Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15, Verse 12

Chapter 15 – Purushottama Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम् ।
यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम् ॥

Transliteration

yadādityagataṃ tejo jagadbhāsayate.akhilam .
yaccandramasi yaccāgnau tattejo viddhi māmakam ॥

Meaning

The radiance in the sun that lights up the whole world, the radiance in the moon and in fire, know that radiance to be Mine.

Word meanings

यत् – that which
आदित्यगतम् – residing in the sun
तेजः – radiance, light
जगत् – the world
भासयते – illumines
अखिलम् – entire
यत् – that which
चन्द्रमसि – in the moon
यत् च – and that which
अग्नौ – in fire
तत् – that
तेजः – radiance
विद्धि – know
मामकम् – as Mine

Anvaya (word order)

यत् आदित्यगतम् तेजः अखिलम् जगत् भासयते, यत् चन्द्रमसि, यत् च अग्नौ (तेजः), तत् तेजः मामकम् विद्धि ।

Explanation

Having said that the impure cannot see the Self, Krishna gently offers a way in for ordinary seekers. He starts with what everyone sees: the sun, the moon and fire, the three great sources of light in human experience. The brightness in them, He says, is Mine.

The verse completes what verse 6 began. There Krishna said that His supreme abode is not lit by sun, moon or fire. Now the reason is clear: these luminaries are themselves lit by Him. The Katha Upanishad says the same in a celebrated line: there the sun does not shine, nor the moon and stars; when That shines, everything shines after It, and by Its light all this is lit.

Shankara explains that this radiance is the light of consciousness, and that it appears with special brilliance in the sun and similar bodies because sattva predominates there, just as a face shows more clearly in a polished mirror. Ramanuja understands the light as given by the Lord’s will: the sun, moon and fire receive their brilliance from Him as the reward of their worship, so their power is never their own.

The practical effect of the teaching is to turn the whole visible world into a reminder of God. Sunrise, a lamp’s flame and moonlight all point back to the one Light from which every light borrows its glow.

Context

In verses 12 to 15 Krishna describes how He pervades the world, lighting, sustaining and nourishing all. This verse also explains the remark in verse 6 about the supreme abode that the sun does not illumine. The next verse speaks of His power entering the earth and becoming the nourishing moon.

Life lesson

Whatever light, talent or strength we meet, in nature or in people, can be honoured as a share of the Divine. This softens pride and turns everyday experiences into occasions for remembering God.

Key terms

Tejas: radiance, brilliance, power
Aditya: the sun
Mamakam: belonging to Me, the Lord’s own