Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10, Verse 42

अथवा बहुनैतेन किं ज्ञातेन तवार्जुन । विष्टभ्याहमिदं कृत्स्नमेकांशेन स्थितो जगत्

athavā bahunaitena kiṃ jñātena tavārjuna | viṣṭabhyāhamidaṃ kṛtsnamekāṃśena sthito jagat

Translation

But, of what avail to thee is this vast thing being known, O Arjuna? I stand sustaining this whole world by one part (of Myself).

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

atha

now

vā

or

bahunā

(by) many

etena

(by) this

kim

what

jñātena

(with being) known

tava

(by) thee

arjuna

O Arjuna

viṣṭabhya

having established

aham

I

idam

this

kṛtsnam

all

ekāṃśena

by one portion

sthitaḥ

(am) seated

jagat

the world

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

Of what avail to you can be this knowledge of vast but imperfect details? Listen, I will tell you completely of it. I stand sustaining firmly this whole world by one part, by one limb, by one foot; i.e., one part of Myself constitutes all beings. So says the chant: "All beings form His foot" (Taittirīya Āraṇyaka 3.12).