It is I the Self of all
Which disposes of life,
While cherishing all.
Beloved Uddhava,
I am all that is.

I am that which you
And all seekers seek.
I am motion in that which moves,
Among conquerors I am time.
In the gunas I am perfect balance.
In the good I am virtue.

In all that is manifest,
I am primary.
I am also
All that is unmanifest,
I am the most obvious
And I am the most subtle.
Among things difficult to conquer
I am the mind.

I am Hiranyagarbh the resplendent Self-Existent
From which Brahma emerged to teach the scriptures.
Among mantras I am the pranava mantra. OM.
Of the letters of the alphabet I am "a", the beginning.
Among the sacred chants I am the three lined Gayatri.

Among the gods I am Indra.
Among the deities of the eight spheres I am Agni.
Among the law givers I am Vishnu.
Among the destroyers I am blue-throated Shiva.

Among the great seers I am Bhrigu.
Among the royal seers I am Manu.
Among the divine seers I am Narada.
Among the sacred cows I am Kamadhenu,
The wish fulfilling cow.

Among the perfected ones I am Kapila.
Among birds I am the divine eagle, Garuda.
In the genesis of humankind I am Daksha.
Among the sainted forefathers I am Aryama.

O Uddhava, among the anti-gods
Know me to be Prahlada, king of kings.
Among those that worship
The finite and the demonic,
I am Kubera, wealth.
To the stars and herbs
I am the moon.

Among the stately elephants
I am Airavata, elephant of Indra.
Among the dwellers of the oceans
I am Varuna, lord of the seas.
I am the sun.
Among humans I am the sovereign.

Among steeds I am the steed of Indra.
Among metals I am pure gold.
Among those that rule death
I am Yama, lord of death.
Among serpents, I am Vasuki, their chief.

Among the divine serpents I am
Anantadeva, god of them all.
Among beasts with sharp teeth
I am the lion.
Among the states of life I am sannyasa,
The final stage of renunciation.
Among social occupations I am a brahmin,
Teacher and priest.

Among the sacred flowing waters
I am the Ganges.
Among large bodies of water
I am the ocean.
Among weapons I am the bow.
Among warriors I am Shiva.

Of the Himalayas I am Mount Meru,
The highest and most difficult to reach.
Among trees I am the sacred banyan.
Among grains I am barley.

Among priests I am Vashista,
Foremost of all priests.
Among those devoted to the Vedas
I am the most devoted, Brihaspati.
Among military generals
I am Kartikaya, most brilliant of all.
Among the greatest teachers of good
I am Brahma.

Of all the sacrificial rites
I am the daily recitation of the Vedas.
Among vows I am the vow of non-violence.
Among that which purifies
I am the wind, fire, sun, water and speech.

Among the eight limbs of Yoga
I am samadhi, the final state of liberation.
I am political astuteness in those that seek victory.
Among sciences I am that science
By which matter and spirit may be distinguished.
Among theologians I am faith.

Among women I am Satarupa,
She of countless forms.
Among men I am her husband,
Svayambhuva, the self-born.
Among sages I am Narayana.
Among celibates
I am the supreme celibate, Sanatkumara.

Of religious virtues
I am renunciation.
Among sources of protection and well-being,
I am meditation on the infinite Self.
Among the secretive
I am pleasant speech and I am silence.
Among couples I am Brahma-
The first-born, the self-born,
Who became man and woman.

In the rhythm of time
I am the ever-revolving year.
Among the seasons
I am spring,
Of the months, I am the most pleasant, Margarshirsha.
Of the constellations I am the most auspicious, Abhijit.

Of the four Yugas
I am the Satya Yuga-
The age of Truth.
Among the self-controlled
I am the sages Asita and Devala.
Among the compilers of the Vedas
I am Dvaipayana.
Among the wise
I am the incomparable Shukra.

Among the radiant ones
I am Vasudeva.
Among devotees
I am you, O Uddhava.
Among the half-divine
I am Hanuman.
Among the bearers of wisdom
I am Sudarshana.

Among precious stones
I am the red ruby.
Among beautiful things
I am the lotus.
Of all the grasses that grow
I am the sacred Kusha grass.
Of all the offerings
Thrown into the sacrificial fire
I am ghee.

Among the enterprising
I am riches.
Among the fraudulent
I am the gambler.
Among the tolerant
I am forbearance.
Among the good
I am goodness.

Among the strong
I am strength of body
And strength of mind.
I am the devotional practices
Of the devotee.
Of the nine forms worshiped
I am the foremost Vasudeva.

Among the celestial singers
I am Vishvavasu.
Among the celestial nymphs
I am Purvachitti.
I am the firmness of mountains
And I am the fragrance of earth.

In water I am sweetness,
And among the glorious I am the sun.
I am the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars.
I am the transcendent sound of space.

Among the worshipers of brahmins I am Bali
Who gave sovereignty of
Heaven, earth and his own body
To one whom he thought was a brahmin.
Among the valiant I am Arjuna.
I am the genesis, existence and dissolution
Of everything ever created.

In the living I am movement,
Speech, rejection, acceptance,
Enjoyment, touch and sight,
Taste, hearing and smell.
I am that power
By which
The senses enjoy
The objects of this world.

I am the supreme Self of the living.
I am the ahamkara, the idea of "I"
And I am the transcendent I.
I am the elements of creation
And I am the field of consciousness.
I am all that I have stated I am.
Those of steady mind
Know the truth of this,
And know that I am this truth.

As the supreme Self
I am the Jiva of the living
And the Self that transcends the living.
Nothing exists that is not me.

Even though in time
I might enumerate the atoms of this universe,
My glory will never be enumerated
For it manifests through countless universes.

Wherever you find power, beauty or fame,
Grandeur, humility or renunciation,
Pleasure, wealth or strength,
Tolerance or spiritual knowledge:
Know these to be a manifestation
Of myself.

Now, Uddhava, I have told you
Of the forms that you may find me in.
Understand, dear friend, these are the forms
Perceived by the mind
According to its refinement.

Control your speech and
Discipline your mind.
Learn to master your vitality.
Regulate your senses
And refine your intellect.
By so doing
You will never again
Go through the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

To the renunciate
Who has not controlled speech and mind
Through the power of will,
All austerities, vows and charitable works
Will become as nothing-
Just as water seeps away
From an unfired pot,
Leaving the vessel empty.

Let your awareness be fixed on me.
Surrender mind, speech and prana to me.
Then you will attain your goal.