Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Verse 39

English Translation

You are Air, Death, Fire, the god of the waters, the moon, the Lord of the creatures, and the Greater-grandfather. Salutations! Salutation be to You a thousand times; salutation to You again and again! Salutation!

Detailed Commentary

Vāyu (the Wind God), from whom all beings receive life and strength, that Vāyu art Thou. Yama, who is Yamarāja and governs the world, that art Thou. Agni (Fire), who pervades all, bestows power and light, and digests food, that Agni art Thou. Varuṇa, the lord of waters, from whom all receive life, that Varuṇa art Thou. Śaśāṅka (the Moon), who nourishes all medicinal plants and vegetation, that Moon art Thou. Prajāpati, the creator of beings like Dakṣa, that art Thou. Prapitāmaha, the progenitor of Brahmā, that Prapitāmaha art Thou. Salutations, salutations to Thee a thousandfold! Again and again, salutations, salutations to Thee! All the Devatās are indeed Thee. Thou art of infinite form. What praise can I offer Thee? I can but offer Thee salutations thousands of times. The responsibility for any action remains with a human being only as long as they perceive the power to act, i.e., ego, within themselves. When there remains no capability to do anything within oneself, that responsibility ceases. Now, one merely offers salutations (namaskāra), which means surrendering oneself completely to Bhagavān. Then, all work belongs to Bhagavān alone, not to the one who has taken refuge (śaraṇāgata).