So far Arjuna was chanting the glories of the God in His transcendental form. A devotee (Upasaka) may wonder what exactly the relationship of the Supreme with his particular Lord-of-the-heart (Upasya) is. The forms and names of Deities conceived of, and fervently prayed to in ancient times, are generally representations of the manifested phenomenal powers.

In the Vedic period, Vayu (the Wind), Yama (the Destroyer), Agni (the Fire), Varuna (the Sea-god), Shashanka (the Moon)* and Prajapati (The Creator) were considered as Deities for reverence and devotion, concentration and growth of the seeker’s inner personality. These gods were involved in those days through chantings and worship, through rituals and sacrifices, and therefore, they were the only popular concepts of God even in the minds of the educated. Oftentimes and everywhere, “means” have a tendency to get misunderstood as the very “goal.” Arjuna, here in his true understanding, indicates the Infinite, the Source of all potentialities, the Lord, as nothing other than Krishna, the Infinite.

That the Supreme Lord, in fact, expressing through various functions, Himself plays the part of these Deities, is an acceptable view from the standpoint of Vedanta. In our own times it is usual for the devotees to invoke the Lord and assert that ‘the Lord of their heart’ is the Lord of all Lords. To this Lord of all Lords, Arjuna prostrates.

You are vayuh, Air; yamah, Death; and agnih, Fire; varunah, the god of the waters; sasankah, the moon; prajapatih, the Lord of the creatures- Kasyapa and others [See note on p.2.-Tr.]; and pra-pitamahah, the Great-grandfather, i.e. the Father ever of Brahma (Hiranyagarbha). Namo, salutations; namah, salutation; astu, be; te, to You; sahasra-krtvah, a thousand times. Punah ca bhuyah api namo te, salutation to You again and again; namah, salutation! The suffix krtvasuc (after sahasra) indicates performance and repetition of the act of salutation a number of times. The words punah ca bhuyah api (again and again) indicate his own dissatisfaction [Dissatisfaction with only a few salutations.] owing to abundance of reverence and devotion. So also,