Knowing Krishna: Who is God?

• Jagganath: Lord of the Universe


• Hrishikesh: Controller of the senses


• Dinabindu: Friend of the afflicted


• Dinanatha: Refuge of the destitute


• Gopal: Protector of cows; Protector of life


• Mukund: The One who gives mukti (liberation)


• Patita Paavan: Purifier of the fallen


• Madan: Lord of Love


• Madhava: Knowledge-filled God

"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. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:12-13


"Indeed, You alone know Yourself by Your own potencies, O origin of all, Lord of all beings, God of gods, O Supreme Person, Lord of the universe!" - Bhagavad Gita, 10:15





"Of the Adityas I am Visnu, of lights I am the radiant sun, I am Marici of the Maruts, and among the stars I am the moon." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:21


"Of the Vedas I am the Sama-veda; of the demigods I am Indra; of the senses I am the mind, and in living beings I am the living force [knowledge]." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:22


"Of all the Rudras I am Lord Siva; of the Yaksas and Raksasas I am the Lord of wealth [Kuvera]; of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am Meru." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:23


"Of priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brhaspati, the lord of devotion. Of generals I am Skanda, the lord of war; and of bodies of water I am the ocean." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:24


"Of the great sages I am Bhrgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental om. Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa], and of immovable things I am the Himalayas." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:25


"Of all trees I am the holy fig tree, and among sages and demigods I am Narada. Of the singers of the gods [Gandharvas] I am Citraratha, and among perfected beings I am the sage Kapila." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:26




"Of horses know Me to be Uccaihsrava, who rose out of the ocean, born of the elixir of immortality; of lordly elephants I am Airavata, and among men I am the monarch." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:21


"Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the surabhi, givers of abundant milk. Of procreators I am Kandarpa, the god of love, and of serpents I am Vasuki, the chief." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:28


"Of the celestial Naga snakes I am Ananta; of the aquatic deities I am Varuna. Of departed ancestors I am Aryama, and among the dispensers of law I am Yama, lord of death." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:29


"Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlada; among subduers I am time; among the beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuda, the feathered carrier of Visnu." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:30


"Of purifiers I am the wind; of the wielders of weapons I am Rama; of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:31


"Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the self, and among logicians I am the conclusive truth." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:32


"Of letters I am the letter A, and among compounds I am the dual word. I am also inexhaustible time, and of creators I am Brahma, whose manifold faces turn everywhere." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:33


"I am all-devouring death, and I am the generator of all things yet to be. Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, faithfulness and patience." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:34


"Of hymns I am the Brhat-sama sung to the Lord Indra, and of poetry I am the Gayatri verse, sung daily by Brahmanas. Of months I am November and December, and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:35


"I am also the gambling of cheats, and of the splendid I am the splendor. I am victory, I am adventure, and I am the strength of the strong." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:36


"Of the descendants of Vrsni I am Vasudeva, and of the Pandavas I am Arjuna. Of the sages I am Vyasa, and among great thinkers I am Usana." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:37


"Among punishments I am the rod of chastisement, and of those who seek victory, I am morality. Of secret things I am silence, and of the wise I am wisdom." - Bhagavad Gita, 10:38




"O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread." - Bhagavad Gita, 7:7


"O son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man." - Bhagavad Gita, 7:8

"I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics." - Bhagavad Gita, 7:9

"O son of Prtha, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men." - Bhagavad Gita, 7:10

"I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the Bharatas [Arjuna]." - Bhagavad Gita, 7:11





"The whole cosmic order is under Me. By My will it is manifested again and again, and by My will it is annihilated at the end." - Bhagavad Gita, 9:8

"O Arjuna, I control heat, the rain and the drought. I am immortality, and I am also death personified. Both being and nonbeing are in Me." - Bhagavad Gita, 9:19

"I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas I am to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas." - Bhagavad Gita, 15:15




"Others, who are engaged in the cultivation of knowledge, worship the Supreme Lord as the one without a second, diverse in many, and in the universal form." - Bhagavad Gita, 9:15




"But it is I who am the ritual, I the sacrifice, the offering to the ancestors, the healing herb, the transcendental chant. I am the butter and the fire and the offering." - Bhagavad Gita, 9:16

"I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support, and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable om. I am also the Rg, the Sama, and the Yajur [Vedas]." - Bhagavad Gita, 9:17

"I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed." - Bhagavad Gita, 9:18

Hare Krishna