Bhagavad Gita 10.24
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 24 of 42
पुरोधसां च मुख्यं मां विद्धि पार्थ बृहस्पतिम् | सेनानीनामहं स्कन्दः सरसामस्मि सागरः ||२४||
purodhasāṃ ca mukhyaṃ māṃ viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatiṃ | senānīnām ahaṃ skandaḥ sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ || 24 ||
Among priests know Me as Bṛhaspati; among generals I am Skanda — and among waters, the ocean.
Word by word (3)
- purodhasāṃ ca mukhyaṃ māṃ viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatiṃ
- — Among priests, O Pārtha, know Me as the chief — Bṛhaspati · purodhasāṃ = among priests/chaplains (genitive plural of purodhā = the royal chaplain, family priest, chief priest — from puras = in front + dhā = to place; purodhā = 'one placed in front, a leading priest'; specifically the king's court priest or the sacrificial chaplain, distinct from the village/family priest). ca = and. mukhyaṃ = the chief, foremost (mukhya = chief, principal — from mukha = face/mouth; mukhyam = 'the foremost, the most prominent'). māṃ = Me. viddhi = know, understand (imperative of √vid = to know; viddhi = 'know! understand!' — a common Gita imperative address). pārtha = O Pārtha (son of Pṛthā = Kuntī; Arjuna; vocative). bṛhaspatiṃ = Bṛhaspati (the teacher/chaplain of the gods — bṛhad = vast/great + pati = lord/master; bṛhaspati = 'lord of the vast/prayer, lord of wisdom-speech'; the divine preceptor of the gods, associated with Jupiter/Guru in astronomy, the guru of the devas in mythology). purodhasāṃ mukhyaṃ = 'the foremost among the chaplains' = Bṛhaspati. Bṛhaspati is not merely one among many priests — he is the divine preceptor of the gods themselves. In this sense, his selection as the priest-vibhūti represents the teacher-function of priesthood at its highest: the one who conveys divine knowledge to the divine assembly.
- senānīnām ahaṃ skandaḥ
- — Among generals I am Skanda · senānīnāṃ = among generals/commanders (genitive plural of senānī = general, army-leader — from senā = army + nī = leader; senānīnāṃ = 'among the commanders of armies'). ahaṃ = I. skandaḥ = Skanda (Kārttikeya/Murugan — the war-god, son of Śiva and Pārvatī, commander of the divine armies; skanda = one who springs forward, the leaping one — from √skand = to jump/leap; Skanda was born to destroy the demon Tārakāsura who was defeating the gods). Skanda is the divine general who commands the armies of the gods. Among all army commanders, the most prominent is the divine warrior-preceptor — the one who combines martial excellence with divine purpose. The selection of Skanda (rather than Indra or Arjuna) is significant: Skanda's generals hip is in the service of destroying the demonic (tāmasic/āsuric forces) and restoring dharma-order. The karma yoga parallel: the Gita's entire context is Arjuna as a general about to enter a dharma-war — Skanda as vibhūti among generals means Arjuna's generalship, when aligned with dharma, is itself a vibhūti.
- sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ
- — Among bodies of water I am the ocean · sarasāṃ = among bodies of water, lakes, pools (genitive plural of saras = any sheet of water, lake, pond, pool — from √sr = to flow; saras = 'body of water, lake'). asmi = I am. sāgaraḥ = the ocean (sāgara = the ocean — possibly named after the legendary king Sagara whose 60,000 sons dug out the bed of the ocean; more probably from sa + āgara = 'with receptacle' = the vast receptacle of all waters). sarasāṃ asmi sāgaraḥ = 'among all bodies of water, I am the ocean.' The ocean among bodies of water parallels the sun among lights (V21) and manas among senses (V22): the ocean is the largest, deepest, most all-receiving body of water — all rivers (V10.28 will add 'among rivers I am the Gaṅgā') flow into it; all evaporation returns to it. The ocean also has the quality of unshakeability — V2.70's ocean analogy: 'the wise person is like the ocean that takes in rivers without being disturbed.' The ocean among waters = undisturbable depth + all-receiving capacity = the highest vibhūti of the water-domain.
Among priests, O son of Pṛthā, know Me as their chief, Bṛhaspati; among generals I am Skanda; and among waters I am the ocean.
A modern analogy
Imagine the greatest teacher you have ever encountered — one who combined depth of knowledge with genuine care for students. That teacher embodied the Bṛhaspati-quality. Now imagine the most principled leader you know — one who leads people toward what is right, not what is comfortable. That leader embodies the Skanda-quality. This verse says: in those moments of encountering supreme excellence in these domains, you are encountering a concentrated divine expression. Recognize it.
What it does NOT mean
The directive here to 'know' (viddhi) is not asking Arjuna to memorize. Viddhi = visceral knowing, recognition. The purpose of the whole catalogue of divine expressions is to answer Arjuna's question, asked earlier — how shall I know You always? 'Know Me as Bṛhaspati' means: when you encounter wisdom-teaching, divine knowledge, the greatest teacher — recognize the divine in that. When you encounter a leader who fights for dharma — recognize Skanda. When you stand before the ocean — recognize the divine in that vast water.
Take with you
- Take Bṛhaspati, the divine teacher among priests, as a teaching on learning: the greatest teachers are concentrated expressions of the divine's wisdom-function. When you learn from a true teacher, recognize: 'This is the divine teaching-quality made visible.' This recognition deepens the learning: you are receiving not just human knowledge but divine wisdom expressed through this teacher's gift. It also purifies the relationship: you offer respect not to the person's ego but to the divine-teaching working through them.
- Take Skanda, the divine general among commanders, and notice the Arjuna connection: Arjuna himself is a senānī (general) about to lead an army in a dharma-war. Skanda is specifically relevant to Arjuna: 'among generals, I am Skanda — and you, Arjuna, are participating in this divine quality when you lead your army in dharma's service.' The karma yogi in a leadership role: bring the Skanda-quality to leadership — purposeful, dharma-directed, serving the destruction of what opposes right order.
- Take the ocean (sāgara) as a meditation model: the ocean receives all rivers without being disturbed. Use the ocean to answer Arjuna's earlier question about the specific manifestations in which to contemplate the divine: stand before the ocean mentally (or physically if possible) and recognize: this unshakeability, this all-receiving quality, this depth — this is the divine expressed as the water.
Public-domain translations (3) compare all →
And of priests, O son of Pritha, know Me the chief, Brihaspati; of generals, I am Skanda; of bodies of water, I am the ocean. [4]
And know, O son of Pritha, that I am Brihaspati, the chief among the divine priests. I am Skanda among generals. Of bodies of water I am the ocean. [6]
Vrihaspati / Know Me 'mid planetary Powers; 'mid Warriors heavenly / Skanda; of all the water-floods the Sea which drinketh each [7]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
All desires pour into the sage like rivers into the ocean — the ocean stays unmoved. That is peace.
Among weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows, Kāmadhuk; among progenitors, Kāmadeva; among serpents, Vāsuki.
If even I stopped acting, humans would follow. The great one's withdrawal is never neutral.
If the great one withdraws, the worlds collapse and they become the cause of chaos — not a neutral bystander.
Whoever does not turn the cosmic wheel of giving — living only for sense-pleasure — lives in vain.
Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises — I project Myself forth. The divine responds to every crisis.
Verse 24 of 42 · back to Chapter 10