Chapter 10, Verse 24
पुरोधसां च मुख्यं मां विद्धि पार्थ बृहस्पतिम् | सेनानीनामहं स्कन्दः सरसामस्मि सागरः ||१०-२४||
purodhasāṃ ca mukhyaṃ māṃ viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim . senānīnāmahaṃ skandaḥ sarasāmasmi sāgaraḥ ||10-24||
Meaning
10.24 And, among the household priests (of kings), O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati; among the army generals I am Skana; among lakes I am the ocean. '
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna draws His examples now from human institutions and the world of waters. Among priests He is Brihaspati, the wise preceptor of the gods; among military commanders, Skanda (Kartikeya), the divine general; among bodies of water, the vast ocean (sāgara).
The selections again follow the principle of pre-eminence: the wisest counsellor, the supreme commander, the greatest of waters. But there is also a quiet teaching in the ocean: countless rivers pour into it endlessly, yet it remains full and unmoved — an image the Gita has used elsewhere for the steady sage. To meditate on the ocean as a glory of God is to be drawn toward that same depth and serene fullness in oneself, undisturbed by the rivers of desire that flow in.
💡 Key Takeaway
Like the ocean that receives all rivers yet stays full and still, seek the Divine steadiness within yourself.
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.
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||
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.
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.