A core teaching · expansive in mood · a little context helps
“Power, fertility, and danger all reveal the same source.”
Among weapons, I am the thunderbolt; among cows, I am the wish-fulfilling cow. I am the cause of procreation, and among serpents, I am Vasuki.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyamong weapons · I am · the thunderbolt · among cows · I am · the wish-fulfilling cow · the cause of procreation · and · I am · Kandarpa, desire-born force · among serpents · I am · Vasuki
Krishna names more of the finest powers and beings in the world as his expressions: thunderbolt, wish-fulfilling cow, the force behind procreation, and Vasuki among serpents.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vibhuti Yoga" (The Yoga of Divine Glories).
Verse 28 sits in Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vibhuti Yoga, "The Yoga of Divine Glories". The chapter has 42 verses in total.
You notice a flash of lightning over an empty field, then the calm strength of a cow in the next lane. The world feels less like separate objects and more like one living presence.
Did you like this verse?
Thunderbolt, wish-cow, Vasuki, and the urge to procreate: Krishna includes desire itself in his list.
What this verse means
Krishna names more of the finest powers and beings in the world as his expressions: thunderbolt, wish-fulfilling cow, the force behind procreation, and Vasuki among serpents.
Context & commentary
Arjuna still needs a wider vision of who Krishna is. Krishna continues listing the highest or most striking forms in creation, showing that the battlefield, the living world, and even desire and force all point back to him.
What it looks like today
You notice a flash of lightning over an empty field, then the calm strength of a cow in the next lane. The world feels less like separate objects and more like one living presence.
“The ordinary world starts to feel charged with presence, not random pieces.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses)