Gita Series – 84: Bhagavad Gita Chapter VII. Verses 8 – 11

“I am the taste in water, light of the moon and the sun, I am the sacred OM of Vedas, the sound in ether, virility in men. I am the sacred odour of earth and brilliance in fire. I am the life in all creatures and the non-indulgence of hermits. Know Me as the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, glory of glorious. I am the strength of the mighty, who are devoid of passion and desire. In normal beings, I am the sexual desire that is not in contradiction with righteousness.”

Krishna speaks about the Brahman. The quality of the omnipresence of the Brahman is being expounded by Krishna. He says that the Lord is the essence of everything. For example, let us take sun and moon. Krishna does not say that He is sun and moon. He only says that He is in the form of their radiance. Radiance is the essence of sun and moon. Their form is gross and their radiance is subtle. Even in the case of water, He only says that He is in the form of taste of water, which is the essence of water. He does not refer to the gross form of water. OM is considered as the essence of all Vedas as all Vedas originate from OM. Krishna does not say that He is in the form of Vedas. He merely says that He is in the form OM, the essence of Vedas.

The subtle form of the God is highlighted through these verses. We have seen in earlier verses, that the Lord has two forms, para and apara. In other words, His two forms are without attributes and with attributes. What Krishna refers here is His form with subtle attributes. Without attributes refers to His incomprehensible form. What Krishna refers to in these verses is His existence in the form of essences of all the beings.

While declaring His existence in the form of the best amongst all qualities, He says that He exists in the form of sexual desire that is not in contradiction to principles of righteousness, advocated by scriptures. Procreation is an important aspect of creation, as long as it is confined for the purpose of procreation. Krishna only denounces animalist behaviour. Righteousness can be explained as the act upholding the principles of morality. When He says that He is the strength of the mighty, He refers only to the mental strength and not the physical strength, as He specifically denounces passion and desire.

In a nutshell, these verses explain that the Lord exists in the form of essences of all matters, which not only affirm His omnipresent nature, but also confirm that the Lord exists both in gross and subtle forms. Ultimately, the Brahman is explained as the One, both with attributes and without attributes. This is further explained in later verses as saguna Brahman and nirguna Brahman.

Further Readings:

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter VII. 4 - 7

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter VII. 12-14

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter VII. 1 - 3

Bhagavad Gita As It Is