Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 9

Chapter 7 – Jnana Vijnana Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

पुण्यो गन्धः पृथिव्यां च तेजश्चास्मि विभावसौ ।
जीवनं सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि तपस्विषु ॥

Transliteration

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṃ ca tejaścāsmi vibhāvasau .
jīvanaṃ sarvabhūteṣu tapaścāsmi tapasviṣu ॥

Meaning

I am the pure fragrance of the earth and the brilliance in fire; I am the life in all beings, and the austerity in ascetics.

Word meanings

पुण्यः – pure, sacred
गन्धः – fragrance
पृथिव्याम् – in the earth
च – and
तेजः – brilliance
अस्मि – am
विभावसौ – in fire
जीवनम् – life, vital force
सर्वभूतेषु – in all beings
तपः – austerity
तपस्विषु – in ascetics

Anvaya (word order)

पृथिव्यां च पुण्यः गन्धः, विभावसौ च तेजः अस्मि; सर्वभूतेषु जीवनं, तपस्विषु च तपः अस्मि ।

Explanation

Krishna continues his examples of all-pervasiveness. Punyo gandhah prithivyam — I am the pure fragrance of the earth. In Indian philosophy fragrance is regarded as the special quality of the earth element. The sweet scent that rises from the soil after rain, the perfume of flowers — the Lord is present in these. The adjective punya shows that the Lord is the pure, original, natural fragrance; Shankara notes that foul odours and other distortions arise from contact with ignorance and unrighteousness.

Tejash chasmi vibhavasau — I am the brilliance in fire. The essence of fire is its power to burn and illuminate. Jivanam sarva-bhuteshu — I am the life in all beings. The vital force by which every creature breathes, grows and lives is the Lord Himself. Shankara says: that by which all beings live — that life am I.

Tapash chasmi tapasvishu — I am the austerity in ascetics. The inner power of the ascetic that enables him to endure hardship, master the senses and remain fixed on the goal is itself a glory of the Lord. This shows that even the strength behind a seeker's discipline comes ultimately from the Lord; pride in one's practice is therefore misplaced.

These examples reveal a clear order: the Lord is present as essence at every level — in material elements such as earth and fire, in the life-force, and in spiritual qualities such as austerity.

Context

Verse 7.8 spoke of the Lord's presence in water, sun and moon, the Vedas, space and human beings; this verse adds earth, fire, all living beings and ascetics. In the next verse (7.10) Krishna calls Himself the eternal seed of all beings.

Life lesson

Regard your own vitality and capacity for self-restraint as gifts of God. When you are able to keep a difficult vow or resolve, give the credit not to your ego but to God — this increases both humility and strength.

Key terms

Punya gandha: the pure, original fragrance of the earth
Vibhavasu: fire
Jivana: the life-force by which beings live
Tapas: the inner power of restraint and spiritual discipline