A declaration · expansive in mood · a little context helps
“The divine is not elsewhere; it is the awareness within everything.”
Among the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda; among the radiant beings, I am Indra. Among the senses, I am the mind; among living beings, I am consciousness.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyamong the Vedas · the Sama Veda · I am · among the radiant beings · I am · Indra · among the senses · mind · and · I am · among living beings · I am · consciousness
Krishna says he appears as the highest sacred chant, as Indra among radiant beings, as the mind among the senses, and as awareness in all living things.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vibhuti Yoga" (The Yoga of Divine Glories).
Verse 22 sits in Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vibhuti Yoga, "The Yoga of Divine Glories". The chapter has 42 verses in total.
On a crowded train before a hard meeting with your landlord, you notice the part of you that watches your own fear. Krishna names that awareness, the consciousness in living beings, as himself.
Did you like this verse?
Among the senses Krishna is the mind, and among living beings he is consciousness itself.
What this verse means
Krishna says he appears as the highest sacred chant, as Indra among radiant beings, as the mind among the senses, and as awareness in all living things.
Context & commentary
Arjuna asked for a way to see Krishna everywhere. Krishna answers by naming where his presence shines most clearly: in sacred sound, in the power of Indra, in the mind that guides the senses, and in the awareness inside every living being.
What it looks like today
On a crowded train before a hard meeting with your landlord, you notice the part of you that watches your own fear. Krishna names that awareness, the consciousness in living beings, as himself.
“The world is not separate from the divine; even your own mind is a meeting place with it.”
Explore related themes: manas (49 verses), vibhuti (43 verses)