Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 16

Chapter 9 – Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

अहं क्रतुरहं यज्ञः स्वधाहमहमौषधम् ।
मन्त्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमग्निरहं हुतम् ॥

Transliteration

ahaṃ kraturahaṃ yajñaḥ svadhāhamahamauṣadham .
mantro.ahamahamevājyamahamagnirahaṃ hutam ॥

Meaning

I am the Vedic ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering to the ancestors, I am the healing herb; I am the mantra, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire, and I am the act of offering.

Word meanings

अहम् – I
क्रतुः – the Vedic (shrauta) ritual
अहम् – I
यज्ञः – the sacrifice prescribed in smriti
स्वधा – the oblation to the ancestors
अहम् – I
औषधम् – the healing herb, food-grain
मन्त्रः – the sacred formula
अहम् – I
एव – indeed
आज्यम् – clarified butter
अग्निः – the fire
हुतम् – the act of offering

Anvaya (word order)

अहं क्रतुः, अहं यज्ञः, अहं स्वधा, अहम् औषधम्, अहं मन्त्रः, अहम् एव आज्यम्, अहम् अग्निः, अहं हुतम् ।

Explanation

Having called Himself ‘facing everywhere’, Krishna now spells out what that means, beginning with sacrifice, the centre of Vedic life. Every element of the sacrifice, He says, is Himself. Kratu is the great Vedic shrauta rite such as the Agnishtoma; yajna is the sacrifice prescribed in the smritis, such as the five daily offerings of the householder. Svadha is the food offered to the ancestors in the shraddha rite.

Aushadham, according to Shankara, is the food and herbs eaten by living beings, which are also offered in the fire and nourish life. Mantra is the sacred utterance with which the offering is made; ajya is the clarified butter; agni is the fire into which it is poured; and hutam is the very act of offering.

The meaning is that the agent, the instrument, the material, the act and the goal of sacrifice are all the Lord. The same vision appeared in 4.24: ‘Brahman is the offering, Brahman is the oblation.’ When a seeker sees one Supreme in the one who offers, in what is offered and in the one to whom it is offered, every action becomes worship.

This has a living meaning today. Cooking, working and serving can all become yajna if we see God in them. The flame of the kitchen fire, the ingredients of the meal and the one who eats it can each remind us of His presence, quietly sanctifying ordinary life.

Context

In verse 15 Krishna called Himself ‘facing everywhere’. Verses 16 to 19 expand this. Here He identifies Himself with every element of sacrifice; in the next verse He speaks of Himself as the father and mother of the world and as the Vedas.

Life lesson

When we see God in every act, every instrument and every result, ordinary work becomes worship. Cook, work and serve in the spirit of offering, and life itself becomes a form of prayer.

Key terms

Kratu: the Vedic shrauta ritual
Svadha: the oblation offered to the ancestors
Ajya: clarified butter used in sacrifice
Huta: the act of offering into the fire