Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 35

Chapter 10 – Vibhuti Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

बृहत्साम तथा साम्नां गायत्री छन्दसामहम् ।
मासानां मार्गशीर्षोऽहमृतूनां कुसुमाकरः ॥

Transliteration

bṛhatsāma tathā sāmnāṃ gāyatrī chandasāmaham .
māsānāṃ mārgaśīrṣo.ahamṛtūnāṃ kusumākaraḥ ॥

Meaning

Of the Sama chants I am the Brihat Sama; of metres I am the Gayatri; of months I am Margashirsha; of seasons I am spring, the bringer of flowers.

Word meanings

बृहत्साम – the Brihat Sama chant
तथा – likewise
साम्नाम् – among Sama chants
गायत्री – the Gayatri metre
छन्दसाम् – among metres
अहम् – I
मासानाम् – among months
मार्गशीर्षः – the month of Margashirsha
अहम् – I
ऋतूनाम् – among seasons
कुसुमाकरः – the source of flowers, spring

Anvaya (word order)

तथा साम्नां बृहत्साम, छन्दसाम् अहं गायत्री, मासानाम् अहं मार्गशीर्षः, ऋतूनां कुसुमाकरः (अहम् अस्मि) ।

Explanation

Brihat-sama tatha samnam, ‘of Sama chants I am the Brihat Sama’. In verse 22 Krishna said that among the Vedas He is the Sama Veda; now, among the chants of the Sama Veda itself, He is the finest, the Brihat Sama. Shankara explains that it is the chant in praise of Indra based on the verse beginning tvam id dhi havamahe, sung in great rites such as the Atiratra and regarded as leading to liberation. Brihat means ‘great’; it is the grandest chant in melody and feeling.

Gayatri chhandasam aham, ‘of metres I am the Gayatri’. The Gayatri is a Vedic metre of twenty-four syllables, in which the famous Gayatri mantra to Savitri is composed, a prayer that the divine light may illumine our intellect. Shankara notes that it is foremost because it is the means of the second birth, the sacred-thread initiation. The Gayatri is also honoured as Vedamata, mother of the Vedas.

Masanam margashirsho ’ham, ‘of months I am Margashirsha’, falling around November and December. It is neither too hot nor too cold; the new harvest ripens and the air is pleasant. In some ancient reckonings the year began in this month. In the Bhagavata the gopis performed the Katyayani vow in this month to win Krishna, and Gita Jayanti is celebrated on the bright eleventh day of Margashirsha.

Ritunam kusumakarah, ‘of seasons I am the mine of flowers’, spring. In spring all of nature is renewed: fresh shoots on the trees, flowers of every colour, the call of the cuckoo. It is the season of beauty, freshness and joy. When the spring of devotion comes into a life, new virtues blossom in the heart.

Context

Verse 34 named glories in death, origin and seven feminine qualities. This verse names the Brihat Sama, the Gayatri, Margashirsha and spring. In the next verse Krishna names gambling among cheats, splendour among the splendid, victory, resolve and the goodness of the good.

Life lesson

Every beautiful form of time and nature reflects the Lord, the gentle month and the blossoming spring. Pray, as the Gayatri does, that your intellect be illumined, and try to bring the spring of devotion into your own life.

Key terms

Brihat Sama: the great chant of the Sama Veda in praise of Indra
Gayatri: the twenty-four-syllable Vedic metre, mother of the Vedas
Margashirsha: the pleasant harvest month (Nov–Dec)
Kusumakara: mine of flowers, spring