A core teaching · expansive in mood · a little context helps
“The divine can be named briefly, never exhausted.”
Krishna said: I will tell you briefly of my divine manifestations, chief of them, Arjuna, for there is no end to their विस्तार.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallythe Blessed Lord said · indeed · to you · I will tell · divine · indeed · my own manifestations · O best of the Kurus · there is not · end · of me
Krishna agrees to describe his chief divine manifestations, but only in brief, because his full extent has no limit.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vibhuti Yoga" (The Yoga of Divine Glories).
Verse 19 sits in Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vibhuti Yoga, "The Yoga of Divine Glories". The chapter has 42 verses in total.
You ask someone to explain what keeps them steady through chaos, and they give you a few examples — then admit the real answer is bigger than any summary.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from trying to catalogue the divine to recognising its limitless presence in what stands out most.
What this verse means
Krishna agrees to describe his chief divine manifestations, but only in brief, because his full extent has no limit.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna keeps asking Krishna to explain how to remember him in daily life. Krishna now answers by promising a selective list of his chief manifestations, while making clear that his full greatness cannot be contained in any list.
Why this verse still matters
You ask someone to explain what keeps them steady through chaos, and they give you a few examples — then admit the real answer is bigger than any summary.
“There is comfort in knowing the divine presence cannot be exhausted or fully measured.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses), krishna teaching (11 verses)