A core teaching · expansive in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“Cosmic time reveals how small ordinary urgency is.”
Those who know that Brahma’s day lasts a thousand yugas, and his night lasts a thousand yugas, know day and night truly.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallylasting a thousand yugas · day · which · of Brahma · they know · night · ending in a thousand yugas · they · knowers of day and night · people
Some people understand the vast scale of Brahma's day and night. They can see time on a cosmic scale, not just as ordinary human hours.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Akshara Brahma Yoga" (The Imperishable Absolute).
Verse 17 sits in Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita — Akshara Brahma Yoga, "The Imperishable Absolute". The chapter has 28 verses in total.
You watch a deadline panic swallow the whole week, then remember the project is one cycle inside a much larger life. The pressure loosens when time stops feeling like a cage.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from human-scale urgency to cosmic rhythm, making creation and dissolution feel natural rather than absolute.
What this verse means
Some people understand the vast scale of Brahma's day and night. They can see time on a cosmic scale, not just as ordinary human hours.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, with Arjuna shaken and the war still paused, Krishna turns from the soul’s freedom to the scale of cosmic time. He describes Brahma’s immense day and night to prepare Arjuna for a teaching about creation, dissolution, and what lies beyond them.
Why this verse still matters
You watch a deadline panic swallow the whole week, then remember the project is one cycle inside a much larger life. The pressure loosens when time stops feeling like a cage.
“A wider view can calm the mind that feels trapped by immediate time.”
Explore related themes: akshara brahma (12 verses)