अथवा बहुनैतेन किं ज्ञातेन तवार्जुन | विष्टभ्याहमिदं कृत्स्नमेकांशेन स्थितो जगत् || ४२ ||
athavā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat
athavā—or; bahunā—much; etena—by this; kim—what; jñātena—by knowing; tava—your; arjuna—O Arjuna; viṣṭabhya—pervading; aham—I; idam—this; kṛtsnam—entire; eka-aṁśena—by one part; sthitaḥ—situated; jagat—universe.
“But what need is there for all this detailed knowledge, O Arjuna? I sustain this entire universe with but a single fragment of Myself.”
After the elaborate catalogue of vibhūtis, Krishna delivers the ultimate punchline of non-dual wisdom: the entire manifested universe is sustained by just one fragment (ekāṁśa) of the Absolute — and even that 'one fragment' is a concession to the limitations of language. The unmanifest vastness of the Absolute remains forever beyond the reach of any list, any catalogue, any conceptual framework.
This verse is an antidote to any tendency to reduce the Divine to a list of attributes. When the mind has gathered all its knowledge about the sacred and feels it has grasped something, this verse sweeps away that comfortable enclosure. The Absolute is always more than any concept. Hold your understanding lightly, with wonder, and remain open to having it continuously expanded.