Nature’s nourishment is Krishna’s support.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा |पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः ||१५-१३||
gāmāviśya ca bhūtāni dhārayāmyahamojasā . puṣṇāmi cauṣadhīḥ sarvāḥ somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ ||15-13||
Use this verse before meals or nature practice.
Meaning
Entering the earth, I sustain all beings with My energy; becoming the nourishing moon, I nourish all plants.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna sustains the earth and nourishes plants.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse makes ecology devotional. Earth, nourishment, herbs, plants, food, and vitality are not separate from Krishna’s sustaining presence.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna continues to reveal His sustaining presence woven into the fabric of nature. Entering the earth itself, He upholds all beings with His ojas, His vital energy — the unseen force that gives the ground its stability and the strength that allows creatures to stand, move, and live. The solidity we take for granted is His support.
Then, becoming the moon, full of cooling, nourishing sap (rasātmakaḥ), He feeds all the plants and herbs that in turn feed every living thing. In the Vedic vision, the moon's gentle influence carries the life-giving essence that ripens crops and sustains vegetation. Krishna is mapping the entire web of sustenance — earth, moon, plants, food — and revealing Himself as the single living power moving through all of it.
The food on our plate, the strength in our limbs, the green of the fields: all are His nourishing grace. This invites a profound gratitude, seeing every meal as a gift directly from the Divine.
In daily life
Treat food, plants, and earth with gratitude.
A person can say a short gratitude prayer before meals, remembering Krishna as nourishment.
Try this today
Before one meal, thank Krishna for earth and nourishment.
Krishna nourishes my body through nature.Reflect
Do I receive food and nature with gratitude?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘रसात्मकः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on gratitude, in other chapters
- Verse 3.12Enjoying life's gifts while giving nothing back is a kind of theft — live in gratitude and contribution, not mere consumption.
- Verse 11.1 · ArjunaTrue teaching is received as grace, and its first gift is the quiet lifting of inner confusion.
- Verse 18.75 · SanjayaAccess to the highest wisdom comes as a gift of grace, flowing through teacher and the Divine alike.
- Verse 13.3The same awareness that lights up your inner world shines in every being — knowing this is the highest knowledge.
Swipe left for 15.14 · The body’s nourishment is also divine.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 15.13
Who says Bhagavad Gita 15.13, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 15.13, in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga (Purushottama Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 15.13 mean?
Entering the earth, I sustain all beings with My energy; becoming the nourishing moon, I nourish all plants. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 15.13 for daily life?
Treat food, plants, and earth with gratitude. A person can say a short gratitude prayer before meals, remembering Krishna as nourishment.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 15.13 mean?
गाम् आविश्य — permeating the earth; भूतानि धारयामि — I support all beings; अहम् ओजसा — I, by My energy; पुष्णामि — I nourish; ओषधीः सर्वाः — all herbs / plants.
Where does verse 15.13 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 13 of 20 in Chapter 15, Purushottama Yoga. The next verse is 15.14.