BhG 10.21

syntax

ādityānām (among the descendants Aditi) aham (I) viṣṇuḥ (Viṣṇu) [asmi] (I am),
jyotiṣāṁ (among the lights) [aham] (I) aṁśumān raviḥ (the radiant Sun) [asmi] (I am),
marutām (among the winds) [aham] (I) marīciḥ (Marīci) asmi (I am),
nakṣatrāṇām (among stars) ahaṁ (I) śaśī [asmi] (I am the Moon).

grammar

ādityānām	–	āditya 6n.3 m. – among the descendants of Aditi (from: a-diti – boundless, free, abundance, perfection; daughter of Dakṣa, wife of Kaśyapa; twelve sons of Aditi: Dhātṛ, Mitra, Aryaman, Rudra, Varuṇa, Sūrya, Bhaga, Vivasvant, Pūṣan, Savitṛ, Tvaṣṭṛ, Viṣṇu);
aham	–	asmat sn. 1n.1 – I;
viṣṇuḥ	–	viṣṇu 1n.1 m. – pervading, Viṣṇu (from: vi-√snu – to drip, to emit or vi-√sru – to flow, to emit; or may be from: √viś – to enter or vi-√aś – to reach, to fill, to penetrate or √viṣ – to perform; the word does not contain suffix -snu – as it is eg in jiṣṇu – because vi unlike ji is not a verbal root; here are some traditional definitions: vyāptaṁ tvayaiva viśatā trailokyam sa-carācaram – the three worlds with moving and non-moving [creatures] are pervaded just by you Matsya-purāṇa 248.41; viśeṣeṇa snauti prasravate gacchatīti viṣṇuḥ – Viṣṇu: particularly emits, flows forth, goes Mbh.5.70.13; viṣṇur viśater vā vyaśnoter vā – Viṣṇu [comes from] viśati or vyaśnoti [enters, reaches] Nirukti 12.18; atha yad viśito bhavati tad viṣnur – thus what is let loose is Viṣṇu . viṣṇāter viśater vā syād veveṣṭer vyāpti karmaṇaḥ viṣṇur nirucyate sūryaḥ sarvaṁ sarvāntaraś ca yaḥ The word Viṣṇu may come from these activities: viṣṇāti, viśati, veveṣṭi or vyāpti [acts, enters, is active, pervades]. Therefore the one who is all and is in all is called the Sun Bṛhad-devatā 2.69;
jyotiṣām	–	jyotiḥ 6n.3 n. – among the lights;
raviḥ	–	ravi 1n.1 m. – the Sun (from: √ru – to break or √ru – to roar);
aṁśumān	–	aṁśu-mant 1n.1 m. – having rays, radiant (from: √aṁś – to distribute, aṁśu – filament, sunbeam, minute particle; -mant / -vant – suffix denoting one who possesses);
marīciḥ	–	marīci 1n.1 m. – sunbeam, Marīci – one of the seven sages (from: marut – god of the wind);
marutām	–	mārut 6n.3 m. – among the winds, among the Maruts (marut – god of the wind; seven winds: āvaha, pravaha, vivaha, parāvaha, udvaha, saṁvaha, parivaha);
asmi	–	√as (to be) Praes. P 3v.1 – I am;
nakṣatrāṇām	–	nakṣatra 6n.3 n. – among stars (from: √nakṣ – to come near, to arrive; nakṣatra – star, constellation, lunar mansion);
aham	–	asmat sn. 1n.1 – I;
śaśī	–	śaśin 1n.1 m. – with a [sign of a] rabbit, the Moon (from: śaśa – rabbit, hare);

textual variants

ravir → aham (I);

Śāṃkara

evaṃ ca dhyeyo’haṃ—

ādityānāṃ dvādaśānāṃ viṣṇur nāma ādityo’ham | jyotiṣāṃ raviḥ prakāśayitṝṇām aṃśumān raśmimān | marīcir nāma marutāṃ marud-devatā-bhedānām asmi | nakṣatrāṇām ahaṃ śaśī candramāḥ

