🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 10.20

Chapter 10 · विभूतियोग · Vibhūti-Yoga · "The Yoga of Krishna's Manifestations" · Verse 20 of 42

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अहमात्मा गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयस्थितः।

अहमादिश्च मध्यं च भूतानामन्त एव च।।10.20।।
— Bhagavad-Gītā 10.20 · the yathārtha śloka (Devanāgarī Sanskrit · canonical)

🪷 English Translations

Five authentic English voices · each from a distinct sampradāya · together revealing the verse's full śabda-tattva.

Shri Purohit Swami · Poetic English · 1935 · public domain · Cosmo Press tradition
10.20 O Arjuna! I am the Self, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning and the life, and I am the end of them all.
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
10.20 I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning, the middle and also the end of all beings.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Word-key glosses · Advaita Ashrama · Śaṅkara-school
10.20 Gudakesa, O Gudakesa-gudaka means sleep, and isa means master; master of that (sleep) is gudakesa, i.e. one who has conered sleep; [See also under 1.24.-Tr.] or, one who has got thick hair; aham, I; am the atma, Self, the indwelling Self; who is to be ever-meditated on as sarva-bhuta-asaya [Asaya-that in which are contained the impressions of meditations (upasanas), actions and past experiences.]-sthitah, residing in the hearts of all beings. And, by one who is unable to do so, I am to be meditated on through the following aspects. I am capable of being meditated on (through them) becasue aham, I; am verily the adih, beginning, the origin; and the madhyam, middle, continuance; ca, as also; the antah, end, dissolution; bhutanam, of (all) beings. 'I am to be meditated upon thus also:'
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
10.20 I am the Self dwelling in the heart of all beings who constitute My body. What is called 'Self' is in every way the supporter, controller and the principal of a body. It is further declared: 'And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory, knowledge and their removal' (15.15), and 'The Lord dwells, O Arjuna in the heart of every being causing them to spin round and round by His power, as if set on a wheel' (18.61). The Srutis also declare: 'He who, dwelling in all beings, is within all beings, whom all beings do not know, whose body all beings are, who controls all beings from within, is your Inner Controller, immortal Self (Br. U., 3.7.15); and 'He who, dwelling in the self is within the self, whom the self does not know, whose body the self is, and who controls the self from within, He is your Inner Controller and Immortal Self' (Sata. Br., 14.5.30). Thus, I am the Self of all beings and I am their beginning, the middle and also the end. The meaning is that I am the cause of their origination, sustentation and dissolution. Thus, having explained that the Lord's immanence in all beings, which are His manifestations having Him, as their Self, is the ground for naming them in the manner of Samanadhikaranya or co-ordinate predication with Him (i.e., predication that they are He Himself), Sri Krsna proceeds to present some specific or distinguished manifestations in the same style of co-ordinate predication. As the Lord abides as the Self in all, the final significance of all terms culminates in Him. Terms such as god, man, bird, tree etc., though they signify the respective physical forms of those objects, they culminate through them in the selves in them as their final significance. Just like that here it is going to be stated in the conclusion of the account of the manifestations of the Lord, that the Lord's immanence in them all as their Self is the basis for describing them in such co-ordinate predication (as He Himself). The text 'There is nothing, moving or unmoving, apart from Me' (10.39) says that they are inseparable from Him, and this inseparability is the result of their being under His control. This has been initially declared in the words 'All proceed from Me' (10.8). [This word Samanadhikaranya is translated by some also as 'grammatical co-ordination.' It is a context in which a number of words, usually having varying denotations, are used to signify an identical object. This kind of co-ordinate relation occurs in all the following verses in which Sri Krsna eates Himself with various objects having different denotations as Atman, Visnu among the Adityas, Indra, Marici, Sankara, Kubera, etc. Further explanation is given in the commentary.]
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
10.20. O coneror of sleep ! I am the Soul residing in the heart of all beings; I am the beginning, and the middle and also the very end of beings.

🪷 Hindi Translation · हिन्दी अनुवाद

For the Hindi-aware seer · Pūjya Swami Rāmsukhdās ji's translation · a high-readability modern Hindi rendering · Gītā-Press Gorakhpur tradition. (→ Full Mahāpurusha-detail page for the 102-year-living Sādhaka-Sañjīvanī Mahātmā.)

🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Sādhaka-Sañjīvanī tradition · Gītā-Press Gorakhpur · highest modern Hindi reading
।।10.20।। हे नींदको जीतनेवाले अर्जुन ! सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके आदि, मध्य तथा अन्तमें भी मैं ही हूँ और प्राणियोंके अन्तःकरणमें आत्मरूपसे भी मैं ही स्थित हूँ।

🪷 English Commentaries · The Ācārya Voices

The classical commentary tradition rendered in English · each ācārya speaks from their own sampradāya · the seer chooses the depth of darśana.

Swami Sivananda · Verse-by-verse word-keys with Sanskrit anchors
10.20 अहम् I? आत्मा the Self? गुडाकेश O Gudakesa? सर्वभूताशयस्थितः seated in the hearts of all beings? अहम् I? आदिः the beginning? च and? मध्यम् the middle? च and? भूतानाम् of (all) beings? अन्तः the end? एव even? च and.Commentary O Gudakesa I am the soul (Pratyagatma) which exists in the hearts of all beings and I am also the source or origin? the middle or stay? and the end of all created beings. I am the birth? the life and the death of all beings. Meditate on Me as the innermost Self.Gudakesa means either coneror of sleep or thickhaired.He who is able to meditate on the Self with Abheda Bhavana (attitude of nonduality)? is a alified aspirant (Adhikari) of the first class. He who is not able to meditate on the Self should think of the Lord in those things which are mentioned below. This type of meditation is for the aspirants of the middle class.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Advaita-school commentary (Śaṅkara tradition)
10.20 Gudakesa, O Gudakesa-gudaka means sleep, and isa means master; master of that (sleep) is gudakesa, i.e. one who has conered sleep; [See also under 1.24.-Tr.] or, one who has got thick hair; aham, I; am the atma, Self, the indwelling Self; who is to be ever-meditated on as sarva-bhuta-asaya [Asaya-that in which are contained the impressions of meditations (upasanas), actions and past experiences.]-sthitah, residing in the hearts of all beings. And, by one who is unable to do so, I am to be meditated on through the following aspects. I am capable of being meditated on (through them) becasue aham, I; am verily the adih, beginning, the origin; and the madhyam, middle, continuance; ca, as also; the antah, end, dissolution; bhutanam, of (all) beings. 'I am to be meditated upon thus also:'
Swami Ādidevānanda · Rāmānuja Śrī-Vaiṣṇava commentary
10.20 I am the Self dwelling in the heart of all beings who constitute My body. What is called 'Self' is in every way the supporter, controller and the principal of a body. It is further declared: 'And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory, knowledge and their removal' (15.15), and 'The Lord dwells, O Arjuna in the heart of every being causing them to spin round and round by His power, as if set on a wheel' (18.61). The Srutis also declare: 'He who, dwelling in all beings, is within all beings, whom all beings do not know, whose body all beings are, who controls all beings from within, is your Inner Controller, immortal Self (Br. U., 3.7.15); and 'He who, dwelling in the self is within the self, whom the self does not know, whose body the self is, and who controls the self from within, He is your Inner Controller and Immortal Self' (Sata. Br., 14.5.30). Thus, I am the Self of all beings and I am their beginning, the middle and also the end. The meaning is that I am the cause of their origination, sustentation and dissolution. Thus, having explained that the Lord's immanence in all beings, which are His manifestations having Him, as their Self, is the ground for naming them in the manner of Samanadhikaranya or co-ordinate predication with Him (i.e., predication that they are He Himself), Sri Krsna proceeds to present some specific or distinguished manifestations in the same style of co-ordinate predication. As the Lord abides as the Self in all, the final significance of all terms culminates in Him. Terms such as god, man, bird, tree etc., though they signify the respective physical forms of those objects, they culminate through them in the selves in them as their final significance. Just like that here it is going to be stated in the conclusion of the account of the manifestations of the Lord, that the Lord's immanence in them all as their Self is the basis for describing them in such co-ordinate predication (as He Himself). The text 'There is nothing, moving or unmoving, apart from Me' (10.39) says that they are inseparable from Him, and this inseparability is the result of their being under His control. This has been initially declared in the words 'All proceed from Me' (10.8). [This word Samanadhikaranya is translated by some also as 'grammatical co-ordination.' It is a context in which a number of words, usually having varying denotations, are used to signify an identical object. This kind of co-ordinate relation occurs in all the following verses in which Sri Krsna eates Himself with various objects having different denotations as Atman, Visnu among the Adityas, Indra, Marici, Sankara, Kubera, etc. Further explanation is given in the commentary.]
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
10.20 See Comment under 10.42
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।10.20।। भूतमात्र के हृदय में स्थित आत्मा मैं ही हूँ इस सामान्य कथन के साथ श्रीकृष्ण इस प्रकरण का प्रारम्भ करते हैं। वैज्ञानिक विचारपद्धति से शोधकार्य करने का एक सुप्रशिक्षित प्राध्यापक? अनुसंधान के अपने प्रिय विषय की चर्चा का प्रारम्भ एक संक्षिप्त व सारपूर्ण कथन के साथ करता है। तत्पश्चात् वह उस विषय का विस्तार से विचार करके युक्तियुक्त विवेचन के द्वारा अन्त में उसी प्रारम्भिक कथन के निष्कर्ष पर पहुँचता है। यहाँ पर भी हम देखेंगे कि इस अध्याय की समाप्ति पर भगवान् इसी विचार को और अधिक प्रभावशाली ढंग से दोहराते हैं कि मैं इस सम्पूर्ण जगत् को अपने एक अंशमात्र से धारण करके स्थित हूँ।इस श्लोक की पहली पंक्ति में भगवान् अपनी सर्वात्मकता दर्शाते हैं और दूसरी पंक्ति में इसी भाव को प्रकारान्तर से बताते हैं कि मैं समस्त भूतों का आदि? मध्य और अन्त हूँ। वस्तुत बाह्य चराचर जगत् मन की प्रक्षेपित सृष्टि है दूसरे शब्दों में बाह्य जगत् परिच्छिन्न मन के द्वारा किया गया अनन्त का अन्यथा दर्शन है। यह तथ्य आन्तरिक वैचारिक जगत् से सम्बन्धित भी समझा जा सकता है। प्रत्येक बुद्धिवृत्ति चैतन्य में प्रकट होकर उसी में लीन हो जाती है। चैतन्य के अभाव में वृत्ति की उत्पत्ति नहीं हो सकती। आगे भी इसी विचार को दोहराया गया है। भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण इस महान् सत्य को दोहराते कभी नहीं थकते हैं।इस चराचर जगत् में रहते हुए ईश्वरोपासना की साधनाओं को या पद्धति को अब बताते हैं।

