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Bhagavad-gītā 10.24

పురోధసాం చ ముఖ్యం మాం విద్ధి పార్థ బృహస్పతిమ్ । సేనానీనామహం స్కన్ద: సరసామస్మి సాగర: ॥ ౨౪ ॥
purodhasāṁ ca mukhyaṁ māṁ
[purodhasaam cha mukhyam maam]
viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim
[viddhi paartha brihaspatim]
senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ
[senaaneenaam aham skandah]
sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ
[sarasaam asmi saagarah]
Word-for-word
purodhasām — of all priests ca — also mukhyam — the chief mām — Me viddhi — understand pārtha — O son of Pṛthā bṛhaspatim — Bṛhaspati senānīnām — of all commanders aham — I am skandaḥ — Kārttikeya sarasām — of all reservoirs of water asmi — I am sāgaraḥ — the ocean .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
purodhasāṁ ca mukhyaṁ māṁ
purodhasām
of all priests
ca
also
mukhyam
the chief
mām
Me
viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim
viddhi
understand
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
bṛhaspatim
Bṛhaspati
senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ
senānīnām
of all commanders
aham
I am
skandaḥ
Kārttikeya
sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ
sarasām
of all reservoirs of water
asmi
I am
sāgaraḥ
the ocean .
Important Words
  • purodhasām — of all priests
    Genitive plural of purodhā — the chief priest who 'stands in front' (puraḥ + dhā). Of all such head-priests, Bṛhaspati is foremost. The verse maps Kṛṣṇa's vibhūti onto the institution of priesthood.
  • bṛhaspatim — Bṛhaspati
    Accusative — 'know Bṛhaspati to be Me.' The guru of the devas. The verse claims that wherever knowledge is being formally transmitted to the highest beings, Kṛṣṇa is the transmitter's transmitter.
  • senānīnām — of all commanders
    Genitive plural of senānī — 'army-leader.' Among military commanders, Skanda (Kārttikeya) is the deva-general. The Mahābhārata's battlefield-listener Arjuna would recognize the choice as flattering and demanding.
  • skandaḥ — Kārttikeya
    The six-headed son of Śiva, commander of the celestial army. Embodies focused martial energy. Kṛṣṇa picks him as the model of the commander — important hearing for the warrior Arjuna.
  • sāgaraḥ — the ocean
    Among all reservoirs of water, the ocean is supreme. Vast, deep, the source from which rivers come and the sink into which they return. A natural metaphor Kṛṣṇa places into His catalog without comment.
Of priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Bṛhaspati. Of generals I am Kārttikeya, and of bodies of water I am the ocean.
Purport

Indra is the chief demigod of the heavenly planets and is known as the king of the heavens. The planet on which he reigns is called Indraloka. Bṛhaspati is Indra’s priest, and since Indra is the chief of all kings, Bṛhaspati is the chief of all priests. And as Indra is the chief of all kings, similarly Skanda, or Kārttikeya, the son of Pārvatī and Lord Śiva, is the chief of all military commanders. And of all bodies of water, the ocean is the greatest. These representations of Kṛṣṇa only give hints of His greatness.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
24. Among head priests, I am the chief one, Bṛhaspati. Among leaders of armies, I am Kārtikeya. Among reservoirs of water, I am the ocean.
Commentary

Skanda means Kārtikeya. The form senānīnām is poetic license (the other form would be senāniyam).

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
24. Among head priests, I am the chief one, Bṛhaspati. Among leaders of armies, I am Kārtikeya. Among reservoirs of water, I am the ocean.
Commentary

Know Me as the chief among Indra’s priests, Bṛhaspati, the master of all. As Indra is the chief among all kings, so his head priest is the chief among all head priests of kings. The form of the word senānīnām as a genitive plural form, with the addition of the “n,” after senānī is poetic license. The normal form would be senānyām. Among all the commanders of kings’ armies, I am Kārttikeya (skandaḥ). Among water bodies (as opposed to rivers), I am the ocean.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

The ocean, due to its greatness, neither decreases nor increases. So much water leaves the ocean in the form of evaporation to form the clouds, and so much water enters the ocean in the form of rain and rivers, yet the ocean always remains the same because the ocean's greatness. Krsna in Chapter Two, told Arjuna to be like the ocean, never be agitated by flow of desires that rush to the mind like the ocean is never disturbed although so many rivers rush towards it.

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

The ocean is so great that it neither increases when rivers and rains pour into it nor decreases when

its waters evaporate.

Bhagavad Gita Notes

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
10.24 O son of Prtha viddhi, know; mam, Me; to be Brahaspati, mukhyam, the foremost; purodhasam, among the priests of kings. Being as he is the priest of Indra, he should be the foremost. Senaninam, among ?ners of armies; I am Skanda, the ?nder of the armies of gods. Sarasam, among large expanses of water, among reservoirs dug by gods (i.e. among nature reservoirs); I am sagarah, the sea.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
10.24 I am that Bhraspati who is paramount among family priests. Of generals, I am Skanda. Of reservoirs of waters, O am the ocean.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
10.24 See Comment under 10.42
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
10.24 And, among the household priests (of kings), O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati; among the army generals I am Skana; among lakes I am the ocean. '
Commentary

10.24 पुरोधसाम् among the household priests? च and? मुख्यम् the chief? माम् Me? विद्धि know? पार्थ O Partha? बृहस्पतिम् Brihaspati? सेनानीनाम् among generals? अहम् I? स्कन्दः Skanda? सरसाम् among lakes? अस्मि (I) am? सागरः the ocean.Commentary Brihaspati is the chif priest of the gods. He is the househld priest of Indra.Skanda is Kartikeya or Lord Subramanya. He is the general of the hosts of the gods.Of things holding water -- natural reservoirs or lakes -- I am the ocean.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
10.24 O son of Prtha, know me to be Brhaspati, the foremost among the priests of kings. Among comanders of armies I am Skanda; among large expanses of water I am the sea.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
10.24 Among the priests, know, O Arjuna, that I am the Apostle Brihaspati; of generals I am Skanda, the Commander-in-Chief, and of waters I am the Ocean.
Related values & verses
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender to God)Bhakti (Devotion)Udyama (Industriousness / Effort)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)
Related verses
BG 10.25 BG 10.31 BG 11.39 SB 6.7.2 SB 6.14.31 SB 8.7.18 CC Ādi 2.7 CC Madhya 1.152 CC Antya 13.92 Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.5.13Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.10.1
Concepts
Rasa
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Of priests I am the chief, Bṛhaspati; of generals I am Skanda; of bodies of water I am the ocean.
Practical Applications
  • See excellence in any field as Kṛṣṇa's specific opulence.
  • Honor masters in their craft as expressions of Him.
  • Don't separate 'spiritual' from 'excellent.'
Reflection Questions
  • What master in some field have I underappreciated?
  • How does seeing them as His opulence change my regard?
Analogy

In any council a wise host will introduce the head of the priesthood first, then the head of the army, then the largest body of water in the land. So Kṛṣṇa, naming His opulences, takes from each domain its first officer — Bṛhaspati for priests, Skanda for generals, the ocean for waters.

Stories
Bṛhaspati teaching the demigods

Bṛhaspati is the guru of the demigods — their priestly head and counselor. The Mahābhārata records him preceding Indra in council, instructing him in dharma, and defending the celestial order through his prayers.

Kṛṣṇa names Bṛhaspati not because the priest is the highest being but because in the purodhā-category, he is unmatched. The verse signals to Arjuna: where you see a tradition's primary intellect, recognize a vibhūti of the Lord at work.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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