10.12-10.13 Arjuna said You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme Light, the supreme Sanctifier. All the sages as also the divine sage Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa [Although Narada and the other sages are already mentioned by the words 'all the sages', still they are named separately because of their eminence. Asita is the father of Devala.] call You the eternal divine Person, the Primal God, the Birthless, the Omnipresent; and You Yourself verily tell me (so).

10.12 - 10.13 Arjuna said You are Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Light, and the Supreme Sanctifier. All the seers proclaim You as the eternal, divine Person, the Primal Lord, the unborn and all-pervading. So also proclaim the divine sages Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa. You Yourself also proclaim this.

।।10.12 -- 10.12।। अर्जुन बोले -- परम ब्रह्म, परम धाम और महान् पवित्र आप ही हैं। आप शाश्वत, दिव्य पुरुष, आदिदेव, अजन्मा और विभु (व्यापक) हैं -- ऐसा सब-के-सब ऋषि, देवर्षि नारद, असित, देवल तथा व्यास कहते हैं और स्वयं आप भी मेरे प्रति कहते हैं।

।।10.12।। व्याख्या --'परं ब्रह्म परं धाम पवित्रं परमं भवान्'-- अपने सामने बैठे हुए भगवान्की स्तुति करते हुए अर्जुन कहते हैं कि मेरे पूछनेपर जिसको आपने परम ब्रह्म (गीता 8। 3) कहा है, वह परम ब्रह्म आप ही हैं। जिसमें सब संसार स्थित रहता है, वह परम धाम अर्थात् परम स्थान आप ही हैं (गीता 9। 18)। जिसको पवित्रोंमें भी पवित्र कहते हैं -- 'पवित्राणां पवित्रं यः' वह महान् पवित्र भी आप ही हैं। 'पुरुषं शाश्वतं दिव्यमादिदेवमजं ৷৷. स्वयं चैव ब्रवीषि मे'-- ग्रन्थोंमें ऋषियोंने, (टिप्पणी प0 549.1) देवर्षि नारदने, (टिप्पणी प0 549.2)? असित और उनके पुत्र देवल ऋषिने (टिप्पणी प0 549.3) तथा महर्षि व्यासजीने (टिप्पणी प0 549.4) आपको शाश्वत, दिव्य पुरुष, आदिदेव, अजन्मा और विभु कहा है। आत्माके रूपमें 'शाश्वत' (गीता 2। 20), सगुण-निराकारके रूपमें 'दिव्य पुरुष' (गीता 8। 10), देवताओँ और महर्षियों आदिके रूपमें 'आदिदेव' (गीता 10। 2), मूढ़लोग मेरेको अज नहीं जानते (गीता 7। 25) तथा असम्मूढ़लोग मेरेको 'अज' जानते हैं (गीता 10। 3 ) -- इस रूपमें अज और मैं अव्यक्तरूपसे सारे संसारमें व्यापक हूँ (गीता 9। 4) -- इस रूपमें 'विभु' स्वयं आपने मेरे प्रति कहा है।

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.

In these two verses the Supreme Lord gives a chance to the Māyāvādī 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 paraṁ brahma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” And previously Kṛṣṇa stated 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 Personality of Godhead. That ignorance is removed perfectly by the discharge of devotional service. This has already been 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 that because Kṛṣṇa is Arjuna’s intimate friend Arjuna 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.