🪷 Hindi Vyākhyā · हिन्दी व्याख्या

Pūjya Swami Rāmsukhdās ji's Sādhaka-Sañjīvanī · one of the great modern Hindi vyākhyās of the Gītā · direct, pure, deeply Vedāntic · the modern Sanātana-jāgaraṇa. (→ Full Mahāpurusha-detail page · 1904-2005 · Corner 1 Mādhurya operational anchor · whose 6-lakṣaṇa-śaraṇāgati IS Constitutional Principle 24.)

🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Sādhaka-Sañjīvanī · Hindi vyākhyā · the modern bilingual anchor
।।10.20।। व्याख्या--[भगवान्का चिन्तन दो तरहसे होता है-- (1) साधक अपना जो इष्ट मानता है, उसके सिवाय दूसरा कोई भी चिन्तन न हो। कभी हो भी जाय तो मनको वहाँसे हटाकर अपने इष्टदेवके चिन्तनमें ही लगा दे; और (2) मनमें सांसारिक विशेषताको लेकर चिन्तन हो, तो उस विशेषताको भगवान्की ही विशेषता समझे। इस दूसरे चिन्तनके लिये ही यहाँ विभूतियोंका वर्णन है। तात्पर्य है कि किसी विशेषतोको लेकर जहा-कहीं वृत्ति जाय, वहाँ भगवान्का ही चिन्तन होना चाहिये, उस वस्तु-व्यक्तिका नहीं। इसीके लिये भगवान् विभूतियोंका वर्णन कर रहे हैं।] 'अहमादिश्च मध्यं च भूतानामन्त एव च (टिप्पणी प0 555)'-- यहाँ भगवान्ने अपनी सम्पूर्ण विभूतियोंका सार कहा है कि सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके आदि, मध्य तथा अन्तमें मैं ही हूँ। यह नियम है कि जो वस्तु उत्पत्ति-विनाशशील होती है, उसके आरम्भ और अन्तमें जो तत्त्व रहता है, वही तत्त्व उसके मध्यमें भी रहता है (चाहे दीखे या न दीखे) अर्थात् जो वस्तु जिस तत्त्वसे उत्पन्न होती है और जिसमें लीन होती है, उस वस्तुके आदि, मध्य और अन्तमें (सब समयमें) वही तत्त्व रहता है। जैसे, सोनेसे बने गहने पहले सोनारूप होते हैं और अन्तमें (गहनोंके सोनेमें लीन होनेपर) सोनारूप ही रहते हैं तथा बीचमें भी सोनारूप ही रहते हैं। केवल नाम, आकृति, उपयोग, माप, तौल आदि अलग-अलग होते हैं; और इनके अलगअलग होते हुए भी गहने सोना ही रहते हैं। ऐसे ही सम्पूर्ण प्राणी आदिमें भी परमात्मस्वरूप थे और अन्तमें लीन होनेपर भी परमात्मस्वरूप रहेंगे तथा मध्यमें नाम, रूप, आकृति, क्रिया, स्वभाव आदि अलग-अलग होनेपर भी तत्त्वतः परमात्मस्वरूप ही हैं -- यह बतानेके लिये ही यहाँ भगवान्ने अपनेको सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके आदि, मध्य और अन्तमें कहा है।