Bhagavad Gita 7.10
Spoken by Krishna ☆ Key verse · Verse 10 of 30
बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम् | बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ||१०||
bījaṃ māṃ sarva-bhūtānāṃ viddhi pārtha sanātanam | buddhir buddhimatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham || 10 ||
Know Me as the eternal seed of all beings — I am the intelligence of the intelligent, the splendour of the splendid.
Word by word (3)
- bījaṃ māṃ sarva-bhūtānāṃ viddhi pārtha sanātanam
- — know Me, O Pārtha, as the eternal seed of all beings · bījam = seed (the generative principle, what contains the potential for an entire being; not just a biological seed but the metaphysical seed — the principle from which each being's existence unfolds). māṃ = Me (accusative — know Me). sarva-bhūtānāṃ = of all beings (genitive plural — the seed OF all beings). viddhi = know (imperative of √vid — know firmly, understand). pārtha = O son of Pṛthā (Arjuna — the intimate maternal epithet, signaling personal disclosure). sanātanam = eternal (sanātana = ancient, beginningless, timeless — the seed is not temporary or causally dependent; it IS the eternal ground). The teaching: Krishna is the bīja (seed/generative principle) of ALL beings (sarva-bhūtānāṃ) — not as a biological cause but as the eternal ontological ground from which each being's existence unfolds. This is the most direct statement of V6's prabhava teaching at the level of each individual being.
- buddhiḥ buddhimatām asmi — tejaḥ tejasvinām aham
- — I am the intelligence of the intelligent — and the splendour of the splendid am I · buddhiḥ = intelligence, discriminating wisdom (the faculty of discernment, higher understanding — the buddhi of V4's aparā-prakṛti, elevated here to its finest expression). buddhimatām = of those endowed with intelligence (buddhimat = one who has buddhi; genitive plural — 'of the intelligent ones'). asmi = I am. tejaḥ = splendour, radiance, vital energy, vigour (the brilliance/energy quality that makes something outstanding in its category — same word as V9's tejas in fire). tejasvinām = of those who are splendid/brilliant/vigorous (tejasvī = one who has tejas). aham = I. The 'best in category' pattern: not merely intelligence in the intelligent, but the INTELLIGENCE of the intelligent (their faculty of discrimination at its finest). Not just energy in energetic beings, but the SPLENDOUR of the splendid — the outstanding quality that makes the outstanding outstanding.
- sanātana-bīja (eternal seed) — the ground of each being's existence
- — the eternal, beginningless generative principle in each being — not a cause in time but an ontological ground always-already present · The qualifier 'sanātana' (eternal, beginningless) applied to bīja (seed) is theologically precise: Krishna is not the temporal cause of beings (as if he created them at a moment in time and then they became independent) — he is the ETERNAL seed, the always-present ontological ground from which each being continuously unfolds. This is the difference between a historical creator and an ever-present sustaining ground. The sanātana-bīja never exhausts itself in any being — it is the inexhaustible source that remains as the ground even after each being has fully manifested. Every being's existence is, at its most fundamental level, the eternal seed expressing itself.
Know Me, O son of Pṛthā, as the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent and the brilliance of the brilliant.
A modern analogy
The seed of a tree contains the entire tree's potential — the roots, trunk, branches, leaves, fruit — all compressed into the seed. The sanātana-bīja (eternal seed) of this verse is like that: the entire potential of each being's existence is compressed within the Divine ground. The tree (the being) unfolds from the seed (the Divine), and the seed never leaves the tree — it is always present as the eternal ground.
What it does NOT mean
This verse does NOT say only the intelligent and splendid are expressions of the Divine. The verse before it already said jīvana (life-force) is in ALL beings. 'Intelligence of the intelligent' means the excellence of intelligence — the finest expression of the buddhi faculty — is the Divine. The ordinary intelligence of ordinary people is equally the Divine; this verse points to the exceptional to indicate: the highest expressions of any quality are the most visible manifestation of the thread.
Take with you
- This verse's sanātana-bīja: every being's existence unfolds from the eternal Divine ground. This means no being is ever truly alone or cut off from the source — the seed is always present within the being, as its very ground.
- The 'intelligence of the intelligent' pattern: when you encounter exceptional intelligence, clarity of thought, or brilliance in any domain — recognize it as the Divine's exceptional manifestation. The finest intelligence is the thread made visible. This transforms admiration into recognition.
- This verse closes the experiential-wisdom teaching that runs from the elemental qualities onward: after the taste, radiance, and sound of the elements, then earth, fire, life, and tapas, then seed, intelligence, and splendour, the practitioner has been given a comprehensive template for recognizing the Divine in all domains of experience.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
Know Me, O Pārtha, as the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the splendour of the splendid. [1]
Know Me, O son of Pritha, as the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intellect of the intelligent, and the heroism of the heroic. [4]
Know Me, O son of Pritha, as the Eternal Seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, the splendour of the splendid am I. [5]
Know, O son of Pritha, that I am the eternal seed of all creatures; I am the wisdom of the wise, and the glory of the illustrious. [6]
I am the Truth and Force of those who govern, the Goodness of the good, the Light of all illumined souls, the Seed of all existing things, the Wit in wit. [7]
Know me, O son of Pritha, as the eternal seed of all beings. I am the understanding of those who have understanding, and the glory of the glorious. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
I am the sacred fragrance in earth, the brilliance in fire, the life-force in all beings, and the austerity in ascetics.
I am the seed of all beings, O Arjuna — there is no being, moving or unmoving, that can exist without Me.
I am the strength of the strong, free from craving — and the desire in beings that does not conflict with dharma.
Your body changed from childhood to age without 'you' dying — changing bodies is no different.
Arjuna asks: what does the truly wise person look like? How do they speak, sit, and move?
I taught this imperishable yoga to the sun-god at the dawn of time — it has been passed down through kings ever since.
Verse 10 of 30 · back to Chapter 7