Text 21

adityanam aham vishnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
nakshatranam aham sasi

Translation

Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of lights I am the radiant sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the moon.

Commentary by Srila Prabhupada

There are twelve Adityas, of which Krishna is the principal. Among all the luminaries twinkling in the sky, the sun is the chief, and in the Brahma-samhita the sun is accepted as the glowing eye of the Supreme Lord. There are fifty varieties of wind blowing in space, and of these winds the controlling deity, Marici, represents Krishna.

Among the stars, the moon is the most prominent at night, and thus the moon represents Krishna. It appears from this verse that the moon is one of the stars; therefore the stars that twinkle in the sky also reflect the light of the sun. The theory that there are many suns within the universe is not accepted by Vedic literature. The sun is one, and as by the reflection of the sun the moon illuminates, so also do the stars. Since Bhagavad-gita indicates herein that the moon is one of the stars, the twinkling stars are not suns but are similar to the moon.

Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

The genitive case is use for the rest of the chapter to indicate a specific head of group and also to indicate a relation to a group. Among the twelve Adityas, I am Visnu, one of the names of the sun. This is my vibhuti. Among all lights, those things which reveal, I am the sun, with multitude of rays. Marici is outstanding among the winds.