आदित्यानामहं विष्णुर्ज्योतिषां रविरंशुमान् | मरीचिर्मरुतामस्मि नक्षत्राणामहं शशी || २१ ||
ādityānām ahaṁ viṣṇur jyotiṣāṁ ravir aṁśumān marīcir marutām asmi nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī
ādityānām—of the Adityas; aham—I am; viṣṇuḥ—Vishnu; jyotiṣām—of all luminaries; raviḥ—the sun; aṁśumān—radiant; marīciḥ—Marichi; marutām—of the Maruts; asmi—I am; nakṣatrāṇām—of the stars; aham—I am; śaśī—the moon.
“Of the Adityas I am Vishnu; of lights I am the radiant sun; of the Maruts I am Marichi; among the stars I am the moon.”
Krishna identifies Himself with the most excellent member of each category — Vishnu among the twelve Adityas, the blazing sun among all lights. The teaching is that wherever a category achieves its supreme expression, that is where the divine glory shines most clearly. Excellence in any domain is not accidental; it is a concentration of the infinite.
When you encounter someone who is truly excellent at what they do — a master craftsperson, a compassionate doctor, an inspired musician — you are in the presence of a divine vibhūti. Cultivating this awareness transforms ordinary encounters into opportunities for reverence and inspiration.