All knowing finds completion in Krishna.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
त्वमादिदेवः पुरुषः पुराणस्-त्वमस्य विश्वस्य परं निधानम् |वेत्तासि वेद्यं च परं च धामत्वया ततं विश्वमनन्तरूप ||११-३८||
tvamādidevaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇasa- tvamasya viśvasya paraṃ nidhānam . vettāsi vedyaṃ ca paraṃ ca dhāma tvayā tataṃ viśvamanantarūpa ||11-38||
Use this verse after Gita study.
Meaning
You are the original God, the ancient Person, the supreme resting place of this universe. You are the knower, the known, and the supreme abode; the universe is pervaded by You, O infinite form.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna is the knower, the known, and the supreme abode.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse unites seeker, knowledge, and goal in Krishna. The one who knows, what is worth knowing, and the final destination all point back to Him.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna's hymn continues, naming Krishna as adi-devah, the primal God, and purusah puranah — the ancient, original Person who precedes all. He is the param nidhanam, the supreme refuge in which the whole universe finally rests. Every being that seeks shelter, knowingly or not, seeks it here.
Most beautiful is the triple identity: vetta, the knower; vedyam, the knowable; param dhama, the supreme abode. Krishna is at once the subject who knows, the object known, and the very ground in which knowing happens. The usual gulf between knower and known dissolves in Him.
And by Him alone, tvaya tatam visvam, the entire cosmos is pervaded. Arjuna addresses Him as Ananta-rupa, of endless forms. This is the seer's recognition that the Divine is not one thing among others to be known, but the all-encompassing Reality within which all knowing, all seeking, and all refuge ultimately occur.
In daily life
Let learning lead to devotion, not pride.
A scholar of the Gita should become more humble and loving, not more arrogant.
Try this today
After study, offer one bow of gratitude.
My learning leads me to Krishna.Reflect
Is my learning increasing devotion?
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Quick check
What does ‘त्वया ततम् विश्वम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on refuge, in other chapters
- Verse 4.10Release attachment, fear, and anger; let knowledge purify you — and union with the divine becomes not rare but attainable.
- Verse 7.29The honest longing to transcend death, rooted in refuge in the Divine, opens into complete knowledge of Self and action.
- Verse 9.32The highest spiritual goal is open to absolutely everyone; sincere refuge in the Divine, not birth or status, is the only qualification.
- Verse 10.33The Divine is the everlasting Time and all-seeing sustainer from whom nothing in the cosmos is ever hidden.
Swipe left for 11.39 · Repetition can express devotion beyond words.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 11.38
Who says Bhagavad Gita 11.38, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 11.38, in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 11.38 mean?
You are the original God, the ancient Person, the supreme resting place of this universe. You are the knower, the known, and the supreme abode; the universe is pervaded by You, O infinite form. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 11.38 for daily life?
Let learning lead to devotion, not pride. A scholar of the Gita should become more humble and loving, not more arrogant.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 11.38 mean?
त्वम् आदिदेवः — You are the primal God; पुरुषः पुराणः — the ancient Person; त्वम् अस्य विश्वस्य — You of this universe; परम् निधानम् — the supreme refuge / resting-place; वेत्ता असि — You are the knower.
Where does verse 11.38 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 38 of 55 in Chapter 11, Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga. The next verse is 11.39.