|| 10.17 ||

कथं विद्यामहं योगिंस्त्वां सदा परिचिन्तयन्। केषु केषु च भावेषु चिन्त्योऽसि भगवन्मया।।

kathaṁ vidyām ahaṁ yogiṁs tvāṁ sadā paricintayan keṣu keṣu ca bhāveṣu cintyo ’si Bhagavān mayā

katham (how) vidyām (shall I know) aham (I) yogin (O mystic) tvām (You) sadā (always) paricintayan (thinking of) keṣu (in which) keṣu (in which) ca (also) bhāveṣu (forms) cintyaḥ (to be thought of) asi (You are) Bhagavān (O Lord) mayā (by me).

O Kṛṣṇa, O supreme mystic, how shall I constantly think of You, and how shall I know You? In what various forms are You to be remembered, O Supreme Personality of Godhead?

Arjuna asks the practical ‘How-To’ of meditation. He wants to know how he can constantly think of the Lord and in what specific forms he should visualize Him. This is the question of a sincere practitioner who knows that the mind needs a concrete anchor to stay focused. It is easy to say ‘Meditate on the Absolute,’ but for a beginner, the Absolute is too vague. Arjuna asks for specific ‘Bhāvas’ or aspects of the world that he can use as mental focal points. He addresses Kṛṣṇa as ‘Yogin’, acknowledging Him as the Master of all mystic power who can make Himself visible through His energy. This teaches us that spiritual life is not about escaping the world, but about redefining it. If we can learn to see God in the prominent features of nature and life, then every moment becomes a form of worship. Arjuna is seeking the keys to a life of constant God-consciousness.