acme of rāga-mārga  is to render service unto Rādhārāṇī (Rādhā-dāsyam) This is the highest ogal of the Rūpānuga Gauḍiya Sampradāya, the follwers of pure devotioin as taught by Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī Prabhupāda, in the line of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.