Gita 11.37

Chapter 11: The Universal Form

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Gita 11.37
कस्माच्च ते न नमेरन्महात्मन्गरीयसे ब्रह्मणोऽप्यादिकर्त्रे। अनन्त देवेश जगन्निवास त्वमक्षरं सदसत्तत्परं यत्।।

kasmāc ca te na nameran mahātman garīyase brahmaṇo 'py ādi-kartre ananta deveśa jagan-nivāsa tvam akṣaraṁ sad-asat tat paraṁ yat

"And why should they not bow to You, O Great Soul—greater even than Brahma, the original creator? O Infinite One, Lord of gods, refuge of the universe, You are the imperishable, the existent, the non-existent, and what is beyond both."

What This Means:

Arjuna continues reasoning: why WOULDN'T they bow? You're greater than Brahma the creator. You're infinite, lord of gods, refuge of all, the imperishable, being, non-being, and beyond both.

Going Deeper:

This is sophisticated theology: Krishna is not just being (sat) or non-being (asat) but BEYOND both (tat-param). The ultimate transcends all categories, even existence/non-existence.

How To Apply This:

Ultimate reality exceeds our categories, including being/non-being. Don't try to fit the Divine into any single concept. It's beyond all concepts, including 'beyond.'

Key Sanskrit Terms:

Garīyasa= GreaterĀdi-kartṛ= Original creatorSat-asat-tat-para= Being, non-being, and beyond