सर्गाणामादिरन्तश्च मध्यं चैवाहमर्जुन । अध्यात्मविद्या विद्यानां वादः प्रवदतामहम् ॥
sargāṇāmādirāntaśca madhyaṃ caivāhamarjuna | adhyātmavidyā vidyānāṃ vādaḥ pravadatāmaham ||
Translation
Among creations, I am the beginning, the end, and the middle. Among knowledge systems, I am the knowledge of the Self (adhyatma vidya). Among debaters, I am the philosophical reasoning.
Interpretation
Among all creations (sargananam), the Divine is the beginning, middle, and end — the entire arc. Among all systems of knowledge, the supreme is adhyatma-vidya — the knowledge of the Self (the science of consciousness itself). All other knowledge is about objects; this is the knowledge of the subject, the knower itself. Among speakers and debaters, the Divine is vada — philosophical dialogue aimed at discovering truth, as opposed to jalpa (mere debate to defeat the opponent) or vitanda (sophistic argument).