Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 8

English Translation

O son of Kunti, I am the taste of water, I am the effulgence of the moon and the sun; (the letter) Om in all the Vedas, the sound in space, and manhood in men.

Detailed Commentary

**7.8** **Explanation:** From an ordinary perspective, people consider money to be paramount, and thus they are interested in earning and collecting it. Similarly, whatever we see, hear, or comprehend has Bhagavān as its cause. Without Bhagavān, it has no independent existence. Accepting this fosters a natural interest in Bhagavān, and His *bhajan* (devotional singing) also occurs spontaneously. In the eighth verse of the tenth chapter, it is stated: "I am the cause of the world, from Me alone does the world originate." Understanding this, the wise worship Me. In the forty-sixth verse of the eighteenth chapter, it is said: "By worshipping that Paramātma from whom all beings have originated and by whom the entire universe is pervaded, a man can attain perfection through the performance of his own duties." This passage has come to elucidate this very principle. **"Raso 'ham apsu Kaunteya"** – O son of Kunti, I am the *rasa* (taste or essence) in water. Water originates from the *rasa-tanmatra* and subsists within it. If the *rasa* is removed from water, nothing remains in the water. Therefore, *rasa* is the very form of water, and that *rasa* is I. **"Prabhasmi shashisuryayoḥ"** – The light (*prabhā*) in the moon and the sun is My power. *Prabhā* originates from the *rupa-tanmatra* and merges into it. If *prabhā* is removed from the moon and sun, they will become devoid of radiance. I am in that *prabhā*. **"Pranavaḥ sarvavedeṣu"** – *Pranava* (Omkār) in the Vedas is My form because *Tripada Gayatri* and the Vedas originated from *Pranava*. The essence of the Vedas is *Pranava*, and that too is I. **"Shabdaḥ khe"** – The sound (*shabda*) that occurs in the *Akasha* (ether/sky) is My form. *Akasha* originates from the *shabda-tanmatra*. If *shabda* is removed from *Akasha*, nothing will remain. That *shabda* is I. **"Paurushaṁ nṛṣu"** – The desire to be victorious among humans is My essence. In reality, the true *Purushartha* (human endeavor/virility) is to experience the *Paramatma*. However, people consider *Purushartha* to be the acquisition of external things. The true *Purushartha* is that which strives to attain the *Paramatma*. In His attainment lies the meaningfulness of human life; without Him, one is nothing.