The Divine source is beyond complete intellectual capture.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
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||
Use this verse when knowledge creates pride.
Meaning
Neither the gods nor the great sages know My origin, for I am the source of the gods and sages in every way.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna is the source even of gods and sages.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna explains why His reality cannot be fully grasped by even exalted beings. The source cannot be understood completely by what arises from it. This encourages humility in spiritual learning.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Study deeply, but remain humble before mystery.
A scholar can know many texts but still remain humble before Krishna’s infinity.
Try this today
Offer one unknown to Krishna instead of forcing certainty.
I bow to the source beyond my understanding.Reflect
Where do I need more humility in spiritual knowledge?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘अहम् आदिः हि’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on mystery, in other chapters
- Verse 11.31 · ArjunaWhen the Divine shows a face beyond our understanding, the wise response is to bow and humbly ask to know.
- Verse 9.11Do not judge the sacred by its outward appearance; the divine often comes clothed in the humble and ordinary.
- Verse 7.24Never shrink the Infinite to your image of it — when the Boundless takes a form, its fullness is never diminished.
- Verse 2.29Approach the question of your own true nature with wonder and humility rather than intellectual certainty — the self exceeds all its definitions.
Swipe left for 10.3 · Right understanding of Krishna liberates consciousness.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 10.2
Who says Bhagavad Gita 10.2, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 10.2, in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga (Vibhuti Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 10.2 mean?
Neither the gods nor the great sages know My origin, for I am the source of the gods and sages in every way. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 10.2 for daily life?
Study deeply, but remain humble before mystery. A scholar can know many texts but still remain humble before Krishna’s infinity.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 10.2 mean?
न विदुः — do not know; मे प्रभवम् — My origin; सुरगणाः — the hosts of gods; न महर्षयः — nor the great sages; अहम् आदिः हि — for I am the source.
Where does verse 10.2 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 2 of 42 in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga. The next verse is 10.3.