Chapter 15, Verse 13
गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा | पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः ||१५-१३||
gāmāviśya ca bhūtāni dhārayāmyahamojasā . puṣṇāmi cauṣadhīḥ sarvāḥ somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ ||15-13||
Meaning
15.13 Permeating the earth I support all beings by (My) energy; and having become the watery moon I nourish all herbs.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna continues to reveal His sustaining presence woven into the fabric of nature. Entering the earth itself, He upholds all beings with His ojas, His vital energy — the unseen force that gives the ground its stability and the strength that allows creatures to stand, move, and live. The solidity we take for granted is His support.
Then, becoming the moon, full of cooling, nourishing sap (rasātmakaḥ), He feeds all the plants and herbs that in turn feed every living thing. In the Vedic vision, the moon's gentle influence carries the life-giving essence that ripens crops and sustains vegetation. Krishna is mapping the entire web of sustenance — earth, moon, plants, food — and revealing Himself as the single living power moving through all of it. The food on our plate, the strength in our limbs, the green of the fields: all are His nourishing grace. This invites a profound gratitude, seeing every meal as a gift directly from the Divine.
💡 Key Takeaway
The strength that holds you up and the nourishment that sustains you are both the Divine at work.
Related Verses
यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम् | यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम् ||१५-१२||
yadādityagataṃ tejo jagadbhāsayate.akhilam . yaccandramasi yaccāgnau tattejo viddhi māmakam ||15-12||
15.12 That light which residing in the sun illumines the whole world, that which is in the moon and in the fire know that light to be Mine.
अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः | प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम् ||१५-१४||
ahaṃ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā prāṇināṃ dehamāśritaḥ . prāṇāpānasamāyuktaḥ pacāmyannaṃ caturvidham ||15-14||
15.14 Having become the fire Vaisvanara, I abide in the body of living beings and, associated with the Prana and the Apana, digest the fourfold food.
सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनञ्च | वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ||१५-१५||
sarvasya cāhaṃ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtirjñānamapohanañca . vedaiśca sarvairahameva vedyo vedāntakṛdvedavideva cāham ||15-15||
15.15 And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory and knowledge, as well as their absence. I am verily That which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am indeed the author of the Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas am I.