FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 10.2

न मे विदु: सुरगणा: प्रभवं न महर्षय: । अहमादिर्हि देवानां महर्षीणां च सर्वश: ॥ २ ॥
na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ
[na me viduh sura-ganaah]
prabhavaṁ na maharṣayaḥ
[prabhavam na maharshayah]
aham ādir hi devānāṁ
[aham aadir hi devaanaam]
maharṣīṇāṁ ca sarvaśaḥ
[maharsheenaam cha sarvashah]
Word-for-word
na — never me — My viduḥ — know sura - gaṇāḥ — the demigods prabhavam — origin, opulences na — never mahā - ṛṣayaḥ — great sages aham — I am ādiḥ — the origin hi — certainly devānām — of the demigods mahā - ṛṣīṇām — of the great sages ca — also sarvaśaḥ — in all respects .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ
na
never
me
My
viduḥ
know
sura - gaṇāḥ
the demigods
prabhavaṁ na maharṣayaḥ
prabhavam
origin, opulences
na
never
mahā - ṛṣayaḥ
great sages
aham
I am
aham ādir hi devānāṁ
ādiḥ
the origin
hi
certainly
devānām
of the demigods
maharṣīṇāṁ ca sarvaśaḥ
mahā - ṛṣīṇām
of the great sages
ca
also
sarvaśaḥ
in all respects .
Important Words
  • prabhavam — origin, opulences
    Carries a double charge — both 'source' and 'glorious manifestation.' Kṛṣṇa is saying: neither where I come from nor how I expand can be charted by anyone downstream of Me. The whole chapter unpacks this single word.
  • sura - gaṇāḥ — the demigods
    Even the cosmic administrators — Indra, Candra, Sūrya, Brahmā himself — cannot map the Lord's origin. The verse demolishes the assumption that high birth or cosmic post equals knowledge of God.
  • mahā - ṛṣayaḥ — great sages
    The other natural candidates for knowing: Vasiṣṭha, Bhṛgu, Marīci, etc. Not even austerity, scholarship, and yogic vision suffice. Kṛṣṇa must reveal Himself; He is not reached by climbing.
  • ādiḥ — the origin
    The simple, irreducible claim: 'I am the beginning.' Every chain of causation that the demigods and sages can trace dead-ends in Kṛṣṇa, and they themselves are links in that chain — which is exactly why they cannot see its anchor.
  • sarvaśaḥ — in all respects
    Closes every loophole. Not 'source in some senses' or 'origin of some beings' — but origin of demigods and sages, totally. The word makes the claim exclusive.
Neither the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin or opulences, for, in every respect, I am the source of the demigods and sages.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Even celestial beings and the great seers cannot grasp Kṛṣṇa's origin, because He precedes them. The verse pulls the rug from under any human pretension to discover the Lord by intellect alone — He must reveal Himself.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The line reframes 'unknowability' in Vedānta terms: Kṛṣṇa is anādi (beginningless) and therefore aprabhava-jña — no one born after Him can know His source. Cross-ref BG 7.26 (He knows all past and future beings, but no one fully knows Him) and BG 10.14 where Arjuna echoes this confession. The verse also justifies the need for śāstra and direct disclosure in Chapter 10.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
सुर-गणाः मे प्रभवं न विदुः, महर्षयः च न (विदुः); हि अहं देवानां महर्षीणां च सर्वशः आदिः ।
sura-gaṇāḥ me prabhavaṃ na viduḥ, maharṣayaḥ ca na (viduḥ); hi ahaṃ devānāṃ maharṣīṇāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ ādiḥ |
The hosts of gods do not know My origin, nor do the great sages, for I am in every respect the source of both the gods and the great sages.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
न मे विदुः सुर-गणाः प्रभवं न महर्षयः । अहम् आदिः हि देवानां महर्षीणां च सर्वशः ॥
na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ prabhavaṃ na maharṣayaḥ | aham ādiḥ hi devānāṃ maharṣīṇāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
न na ind. (indeclinable), negation not
मे me अस्मद् gen.sg. (genitive singular) my
विदुः viduḥ √विद् perf. (perfect) 3pl.par. (with present sense) they know
सुर-गणाः sura-gaṇāḥ सुर (m.) + गण (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) the hosts of gods
प्रभवम् prabhavam प्रभव (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) origin, source
महर्षयः maharṣayaḥ महत् + ऋषि (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural), karmadhāraya the great sages
अहम् aham अस्मद् nom.sg. (nominative singular) I
आदिः ādiḥ आदि (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) the beginning, source
हि hi ind. (indeclinable), causal particle for, because
देवानाम् devānām देव (m.) gen.pl. (genitive plural) of the gods
महर्षीणाम् maharṣīṇām महर्षि (m.) gen.pl. (genitive plural) of the great sages
च ca ind. (indeclinable), conjunction and
सर्वशः sarvaśaḥ ind. (adv.) in every way, entirely
Purport

