Chapter 10, Verse 2
न मे विदुः सुरगणाः प्रभवं न महर्षयः | अहमादिर्हि देवानां महर्षीणां च सर्वशः ||१०-२||
na me viduḥ suragaṇāḥ prabhavaṃ na maharṣayaḥ . ahamādirhi devānāṃ maharṣīṇāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ ||10-2||
Meaning
10.2 Neither the hosts of the gods nor the great sages know My origin; for in every way I am the source of all the gods and the great sages.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Here Krishna establishes the unfathomable nature of the Divine. Even the celestial gods (suragaṇāḥ) and the great seers (maharṣayaḥ) cannot trace His prabhava — His origin or coming-into-being — because He is Himself the ādi, the source, from which they all arise. The cause cannot be measured by its effects.
This is a humbling teaching. The intellect, however refined, cannot encircle that which gives rise to the intellect itself. The Absolute is not one object among others to be catalogued; it is the ground of all knowing. Recognizing this limit is not defeat but the beginning of true reverence — the wise approach the Infinite not through measurement but through surrender and love.
💡 Key Takeaway
The Divine source of all things cannot be fully grasped by the mind — true knowledge begins in humble reverence.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | भूय एव महाबाहो शृणु मे परमं वचः | यत्तेऽहं प्रीयमाणाय वक्ष्यामि हितकाम्यया ||१०-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . bhūya eva mahābāho śṛṇu me paramaṃ vacaḥ . yatte.ahaṃ prīyamāṇāya vakṣyāmi hitakāmyayā ||10-1||
10.1 The Blessed Lord said Again, O mighty-armed Arjuna, listen to my supreme word which I will declare to thee who who art beloved, for thy welfare.
बुद्धिर्ज्ञानमसम्मोहः क्षमा सत्यं दमः शमः | सुखं दुःखं भवोऽभावो भयं चाभयमेव च ||१०-४||
buddhirjñānamasammohaḥ kṣamā satyaṃ damaḥ śamaḥ . sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ bhavo.abhāvo bhayaṃ cābhayameva ca ||10-4||
10.4 Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, truth, self-restraint, calmness, happiness, pain, existence or birth, non-existence or death, fear and also fearlessness.
अहिंसा समता तुष्टिस्तपो दानं यशोऽयशः | भवन्ति भावा भूतानां मत्त एव पृथग्विधाः ||१०-५||
ahiṃsā samatā tuṣṭistapo dānaṃ yaśo.ayaśaḥ . bhavanti bhāvā bhūtānāṃ matta eva pṛthagvidhāḥ ||10-5||
10.5 Non-injury, eanimity, contentment, austerity, beneficence, fame, ill-fame (these) different kinds of alities of beings arise from Me alone.