A declaration · expansive in mood · a little context helps
“Every brightness in the world points back to one source.”
The radiance in the sun, the moon, and the fire is Mine alone.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallywhich · gone into the sun · radiance · the world · illumines · entire · which · in the moon · which · in fire · that · radiance · know · Mine
Krishna says that the light shining in the sun, the moon, and fire belongs to him. All visible brilliance is a sign of his presence.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Purushottama Yoga" (The Yoga of the Supreme Person).
Verse 12 sits in Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad Gita — Purushottama Yoga, "The Yoga of the Supreme Person". The chapter has 20 verses in total.
Lighting a diya at dusk, a grandmother may say a small prayer to the flame. Krishna gives that habit its reason: the brightness in sun, moon and fire belongs to him.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna claims the light of the sun, the moon and fire as his own radiance.
What this verse means
Krishna says that the light shining in the sun, the moon, and fire belongs to him. All visible brilliance is a sign of his presence.
Context & commentary
Krishna explains how the divine presence runs through all life. Here Krishna points to the plainest forms of radiance, showing that even the light of the cosmos belongs to him.
What it looks like today
Lighting a diya at dusk, a grandmother may say a small prayer to the flame. Krishna gives that habit its reason: the brightness in sun, moon and fire belongs to him.
“The world feels less random when you notice its brightness has a source.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses)