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← Chapter 14: The Yoga of the Division of the Three Gunas

Verse 14.3

Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit

मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् | सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ||३||

Transliteration (IAST)

mama yonir mahad brahma tasmin garbhaṁ dadhāmy aham | sambhavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ tato bhavati bhārata ||3||

Word-by-Word Meanings

mama-My
yoniḥ-womb/source
mahat brahma-the great Brahman (Prakriti)
garbham-seed/embryo
dadhāmi-I place
sambhavaḥ-the birth/origin
sarva-bhūtānām-of all beings

Translation

My womb is the great Brahman (Prakriti); in that I place the seed. From that, O Bharata, is the birth of all beings.

Commentary

Krishna describes the cosmic process of creation. Shankaracharya explains that Prakriti (called Mahat Brahma here) serves as the material cause, while the Lord impregnates it with the jivas (individual souls). Ramanuja notes that Brahman here refers to Prakriti in its subtle state, and the Lord's glance (placing the seed) initiates the evolution of all beings.

Themes

karmaatman