भगवान्ने विभूतियोंके इस प्रकरणमें आदि, मध्य और अन्तमें -- तीन जगह साररूपसे अपनी विभूतियोंका वर्णन किया है। पहले इस बीसवें श्लोकमें भगवान्ने कहा कि सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके आदि, मध्य और अन्तमें मैं ही हूँ बीचके बत्तीसवें श्लोकमें कहा कि सम्पूर्ण सर्गोंके आदि, मध्य और अन्तमें मैं ही हूँ;' और अन्तके उनतालीसवें श्लोकमें कहा कि 'सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंका जो बीज है, वह मैं ही हूँ क्योंकि मेरे बिना कोई भी चर-अचर प्राणी नहीं है। चिन्तन करनेके लिये यही विभूतियोंका सार है। तात्पर्य यह है कि किसी विशेषता आदिको लेकर जो विभूतियाँ कही गयी हैं, उन विभूतियोंके अतिरिक्त भी जो कुछ दिखायी दे, वह भी भगवान्की ही विभूति है -- यह बतानेके लिये भगवान्ने अपनेको सम्पूर्ण चराचर प्राणियोंके आदि, मध्य तथा अन्तमें विद्यमान कहा है। तत्त्वसे सब कुछ परमात्मा ही है -- 'वासुदेवः सर्वम्'-- इस लक्ष्यको बतानेके लिये ही विभूतियाँ कही गयी हैं। इस बीसवें श्लोकमें भगवान्ने प्राणियोंमें जो आत्मा है, जीवोंका जो स्वरूप है, उसको अपनी विभूति बताया है। फिर बत्तीसवें श्लोकमें भगवान्ने सृष्टिरूपसे अपनी विभूति बतायी कि जो जड-चेतन, स्थावर-जङ्गम सृष्टि है, उसके आदिमें 'मैं एक ही बहुत रूपोंमें हो जाऊँ' ('बहु स्यां प्रजायेयेति' छान्दोग्य0 6। 2। 3) --ऐसा संकल्प करता हूँ और अन्तमें मैं ही शेष रहता हूँ--'शिष्यते शेषसंज्ञः' (श्रीमद्भा0 10। 3। 25)। अतः बीचमें भी सब कुछ मैं ही हूँ -- 'वासुदेवः सर्वम्' (गीता 7। 19) 'सदसच्चाहमर्जुन' (गीता 9। 19 ); क्योंकि जो तत्त्व आदि और अन्तमें होता है, वही तत्त्व बीचमें होता है। अन्तमें उन्तालीसवें श्लोकमें भगवान्ने बीज-(कारण-) रूपसे अपनी विभूति बतायी कि मैं ही सबका बीज हूँ, मेरे बिना कोई भी प्राणी नहीं है। इस प्रकार इन तीन जगह--तीन श्लोकोंमें मुख्य विभूतियाँ बतायी गयी हैं और अन्य श्लोकोंमें जो समुदायमें मुख्य हैं, जिनका समुदायपर आधिपत्य है, जिनमें कोई विशेषता है, उनको लेकर विभूतियाँ बतायी गयी हैं। परन्तु साधकको चाहिये कि वह इन विभूतियोंकी महत्ता, विशेषता, सुन्दरता, आधिपत्य आदिकी तरफ खयाल न करे, प्रत्युत ये सब विभूतियाँ भगवान्से ही प्रकट होती हैं, इनमें जो महत्ता आदि है, वह केवल भगवान्की है; ये विभूतियाँ भगवत्स्वरूप ही हैं-- इस तरफ खयाल रखे। कारण कि अर्जुनका प्रश्न भगवान्के चिन्तनके विषयमें है (10। 17), किसी वस्तु, व्यक्तिके चिन्तनके विषयमें नहीं।

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BG 10.20local Bhagavad-Gītā verse route and source-anchor sectionChapter 10 hubVibhūti-Yoga · The Yoga of Krishna's ManifestationsMBh 6.32.20exact Bhīṣma-Parva source route for this Gītā verse/bhagavad-gitamaster index for all 18 chapters and 701 verse routesBhīṣma-ParvaMahābhārata narrative home where the Bhagavad-Gītā is received/mahabharatafull Itihāsa source spine for Vyāsa Maharṣi's MahābhārataBG 1 · Arjuna-Viṣāda YogaTVAM-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Arjuna-Viṣāda YogaBG 2 · Sāṅkhya YogaTVAM-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Sāṅkhya YogaBG 3 · Karma YogaTVAM-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Karma YogaBG 4 · Jñāna-Karma-SannyāsaTVAM-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Jñāna-Karma-SannyāsaBG 5 · Karma-Sannyāsa YogaTVAM-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Karma-Sannyāsa YogaBG 6 · Dhyāna YogaTVAM-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Dhyāna YogaBG 7 · Krishna-Tattva (Jñāna-Vijñāna)TAT-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Krishna-Tattva (Jñāna-Vijñāna)BG 8 · Akṣara-Brahma YogaTAT-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Akṣara-Brahma YogaBG 9 · Rāja-Vidyā Rāja-GuhyaTAT-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Rāja-Vidyā Rāja-GuhyaBG 11 · Viśvarūpa-Darśana YogaTAT-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Viśvarūpa-Darśana YogaBG 12 · Bhakti YogaTAT-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Bhakti YogaBG 13 · Kṣetra-Kṣetrajña YogaANTYA-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Kṣetra-Kṣetrajña YogaBG 14 · Guṇa-Traya-VibhāgaANTYA-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Guṇa-Traya-VibhāgaBG 15 · Puruṣottama YogaANTYA-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Puruṣottama YogaBG 16 · Daivāsura-Sampad-VibhāgaANTYA-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Daivāsura-Sampad-VibhāgaBG 17 · Śraddhā-Traya-VibhāgaANTYA-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Śraddhā-Traya-VibhāgaBG 18 · Mokṣa-Sannyāsa Yoga (Carama-Śloka)ANTYA-Ṣaṭka chapter hub for Mokṣa-Sannyāsa Yoga (Carama-Śloka)BG 2.47niṣkāma-karma-yoga action disciplineBG 4.34praṇipāta · paripraśna · sevā before tattva-darśī teachersBG 7.7mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat · no source higher than KrishnaBG 9.17Krishna as father, mother, supporter, and grandfatherBG 10.30Krishna as Time among reckonersBG 13.23Paramātmā as witness, permitter, supporter, enjoyer, and LordBG 15.15Krishna seated in every heart as memory, knowledge, and forgetfulnessBG 18.61Īśvara situated in the heart of all beingsBG 18.66Carama-Śloka surrender discipline and final refuge/vishwaroopa-darshanaall 18 Gītā chapters rendered as one chart-aware darśana/vishvarupa-chartBG 11 chart-as-Viśvarūpa-darśana aperture/bija-sutrasfounder-curated bīja-pada exposition layer inside selected Gītā verse pages/binduDiamond of Darśanas frame for Gītā source recognition/philosophyKrishna = Paramaatma = Parabrahman constitutional foundation/llms.txtbrief AI-agent source map/llms-full.txtcomprehensive AI-agent access map
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📚 Cite this verse · Academic citation formats
APA: Vyāsa Maharṣi. (n.d.). Bhagavad-Gītā 10.20. Vidhyāmitra. Retrieved 2026-07-29, from https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/10/20
Chicago: Vyāsa Maharṣi. "Bhagavad-Gītā 10.20." Vidhyāmitra. Accessed 2026-07-29. https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/10/20.
MLA: Vyāsa Maharṣi. "Bhagavad-Gītā 10.20." Vidhyāmitra, 2026, https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/10/20.
Canonical URL: https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/10/20 · Persistent · all 701 BG verses indexed per-URL · the Vedic content is public-domain by Sanātana tradition · Vidhyāmitra-specific structure © Vidhyāmitra (self-hosted prasāda model · /about)

🪷 ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय 🪷

सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)