As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. No one is greater than Him; He is the cause of all causes. Here it is also stated by the Lord personally that He is the cause of all the demigods and sages. Even the demigods and great sages cannot understand Kṛṣṇa; they can understand neither His name nor His personality, so what is the position of the so-called scholars of this tiny planet? No one can understand why this Supreme God comes to earth as an ordinary human being and executes such wonderful, uncommon activities. One should know, then, that scholarship is not the qualification necessary to understand Kṛṣṇa. Even the demigods and the great sages have tried to understand Kṛṣṇa by their mental speculation, and they have failed to do so. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also it is clearly said that even the great demigods are not able to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They can speculate to the limits of their imperfect senses and can reach the opposite conclusion of impersonalism, of something not manifested by the three qualities of material nature, or they can imagine something by mental speculation, but it is not possible to understand Kṛṣṇa by such foolish speculation. Here the Lord indirectly says that if anyone wants to know the Absolute Truth, “Here I am present as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I am the Supreme.” One should know this. Although one cannot understand the inconceivable Lord who is personally present, He nonetheless exists. We can actually understand Kṛṣṇa, who is eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, simply by studying His words in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The conception of God as some ruling power or as the impersonal Brahman can be reached by persons who are in the inferior energy of the Lord, but the Personality of Godhead cannot be conceived unless one is in the transcendental position. Because most men cannot understand Kṛṣṇa in His actual situation, out of His causeless mercy He descends to show favor to such speculators. Yet despite the Supreme Lord’s uncommon activities, these speculators, due to contamination in the material energy, still think that the impersonal Brahman is the Supreme. Only the devotees who are fully surrendered unto the Supreme Lord can understand, by the grace of the Supreme Personality, that He is Kṛṣṇa. The devotees of the Lord do not bother about the impersonal Brahman conception of God; their faith and devotion bring them to surrender immediately unto the Supreme Lord, and out of the causeless mercy of Kṛṣṇa they can understand Kṛṣṇa. No one else can understand Him. So even great sages agree: What is ātmā, what is the Supreme? It is He whom we have to worship.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
2. The devatās and great ṛṣis do not know about My extraordinary birth, for I am the source of the devatās and great ṛṣis.
Commentary

“My appearance can be known only by My unprecedented mercy and by no other means. The devatās do not know My most extraordinary (pra) birth (bhavam) from Devakī.” “Well, the devatās may not know because they are absorbed in material pleasure, but the sages must know.” “No, they also do not know (na maharṣayaḥ).” The Lord explains the reason why they do not know: “Because I am the cause of all of them, in all ways, they do not know about My birth, just as the sons cannot know about the birth of the father.” One should not think of another meaning of the word prabhavam, [Note: Prabhava means “power” as well as “birth.”] because in verse 14, Arjuna says in confirmation of that meaning that neither the demons nor devas know about the appearance (birth) of the Lord: na hi te bhagavan vyaktiṁ vidur devā na dānavāḥ.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
2. The devatās and great ṛṣis do not know about My extraordinary powers since I am the source of the devatās and great ṛṣis.
Commentary

The Lord speaks in order to show that this knowledge is difficult to understand without the mercy of His devotees The devas staring with Brahmā and the great ṛṣis such as Sanaka (sura gaṇā) do not know My status with its lordship (prabhavam)—the extent of its unlimited dazzling forms, qualities and powers which will make them dizzy. Why is this? It is because I am their origin, the first cause in all ways (sarvaśaḥ)—as the cause of their appearance and the bestower of their intelligence and other qualities, since I give to them all of their positions as devatāṣ, and their powers, being satisfied with their worshipping Me. Thus they do not know Me, who am eternally perfect in Myself, nor do they know My powers. Śruti says: ko addhā veda ka iha prāvocat kuta ā jātā kuta iyaṁ visṛṣṭiḥ arvāg-devā asya visarjanāya athā ko veda yata ābabhūva Who knows clearly, who in this world can proclaim, from where the universe was born, from where this creation has come? The devas came later that the creation. Therefore, who knows from where it arose. Rg Veda 10.129.6 naitad devā āpnuvan pūrvam arśat He cannot be attained by the devas. He has existed before them. Isopaniṣad 4

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Translation
Neither the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin or opulences, for, in every respect, I am the source of the demigods and sages. (com) "Demigods, sages dont' know this knowledge. Why? Because I am the source. This can only be known by My mercy. No other way. My wonderful birth from Mother Devaki, even the demigods cannot know ‑ because they are attached to sense objects. But sages aren't attached. Even they don't know, because I am source and cause of everything, so how can they understand, as sons c understand father's birth unless he explains." Prabhav ‑ birth ‑ first sight. like pravastha of Ganges in Gango tri. Baladev: This cannot be understood without mercy of My devotees. Whether demigods, Brahma, Siva, etc. or sages like Four Kumaras, cannot understand My svarupa, how I have My own potencies. Why? Because in all ways I am their source. Sarvesa ‑ all sources. I am source of all, their intelligence too, so they therefore can't understand My source unless I explain it to them. I've awarded their position as demigod or sage because of their worship so it's not possible for them to know Me. Srutis also say demigods cannot understand from who the creation came because of His existence before creation.
Commentary

