Bhagavad-gītā 10.18

Explain simply

Speaker: Arjuna

विस्तरेणात्मनो योगं विभूतिं च जनार्दन ।
भूयः कथय तृप्तिर्हि शृण्वतो नास्ति मेऽमृतम् ॥१८॥

vistareṇātmano yogaṁ
vibhūtiṁ ca janārdana
bhūyaḥ kathaya tṛptir hi
śṛṇvato nāsti me ’mṛtam

Word for word (synonyms)

vistareṇa
in description
ātmanaḥ
of Yourself
yogam
mystic power
vibhūtim
opulences
ca
also
janārdana
O killer of the atheists
bhūyaḥ
again
kathaya
describe
tṛptiḥ
satisfaction
hi
certainly
śṛṇvataḥ
hearing
na asti
there is no
me
my
amṛtam
nectar

Translation

Tell me again in detail, O Janārdana [Kṛṣṇa], of Your mighty potencies and glories, for I never tire of hearing Your ambrosial words.

Purport

A similar statement was made to Sūta Gosvāmī by the ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya, headed by Śaunaka. That statement is:

vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāma uttama-śloka-vikrame
yac chṛṇvatāṁ rasa-jñānāṁ svādu svādu pade pade.

"One can never be satiated even though one continuously hears the transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, who is glorified by Vedic hymns. Those who have entered into a transcendental relationship with Kṛṣṇa relish in every step descriptions of the pastimes of the Lord." Thus Arjuna is interested to hear about Kṛṣṇa, specifically how He remains as the all-pervading Supreme Lord.

Now as far as amṛtam, nectar, is concerned, any narration or statement concerning Kṛṣṇa is just like nectar. And this nectar can be perceived by practical experience. Modern stories, fiction and histories are different from the transcendental pastimes of the Lord in that one will tire of hearing mundane stories, but one never tires of hearing about Kṛṣṇa. It is for this reason only that the history of the whole universe is replete with references to the pastimes of the incarnations of Godhead. For instance, the Purāṇas are histories of bygone ages that relate the pastimes of the various incarnations of the Lord. In this way the reading matter remains forever fresh, despite repeated readings.

What this verse teaches

The study note for this verse is in editorial review.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.