A declaration · expansive in mood · a little context helps
“All existence grows from one hidden source.”
Arjuna, I am the seed of all beings. Without me, nothing moving or unmoving could exist.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyand whatever also · of all beings · seed · that · I am · Arjuna · not · that · there is · without · which · would be · by me · being · moving and unmoving
Krishna says he is the source of every being. Nothing that moves or stands still can exist without him.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vibhuti Yoga" (The Yoga of Divine Glories).
Verse 39 sits in Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vibhuti Yoga, "The Yoga of Divine Glories". The chapter has 42 verses in total.
A farmer holding a handful of wheat seed knows the whole field is inside it. Krishna uses the same image: he is the seed of every being, and nothing that moves or stays still exists apart from him.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna calls himself the seed of all beings; nothing moving or still could exist without him.
What this verse means
Krishna says he is the source of every being. Nothing that moves or stands still can exist without him.
Context & commentary
With Arjuna still shaken and the battle waiting, Krishna keeps unfolding his divine presence. After naming his manifestations, he says he is the seed of all beings and the source of everything moving and unmoving.
What it looks like today
A farmer holding a handful of wheat seed knows the whole field is inside it. Krishna uses the same image: he is the seed of every being, and nothing that moves or stays still exists apart from him.
“You are never truly separate from the source of life.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses)