Verse 8
रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभास्मि शशिसूर्ययोः | प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु || ८ ||
Transliteration
raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu
Synonyms
rasaḥ—taste; aham—I am; apsu—in water; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; prabhā—the light; asmi—I am; śaśi-sūryayoḥ—of the moon and sun; praṇavaḥ—the syllable Om; sarva-vedeṣu—in all the Vedas; śabdaḥ—sound; khe—in space/ether; pauruṣam—ability/virility; nṛṣu—in men.
Translation
“O son of Kunti, I am the taste in water, the light of the sun and moon, the syllable Om in all the Vedas, the sound in ether, and the ability in man.”
Multi-Tradition Commentary
Krishna is pointing to the essential quality in each element—not the water itself, but the taste that makes water water; not the sun itself, but the brilliance that makes the sun luminous. This is the difference between nama-rupa (name and form) and their underlying essence, which is Brahman.
Practical Application (Modern Life)
The next time you drink water and notice its taste, pause: that very experience of taste is a meeting point with the Divine. Krishna is actively present in the most ordinary sensory experiences. This contemplation transforms mundane moments into encounters with the sacred.