Chapter 7, Verse 10
बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम् | बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ||७-१०||
bījaṃ māṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ viddhi pārtha sanātanam . buddhirbuddhimatāmasmi tejastejasvināmaham ||7-10||
Meaning
7.10 Know Me, O Arjuna, as the eternal seed of all beings; I am the intelligence of the intelligent; the splendour of the splendid objects am I.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna names Himself the sanatana bija — the eternal seed — from which every being springs. As a tree lies dormant in a seed, the entire potential of creation rests in Him. He is not merely the maker who stands apart, but the very germ of existence carried within all things. He is also the intelligence that makes the wise wise and the splendour that makes the brilliant shine.
This verse quietly humbles the proud and uplifts the seeker. Whatever gifts we possess — keen intellect, magnetic brilliance — are not finally our own; they are borrowings from the divine source. To recognise this is to hold our talents lightly, with gratitude rather than ego. And it offers reassurance: the same eternal seed that gave rise to the sages dwells within us, ever capable of flowering into wisdom.
💡 Key Takeaway
Your intelligence and brilliance are borrowed light from the eternal Source — hold your gifts with gratitude, not pride.
Related Verses
एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय | अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा ||७-६||
etadyonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇītyupadhāraya . ahaṃ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayastathā ||7-6||
7.6 Know that these two (Natures) are the womb of all beings. So I am the source and dissolution of the whole universe.
न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः | माययापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः ||७-१५||
na māṃ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ . māyayāpahṛtajñānā āsuraṃ bhāvamāśritāḥ ||7-15||
7.15 The evil-doers and the deluded who are the lowest of men do not seek Me; they whose knowledge is destroyed by illusion follow the ways of demons.
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते | लभते च ततः कामान्मयैव विहितान्हि तान् ||७-२२||
sa tayā śraddhayā yuktastasyārādhanamīhate . labhate ca tataḥ kāmānmayaivavihitānhi tān ||7-22||
7.22 Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that (form) and from it he obtains his desire, these being verily ordained by Me (alone).