10.42 With a single part of myself Krishna speaks
अथवा बहुनैतेन किं ज्ञातेन तवार्जुन
विष्टभ्याहमिदं कृत्स्नमेकांशेन स्थितो जगत्
atha vā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
viṣhṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛitsnam ekānśhena sthito jagat
But what need is there of all this detail, Arjuna? I stand supporting this whole world with a single part of myself.
Explanation
But what need is there of all this detail?
Twenty-two verses of catalogue, dismissed in half a line — and then: I stand supporting this whole world with a single part of myself.
The chapter ends by making its own inventory unnecessary. Which is the right ending for it, and the reason Arjuna's next request in chapter 11 is not for more words.
Going further
Word by word
- athavā
- or
- bahunā
- detailed
- etena
- by this
- kim
- what
- jñātena tava
- can be known by you
- arjuna
- Arjun
- viṣhṭabhya
- pervade and support
- aham
- I
- idam
- this
- kṛitsnam
- entire
- eka
- by one
- anśhena
- fraction
- sthitaḥ
- am situated
- jagat
- creation
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But what need is there of all this detail? I stand supporting this whole world with a single part of myself.
Twenty-two verses of enumeration, and then the enumeration is waved away. The Gita does this repeatedly: builds the elaborate structure, then says the structure was scaffolding. Chapter 11 will not be a list.