Bhagavad Gita 10.22

Verse 22

वेदानां सामवेदोऽस्मि देवानामस्मि वासवः | इन्द्रियाणां मनश्चास्मि भूतानामस्मि चेतना || २२ ||

Transliteration

vedānāṁ sāma-vedo 'smi devānām asmi vāsavaḥ indriyāṇāṁ manaś cāsmi bhūtānām asmi cetanā

Synonyms

vedānām—of the Vedas; sāma-vedaḥ—the Sama Veda; asmi—I am; devānām—of the gods; asmi—I am; vāsavaḥ—Indra; indriyāṇām—of the senses; manaḥ—the mind; ca—also; asmi—I am; bhūtānām—of living beings; asmi—I am; cetanā—the living force.

Translation

Of the Vedas I am the Sama Veda; of the gods I am Indra; of the senses I am the mind; in living beings I am consciousness.

Multi-Tradition Commentary

Bhaktivedanta Swami (Gaudiya Vaishnavism)

The Sama Veda is set to music and sung, making it the most directly devotional of the four Vedas. By identifying Himself with the Sama Veda, Krishna signals the supremacy of devotional expression among all forms of sacred learning. And by identifying Himself with cetanā (consciousness), He reveals that the very capacity to know is itself divine.

Practical Application (Modern Life)

Consciousness itself — the bare fact of awareness, of knowing that you exist and perceive — is the most intimate touch point with the Divine available at every moment. You do not need a special state or a particular place. Simple awareness of awareness is always available and is always the Self knowing itself.

Chapter Content

View all shlokas in Chapter 10

Have a question?