Chapter 7, Verse 8 (Bhagavad Gita 7.8)
Chapter 7: Jñāna Vijñāna Yog – Self-Knowledge and Enlightenment
Sanskrit Shloka
रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभास्मि शशिसूर्ययोः। प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु
Transliteration
raso ’ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śhaśhi-sūryayoḥ praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣhu śhabdaḥ khe pauruṣhaṁ nṛiṣhu
Word Meanings
rasaḥ—taste; aham—I; apsu—in water; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; prabhā—the radiance; asmi—I am; śhaśhi-sūryayoḥ—of the moon and the sun; praṇavaḥ—the sacred syllable Om; sarva—in all; vedeṣhu—Vedas; śhabdaḥ—sound; khe—in ether; pauruṣham—ability; nṛiṣhu—in humans
Translation
I am the taste in water, O Arjuna; I am the radiance of the moon and the sun; I am the syllable Om in all the Vedas, the sound in the ether, and the virility in men.
Meaning & Commentary
In this verse, Lord Krishna explains that He is the essential reality underlying all manifest existence. By identifying Himself as the fundamental qualities of the elements, Krishna teaches Arjuna that divinity is not separate from the world, but the very substratum of it. When a seeker recognizes the presence of Shri Krishna in the taste of water or the light of the sun, their perception shifts from seeing dead matter to experiencing a living, sacred universe. This realization transforms daily mundane experiences into acts of devotion and mindfulness. Ultimately, Krishna invites us to see His eternal essence woven into the fabric of everything we encounter.