Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 10

English Translation

O Partha, know Me to be the eternal Seed of all beings. I am the intellect of the intelligent, I am the courage of the courageous.

Detailed Commentary

।।7.10।। Elaboration: 'Bījaṁ māṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ viddhi Pārtha sanātanam' – O Pārtha! Know Me to be the Sanātana (imperishable) seed of all beings, that is, I alone am the cause of all. All beings originate from Me in the form of a seed, reside in Me, and ultimately merge back into Me. Without Me, beings have no independent existence. All other seeds are born from a tree and, after producing a tree, are destroyed. However, the seed described here is 'Sanātana,' meaning without beginning or end (Anādi and Ananta). This is also referred to as 'Avyaya Bīja' in the eighteenth verse of the ninth chapter. This sentient principle (Chetan-Tattva) is Avyaya, meaning imperishable. While remaining free from change (Vikāra-rahit) itself, it is the creator, sustainer, and illuminator of the entire universe (Jagat), and its ultimate cause. In the Gītā, the word 'Bīja' is used sometimes for Bhagavān and sometimes for the Jīvātmā. The word 'Bīja' used here refers to Bhagavān, as it describes His Vibhūtis (manifestations) as the cause. In the thirty-ninth verse of the tenth chapter, the word 'Bīja' appearing as a Vibhūti also refers to Bhagavān, because He is declared there as the cause of all beings. In the eighteenth verse of the ninth chapter, the word 'Bīja' is used for Bhagavān, because in the nineteenth verse of the same chapter, the phrase 'Sadasaccāhamarjuna' states that I am both the effect and the cause. Since everything is Bhagavān Himself, the word 'Bīja' refers to Bhagavān. In the fourth verse of the fourteenth chapter, 'Ahaṁ Bījapradaḥ Pitā' (I am the father who provides the seed) makes the word 'Bīja' refer to the Jīvātmā there. The word 'Bīja' refers to the Jīvātmā only when it identifies itself with the inert (Jaḍa); otherwise, it is the very form of Bhagavān. 'Buddhir Buddhimatām Asmi' – Among the intelligent, I am intelligence. It is due to intelligence that they are called intelligent. If intelligence were absent in them, their designation as 'intelligent' would cease to exist. 'Tejastejasvināmaham' – Among the brilliant, I am brilliance. This brilliance (Tejas) is a quality of divine nature (Daivī-Sampatti). Enlightened, liberated great souls (Tattvajña Jīvanmukta Mahāpuruṣas) possess a special power of brilliance (Tejas-Śakti), by whose influence even wicked and immoral individuals become virtuous and upright. This brilliance is verily the form of Bhagavān Himself. Special Note: Bhagavān alone is the cause of the entire universe. Even while the universe exists, He is all-pervading within it, and He remains even after the entire universe dissolves. This proves that everything is Bhagavān Himself. In the Upaniṣads, examples of gold, clay, and iron are given: just as all ornaments made of gold are gold itself, all pots made of clay are clay itself, and all weapons made of iron are iron itself, similarly, all creation born from Bhagavān is Bhagavān Himself. However, in the Gītā, Bhagavān gives the example of a seed, stating, 'I am the seed of the entire universe.' A seed is born from a tree and, after producing a tree, is itself destroyed. That is, a sprout emerges from the seed, the sprout becomes a tree, and the seed itself perishes. But Bhagavān, while calling Himself the seed of the universe, revealed a unique point: 'I am the Anādi Bīja (beginningless seed), not a born seed – 'Bījaṁ māṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ viddhi Pārtha sanātanam' (7.10), and I am the imperishable seed – 'Bījamavyayam' (9.18).' Calling Himself the imperishable seed means that the universe is born from Me, but I do not perish; I remain exactly as I am. In the examples of gold, clay, and iron, gold is visible in ornaments, clay in pots, and iron in weapons, but Paramātmā is not visible in the universe. If we take the example of a seed, the seed is not visible in the tree. Only when the seed appears in the tree does one realize that this tree has such a seed from which it originated. The entire tree emerges from the seed and ultimately dissolves back into the seed. The tree begins with the seed and ends with the seed. That is, even if the tree lasts for a hundred years, its ultimate transformation will be into a seed; what else could it be but the seed? Similarly, Bhagavān is the seed of the universe; that is, the universe originates from Bhagavān and dissolves into Bhagavān. Ultimately, only Bhagavān remains – 'Śiṣyate Śeṣasaṁjñaḥ' (Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.3.25). Those who know that 'this is verily the seed' even while seeing the tree, truly understand the tree. And those who only see the tree without seeing the seed do not know the essence (Tattva) of the tree. By stating 'Bījaṁ māṁ sarvabhūtānām,' Bhagavān imparts this knowledge to everyone: 'Before all this universe that you see, I alone existed. I, though one, manifested in many forms as progeny – 'Bahu syāṁ prajāyeya' (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.3) – and after their dissolution, I alone remain.' The implication is that if I was there before and I remain afterwards, then I am also there in between. This universe appears as Pañchabhautika (composed of five elements) only to those who reflect; otherwise, it does not even appear as Pañchabhautika. For instance, if someone says that all our bodies are Pārthiva (born from Earth) and therefore predominantly made of clay, another might ask, 'How are these clay? We wash our hands with clay; clay is sand. Therefore, these bodies are not clay.' Thus, even though the body is clay, it does not appear as clay to that person. However, if all this visible world is burnt to ashes, it ultimately becomes nothing but clay. Let us reflect: what is at the root of these bodies? The part in parents, in the form of 'Raja-Vīrya' (reproductive fluid), from which the body is formed, originates from food (Anna). Food is produced from soil (Mitti). Therefore, these bodies are born from soil and ultimately dissolve into soil. Ultimately, the body undergoes three fates: either it is buried in the ground, or it is cremated, or it is consumed by animals and birds. By all three methods, it ultimately turns into soil. Thus, being soil at the beginning and at the end, the body or the world is also soil in between. However, in between, this body or world does not appear as soil to the eye. It appears as soil only through reflection, not through the eyes. Similarly, through reflection, this world appears as the very form of Paramātmā. If we reflect, when Bhagavān created this universe, He did not procure any materials from somewhere to create it, nor was there any other creator. Bhagavān Himself is the creator of the universe, and He Himself became the universe. Having created the bodies, He Himself entered into them – 'Tat sṛṣṭvā tad evānuprāviśat' (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.6). Even in these bodies, as the Jīva (individual soul), it is the same Paramātmā. Therefore, this universe is also the very form of Paramātmā.