श्रीभगवानुवाच भूय एव महाबाहो श्रृणु मे परमं वचः । यत्तेऽहं प्रीयमाणाय वक्ष्यामि हितकाम्यया ॥
śrī bhagavān uvāca bhūya eva mahābāho śṛṇu me paramaṃ vacaḥ | yatte'haṃ prīyamāṇāya vakṣyāmi hitakāmyayā ||
Translation
The Blessed Lord said: Hear again, O mighty-armed Arjuna, My supreme word. I shall speak it to you who are beloved, out of a desire for your welfare.
Interpretation
Chapter 10 begins with an unusual tenderness: 'You who are beloved' (priyamanaya) and 'for your welfare' (hita-kamyaya). This chapter is a gift from the Divine to a beloved student, not an obligation. Krishna returns to the theme of his divine nature and manifestations — not to boast, but because knowing the Divine's all-pervasive presence in everything excellent and beautiful is itself a form of devotion. To see beauty and excellence anywhere is to see the Divine.