|| 8.9 ||

कविं पुराणमनुशासितार मणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः। सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूप मादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात्।।

kaviṁ purāṇam anuśāsitāram aṇor aṇīyāṁsam anusmared yaḥ sarvasya dhātāram acintya-rūpam āditya-varṇaṁ tamasaḥ parastāt

kavim (the one who knows everything) purāṇam (the oldest) anuśāsitāram (the controller) aṇoḥ (than the atom) aṇīyāṁsam (smaller) anusmaret (always thinks of) yaḥ (one who) sarvasya (of everything) dhātāram (the maintainer) acintya (inconceivable) rūpam (form) āditya-varṇam (luminous like the sun) tamasaḥ (to darkness) parastāt (transcendental)

One should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is always a person. He is luminous like the sun, and He is transcendental, beyond this material nature.

Kṛṣṇa describes the specific qualities of the Divine that the seeker should meditate upon. One should think of Him as the ‘Kavim’ (all-knowing), the ‘Purāṇam’ (oldest/timeless), and the ‘Anuśāsitāram’ (Supreme Controller). He is smaller than the smallest atom, yet He is the maintainer of the entire infinite cosmos. He has an ‘Acintya-rūpam’, a form that is inconceivable to the material mind. While our bodies are made of temporary matter, His form is ‘āditya-varṇaṁ’, brilliant like the sun, and situated ‘tamasaḥ parastāt’—far beyond the darkness of material nature. He is the ultimate lighthouse in the ocean of existence. This list of attributes is intended to focus the mind on the grandeur and power of God. By meditating on these qualities, the seeker moves from a small, self-centered worldview to a vast, God-centered one. Kṛṣṇa is providing Arjuna with a target for his meditation, ensuring that his thoughts are aimed at the highest possible reality.
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