Rāmānuja

evaṃ bhagavataḥ svavibhūtibhūteṣu sarveṣv ātmatayāvasthānaṃ tattacchabdasāmānādhikaraṇyanirdeśahetuṃ pratipādya vibhūtiviśeṣān sāmānādhikaraṇyena vyapadiśati / bhagavaty ātmatayāvasthite hi sarve śabdās tasminn eva paryavasyanti; yathā devo manuṣyaḥ pakṣī vṛkṣaḥ ityādayaḥ śabdāḥ śarīrāṇi pratipādayantas tattadātmani paryavasyanti / bhagavatas tattadātmatayāvasthānam eva tattacchabdasāmānādhikaraṇyanibandhanam iti vibhūtyupasaṃhāre vakṣyati; „na tad asti vinā yat syān mayā bhūtaṃ carācaram” iti sarveṣāṃ svenāvinābhāvavacanāt / avinābhāvaś ca niyāmyatayeti; „mattas sarvaṃ pravartate” ity upakramoditam /

dvādaśasaṃkhyāsaṃkhyātānām ādityānāṃ dvādaśo ya utkṛṣṭo viṣṇur nāmādityaḥ, so ‚ham / jyotiṣāṃ jagati prakāśakānāṃ yaḥ aṃśumān raviḥ ādityagaṇaḥ, so ‚ham / marutām utkṛṣṭo marīcir yaḥ, so ‚ham asmi / nakṣatrāṇām ahaṃ śaśī / neyaṃ nirdhāraṇe ṣaṣṭhī, „bhūtānām asmi cetanā” itivat / nakṣatrāṇāṃ patir yaś candraḥ, so ‚ham asmi

Śrīdhara

idānīṃ vibhūtīḥ kathayati ādityānām ity ādinā yāvad-adhyāya-samāptiḥ | ādityānāṃ dvādaśānāṃ madhye viṣṇur nāmādityo ‚ham | jyotiṣāṃ prakāśakānāṃ madhye ‚ṃśumān viśva-vyāpi-raśmi-yukto raviḥ sūryo ‚ham | marutāṃ deva-viśeṣāṇāṃ madhye marīci-nāmāham asmi | yad vā sapta marud-gaṇā vāyavaḥ | teṣāṃ madhya iti | te ca avahaḥ pravaho vivahaḥ parāvaha udvahaḥ saṃvaha parivaha iti spata marud-gaṇāḥ | nakṣatrāṇāṃ madhye candro ‚ham

Madhusūdana

etad-aśaktena bāhyāni dhyānāni kāryāṇīty āha yāvad-adhyāya-samāptiḥ | ādityānāṃ dvādaśānāṃ madhye viṣṇur visṇu-nāmādityo ‚ham vāmanāvatāro vā | jyotiṣāṃ prakāśakānāṃ madhye ‚haṃ ravir ṃśumān viśva-vyāpī prakāśakaḥ | marutāṃ sapta-saptakānāṃ madhye marīci-nāmāham nakṣatrāṇām adhipatir ahaṃ śaśī candramāḥ | nirdhāraṇe ṣaṣṭhī | atra prāyeṇa nirdhāraṇe ṣaṣṭhī | kvacit sambandhe ‚pi yathā bhūtānām asmi cetanety ādau | vāmana-rāmādayaś cāvatārāḥ sarvaiśvarya-śālino ‚py anena rūpeṇa dhyāna-vivakṣayā vibhūtiṣu paṭhyante | vṛṣṇīnāṃ vāsudevo ‚smīti tena rūpeṇa dhyāna-vivakṣayā savasyāpi sva-vibhūti-madhye pāṭhavat | ataḥ paraṃ ca prāyeṇāyam adhyāyaḥ spaṣṭārtha iti kvacit kvacid vyākhyāsyāmaḥ

Viśvanātha

atha nirdhāraṇa-ṣaṣṭhyā kvacit sambandha-ṣaṣṭhyā ca vibhutīr āha yāvad-adhyāya-samāptiḥ | ādityānāṃ dvādaśānāṃ madhye viṣṇur aham iti tan-nāmā sūryo mad-vibhūtir ity arthaḥ | evaṃ sarvatra prakāśakānāṃ jyotiṣāṃ madhye aṃśumān mahā-kiraṇa-mālī ravir aham | marīciḥ pavana-viśeṣaḥ

Baladeva

ādityānāṃ dvādaśānāṃ madhye viṣṇur vāmano ‚ham | jyotiṣāṃ prakāśānāṃ madhye ‚ṃśumān viśva-vyāpi-raśmī ravir aham | marutām ūna-pañcāśat-saṅkhyakānāṃ madhye marīcir aham | nakṣatrāṇām adhipatiḥ śaśī sudhā-varṣī candro ‚ham | atra nirdhāraṇe ṣaṣṭhī prāyeṇa kvacit sambandhe ‚pīti bodhyam