A declaration · expansive in mood · a little context helps
“Life is nourished from within by the same presence that holds it together.”
Entering the earth, I sustain all beings with my power. Becoming the moon of life-giving essence, I nourish all plants.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallythe earth · entering · and · beings · I sustain · I · with power · I nourish · and · plants, herbs · all · the moon · having become · of life-giving essence
Krishna says he enters the earth to support all living beings, and he becomes the moon that nourishes all plants and herbs.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Purushottama Yoga" (The Yoga of the Supreme Person).
Verse 13 sits in Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad Gita — Purushottama Yoga, "The Yoga of the Supreme Person". The chapter has 20 verses in total.
A farmer checking her wheat on a moonlit night trusts soil and season to do work she cannot see. Krishna says he is that unseen work: entering the earth, and nourishing plants as the moon.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna enters the earth to hold up all beings and, as the moon's essence, feeds every plant.
What this verse means
Krishna says he enters the earth to support all living beings, and he becomes the moon that nourishes all plants and herbs.
Context & commentary
Krishna reveals how he sustains the world itself. The same presence that fills the earth with strength also becomes the moon’s nourishing essence for plants. This verse is one link in Krishna’s larger explanation of his universal presence.
What it looks like today
A farmer checking her wheat on a moonlit night trusts soil and season to do work she cannot see. Krishna says he is that unseen work: entering the earth, and nourishing plants as the moon.
“The world is not separate from divine support; even ordinary nourishment is held from within.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses)