10.1 The Blessed Unborn Lord said: Arjuna, listen-well to all that I bestow upon you, for you are my dearly beloved.
10.2 Neither the gods nor exotic beings nor holy sages know my origin, for I AM the Source of them all.
10.3 Only those who recognize Me as the Unborn and Beginningless Lord of ALL truly know Me As I AM In My Self. Thus they are stripped-clean from all their delusions and become free from all past transgressions.
Even the gods and demigods and great sages have tried to understand the Unborn through excessive mental-speculation and have always failed in their fruitless efforts. Yet out of infinite compassion the Lord descends to wash away the sand from weary eyes and minds and thus implants the undefiled and Immaculate Seed of Bodhi.
Conditioned-existence is plagued with fear and trembling and decay and death. The unconditioned and uncreated and thus Unborn Spirit is the only changeless-Reality in the troubled sea of re-becoming. Truly favorable is the spirit of one who has ascended beyond the veil and who *knows* through unbounded clarity the Unborn-Self—such a Noble one is cleansed from all past karmic-transgressions and enjoys the purification and transcendental-joys that only the Absolute and Divine Atman alone can bestow.
10.4-10.5 Wisdom, self-forgiveness, Truth, peace of mind and spirit, the pangs of birth and death, fear and courage, equanimity, non-violence, contentment and perseverance in spiritual disciplines, all these characteristics have their origin in My-outflows that are spread across the map of many and diverse modes of sequential operation.
Just as everything in the mind of man is orchestrated out of consciousness, just so does everything in the Cosmic-Orbit proceed from the projections of the Unborn Mind. Samatā, equanimity, is the one quality out of this universal-potpourri that can foster freedom from both attachment and aversion from all that is a matter of manifestation. Thus, being bestowed with the Amala-consciousness one has nothing to accept nor reject except that which is revealed as being of Divine-benefit.
[10.6 The seven great sages [rishis] and the four ancient founders of humanity (manus) were formed in my mind, and from me received their vitality. The rest of the world’s creatures subsequently evolved from them.
What is meant by the seven rishis and the four manus? They have various names with esoteric aspects. The seven rishis represent the seven planes of consciousness. Consciousness functions at seven different levels in this creation. This was long ago described by a sage who was addressing [the Blessed One] and said, “Lord, I was in all those different levels and gradually evolved to the level of a human being. Please help me to go further and not backward.” There are seven levels of consciousness in the creation. At the highest level are the devas, the gods. (It might surprise you to find that even the devas are part of the creation, which means they are not the Absolute supreme godhead. They also have different levels; there are higher and lower level gods.)
Number two is the human level. Three, the animals. Four, the birds. Five, the reptiles. Six, aquatic creatures. Seven, immobile things which are inanimate, stationary.
The creation is divided into the mobile and the immobile. Certain life forms have mobility. Others, such as trees, plants, rocks, metals, have immobility. They don’t move by themselves— at least for the normal eye. But isn’t it surprising that even thousands of years ago they recognized consciousness in the immobile things also. That’s why immobile is one of the seven categories.
Now the manus. Manu means law-giver. They decide who should do what, and how. Sometimes it’s said that there are four manus who arrange the order of the creation. Don’t misunderstand. They are all just different aspects of the one absolute. They are not created like the rest. This means one and the same consciousness is functioning on various levels to create and give order to the different levels of creation. That’s what Krishna is trying to explain in this sloka.
Satchidananda, Sri Swami (2013-09-16). The Living Gita: The Complete Bhagavad Gita: a Commentary for Modern Readers (p. 149-150). Integral Yoga Publications. Kindle Edition.]
10.7 Whoever understands the power and mystery behind my manifestations is united with Me in Mind and Spirit.
10.8 I AM the Source of everything and everything proceeds from my essence. The wise Self-realize this and are eternally devoted to Me.
Ekam sat—only One IS. In the ancient Vedas the very cosmos itself is said to expand like the web of a spider out of the Divine Essence. Thus, the One and Unborn Lord is the Divine Thread, or immaculate essence, running through ALL.
10.9 The minds of devoted Yogins always keep Me foremost in mind. They have dedicated every-breath to Me. When they engage in discourse I AM their sole-theme; thus my devotees are always blessedly content as their thoughts are illumined with my Divine Grace.
Unborn-United Yogins, their life wholly immersed in the Divine Fragrance of Selfhood, are always aware of the Blessed-One’s omniscient-presence. They cry-within, “In Your Spirit, Blessed Lord, am I fulfilled.”
10.10 To those who are steadfastly attuned to My Spirit, I bestow upon them a Holy Mantle so that they are drawn close to Me.
10.11 Out of my Infinite Compassion I dispel the darkness of ignorance from their minds; I AM the inward Lamp of radiant Self-gnosis, perpetually leading them away from the snares of the evil one.
The Lord’s wisdom-lamp perpetually burns within, like a Divine pilot-light for the soul.