Knowledge of the source becomes devotion.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो मत्तः सर्वं प्रवर्तते |इति मत्वा भजन्ते मां बुधा भावसमन्विताः ||१०-८||
ahaṃ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṃ pravartate . iti matvā bhajante māṃ budhā bhāvasamanvitāḥ ||10-8||
Use this verse as a gratitude-to-bhakti practice.
Meaning
I am the source of all; from Me everything proceeds. Knowing this, the wise worship Me with deep devotion.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The wise worship Krishna because He is the source of everything.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This is a central devotion verse. Knowledge becomes bhakti when the seeker realizes that everything begins from Krishna. Devotion is not blind emotion; it is the natural response to seeing the source.
Read the traditional commentary
This is often called the heart-verse of the Gita's tenth chapter. In a single line Krishna gives the whole foundation of devotion: ahaṃ sarvasya prabhavaḥ — 'I am the source of all,' and 'from Me everything proceeds' (mattaḥ sarvaṃ pravartate).
The wise (budhāḥ) who truly internalize this do not respond with dry philosophy but with bhāva — heartfelt feeling. Understanding ripens naturally into worship. To realize that everything you love, fear, possess, and are flows from one Source turns knowledge into love.
This is the seed-sentence that great devotees have meditated upon for lifetimes: when the mind grasps that all comes from Him, the heart cannot help but turn toward Him.
In daily life
Turn gratitude for life into devotion to Krishna.
A person grateful for breath, family, talent and opportunity can offer that gratitude to Krishna.
Try this today
List three things that come from Krishna and thank Him.
Everything flows from Krishna; I worship with love.Reflect
Do I see Krishna as the source of my blessings?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘सर्वं प्रवर्तते’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on love, in other chapters
- Verse 7.17The purest devotion seeks the Divine for nothing but Itself — and there, love flows mutually between the soul and God.
- Verse 6.30See the Divine in all things and in everyone, and you will never be separated from God, nor God from you.
- Verse 8.22The all-pervading Supreme is reached not by clever effort but by wholehearted, undivided devotion that holds nothing back.
- Verse 9.26The Divine treasures the love behind your offering, not its size — even a leaf or a little water given with a pure heart is enough.
Swipe left for 10.9 · Shared remembrance deepens joy.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 10.8
Who says Bhagavad Gita 10.8, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 10.8, in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga (Vibhuti Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 10.8 mean?
I am the source of all; from Me everything proceeds. Knowing this, the wise worship Me with deep devotion. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 10.8 for daily life?
Turn gratitude for life into devotion to Krishna. A person grateful for breath, family, talent and opportunity can offer that gratitude to Krishna.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 10.8 mean?
अहं — I am; सर्वस्य प्रभवः — the source of all; मत्तः — from Me; सर्वं प्रवर्तते — everything proceeds / evolves; इति मत्वा — knowing thus.
Where does verse 10.8 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 8 of 42 in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga. The next verse is 10.9.