It is impossible for something that is created, to know the source of that which has created it. The creation cannot understand where the creation came from. Even the demigods who are so powerful and the great sages who are so knowledgeable, they cannot understand Krsna completely, because they cannot understand His origin. But because the sages and demigods cannot understand Krsna completely, that doesn't mean that no one can understand Krsna. If one hears from Krsna, then and only then, can he understand Krsna. Therefore Krsna explains,

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study Key verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Who can know Krishna fully – Not even the demigods or liberated sages can know Krishna fully

Because He is the origin of everyone and everything including all demigods and great sages

Focus of Learning

(a) Krishna is the cause of all causes (Ref. Brahma Samhita 5.1 / Bg. 10.2)

(b) ‘Scholarship’ is not the qualification to understand Krishna

e.g. Demigods and great sages cannot understand Krishna, His name or His personality (Ref. Sb.)
So what to speak of scholars of this tiny planet
What they cannot understand – No one can understand why the Supreme Lord comes to this planet as an ordinary human being and executes such wonderful uncommon activities
Speculation – One can speculate to the limits of the imperfect senses
But may reach the opposite conclusion of impersonalism, or
They can imagine something by mental speculation

(a) ‘Bhagavan’ – Meaning of this word is explained by Parashara Muni as “One full of all six

opulences”

(b) What does ‘Sri Bhagavan’ (Krishna) offers in Chapter 10 compared to Chapter 9

Gives more confidential knowledge of His specific opulences and His work
In Chapter 7 the Lord explained His different energies and how they are acting
In Chapter 9 the Lord established His different energies to establish devotion in firm conviction

(c) Benefits of hearing more (Hearing from/about Sri Bhagavan)

Fixed in devotional service – The more one hears, the more one becomes fixed in devotional service
Enhances devotional service – Hearing in the association of devotees enhances one’s devotional service

(d) ‘Eagerness to hear’ as the qualification – Discourses in the society of devotees can take place only

among those who are really anxious to be in Krishna consciousness (Just like Arjuna’s qualification:

“You are dear to Me”)

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
10.2 Na sura-sanah, neither the gods-Brahma and others; viduh, know;-what do they not know?-me, My; prabhavam (prabhavam), majesty, abundance of lordly power-or, derived in the sense of 'coming into being', it means origin. Nor even the maharsayah, great sages, Bhrgu and others [Bhrgu, Marici, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasistha.-Tr.] devanam, of the gods; ca, and; maharsinam, of the great sages. Besides,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
10.2 However supernatural the vision and however great the knowledge of the host of the gods and the wise seers may be, they cannot comprehend My powers. They do not know My name, actions, essence, attributes etc., for the reason that I am the source in every way of these gods and great seers. I am the source of their nature and knowledge, power etc. The knowledge given to them by Me according to their meritorious deeds constitutes the cause of their being gods, the great seers etc. That knowledge is limited. Thus, they have limited knowledge and do not know the real nature of My essence. Sri Krsna proceeds to explain that knowledge about His real nature, which is beyond the grasp of gods etc., and which is the means for release from the evil that stands in the way of the rise of devotion.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
10.2 See Comment under 10.5
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
10.2 Neither the hosts of the gods nor the great sages know My origin; for in every way I am the source of all the gods and the great sages.
Commentary

10.2 Commentary Prabhavam Origin. It may also mean great lordly power.Maharshis great sages like Bhrigu.As I am the source of all these gods? sages and living beings? it is very difficult for them to know Me.Sarvasah In every way -- not only am I the source of all the gods and the sages but also their efficient cause? their inner ruler and the dispenser or ordainer and the guide of their intellect? etc.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
10.2 Neither the gods nor the great sages know My majesty. For, in all respects, I am the source of the gods and the great sages.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
10.2 Neither the professors of divinity nor the great ascetics know My origin, for I am the source of them all.
Related values & verses
Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 7.26 BG 10.8 BG 7.3 SB 1.3.28 SB 2.9.33 SB 10.14.21 CC Ādi 2.107 CC Ādi 5.142 CC Madhya 20.152 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.7Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.1.1
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Neither the demigods nor the great sages know My origin — for I am the source of them all.
Practical Applications
  • Hold humility about Kṛṣṇa's origin; even great souls don't fathom it.
  • Don't pretend to comprehend what is by nature beyond.
  • Approach Him with awe, not analysis.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have I tried to fully analyze the unanalyzable?
  • What does awe restore?
Analogy

A river cannot trace itself back to its own source — by the time it knows itself as river, the spring is already behind and above it. So even demigods and sages, who are themselves Kṛṣṇa's emanations, cannot turn around far enough to see the One from whom they flowed.

Stories
Brahmā's bewilderment

In the tenth canto of the Bhāgavatam, Brahmā — the highest demigod, born from Viṣṇu's own navel — tested Kṛṣṇa by stealing the cowherd boys and calves of Vraja. Kṛṣṇa simply expanded Himself into all of them; for one full year Brahmā's theft made no visible difference.

When Brahmā returned and saw each boy and calf as a four-armed Viṣṇu, he fainted. The very creator could not fathom the origin of his own origin. He rose and offered the famous prayers — beginning with 'I do not know You' — confirming the verse before us: 'na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ prabhavam.'

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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