Purity and dharmic strength are divine.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
पवनः पवतामस्मि रामः शस्त्रभृतामहम् |झषाणां मकरश्चास्मि स्रोतसामस्मि जाह्नवी ||१०-३१||
pavanaḥ pavatāmasmi rāmaḥ śastrabhṛtāmaham . jhaṣāṇāṃ makaraścāsmi srotasāmasmi jāhnavī ||10-31||
Use this verse for breath and water purification.
Meaning
Among purifiers I am the wind; among warriors Rama; among aquatic creatures the makara; among rivers the Ganga.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna is seen in purification, righteous strength, depth, and sacred flow.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Wind purifies, Rama represents dharmic strength, makara depth, and Ganga sacred flow. This verse can support purification practices and river/nature devotion.
Read the traditional commentary
Among purifiers Krishna is the wind (pavana), which cleanses and carries life; among the wielders of weapons, He is Rama, the very embodiment of dharma; among rivers, the holy Ganga (Jāhnavī), whose waters India has revered for millennia as sanctifying.
Two of these glories are profoundly purifying — the wind and the Ganga — fitting symbols for the soul's cleansing. And the naming of Rama is itself a treasure: the avatar whose every act upheld righteousness, whose name has become a mantra of liberation. To meditate on these is to be drawn toward purity and dharma.
The wind moves freely yet touches all; the Ganga flows ever downward in humble service yet purifies whoever it touches. In such images the Divine teaches the soul how to live.
In daily life
Let breath and water remind you to purify your mind.
A person can take three breaths before anger and remember inner purification.
Try this today
Use three conscious breaths as a purification pause.
My breath and actions are purified by Krishna.Reflect
What needs purification in my life?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘पवताम् अस्मि’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on manifestation, in other chapters
- Verse 2.28Expand your vision to include the unmanifest dimension of existence, and attachment to temporary forms will naturally loosen.
- Verse 3.13Receive life's gifts as something first offered and shared, and even eating becomes purifying rather than self-centred.
- Verse 4.21Action done with a disciplined mind, free of expectation and possessiveness, leaves no stain on the soul.
- Verse 5.7When you act with a pure heart and see the one Self in all beings, your work no longer binds you.
Swipe left for 10.32 · Self-knowledge is the highest education.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 10.31
Who says Bhagavad Gita 10.31, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 10.31, in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga (Vibhuti Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 10.31 mean?
Among purifiers I am the wind; among warriors Rama; among aquatic creatures the makara; among rivers the Ganga. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 10.31 for daily life?
Let breath and water remind you to purify your mind. A person can take three breaths before anger and remember inner purification.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 10.31 mean?
पवनः — the wind; पवताम् अस्मि — among purifiers I am; रामः — Rama; शस्त्रभृताम् अहम् — among wielders of weapons I am; झषाणाम् — among fishes.
Where does verse 10.31 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 31 of 42 in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga. The next verse is 10.32.