Bhagavad-gītā 10.27
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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uccaiḥśravasam
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Uccaiḥśravā
The divine seven-headed horse, white as a conch, produced from the milk ocean's churning. Among aśvas, the very type. Kṛṣṇa picks the original from which the form descends.
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amṛta - udbhavam
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produced from the churning of the ocean for nectar
Compound: amṛta (nectar) + udbhavam (arisen from). The horse's origin story is built into his epithet. The verse honors the manthana-pastime by referencing it within the catalog.
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airāvatam
—
Airāvata
The four-tusked white elephant who became Indra's mount. Among gaja-indras (lordly elephants), the supreme. Kṛṣṇa picks the mount of the chief demigod — a vibhūti within a vibhūti.
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nara - adhipam
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the king, the chief of men
Compound: nara (man) + adhipa (overlord). Among humans, the lawful king is Kṛṣṇa's vibhūti. The verse legitimates monarchy as a sacred function when properly held — relevant for Arjuna, who was fighting precisely to restore lawful kingship.
The devotee demigods and the demons ( asuras ) once took part in churning the sea. From this churning, nectar and poison were produced, and Lord Śiva drank the poison. From the nectar were produced many entities, of which there was a horse named Uccaiḥśravā. Another animal produced from the nectar was an elephant named Airāvata. Because these two animals were produced from nectar, they have special significance, and they are representatives of Kṛṣṇa. Amongst the human beings, the king is the representative of Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa is the maintainer of the universe, and the kings, who are appointed on account of their godly qualifications, are maintainers of their kingdoms. Kings like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Lord Rāma were all highly righteous kings who always thought of the citizens’ welfare. In Vedic literature, the king is considered to be the representative of God. In this age, however, with the corruption of the principles of religion, monarchy decayed and is now finally abolished. It is to be understood that in the past, however, people were more happy under righteous kings.
Among horses, I am Ucchaiḥśrava who arose from the churning of the nectar ocean (amṛtodbhavam).
Among horses I am Ucchaiḥśrava. Among elephants know that I am Airāvata. The special quality of both of these is that they arose from the churning of the milk ocean for the purpose of gaining nectar. [Note: Both became the property of Indra. Ucchaiḥśravas means “loudly praised.” Airāvata is so called because his mother was named Irāvatī.] I am the king (narādhipam) among men, who is fixed in dharma and has unbearable strength.
10.27 उच्चैःश्रवसम् Ucchaisravas? अश्वानम् among horses? विद्धि know? माम् Me? अमृतोद्भवम् born of nectar?,ऐरावतम् Airavata? गजेन्द्राणाम् among lordly elephants? नराणाम् among men? च and? नराधिपम् the king.Commentary Nectar was obtained by the gods by churning the ocean of milk. Ucchaisravas is the name of the royal horse which was born in that ocean of milk when it was churned for the nectar.Airavatam The offspring of Iravati? the elephant of Indra born at the time when the ocean of milk was churned.
- BG 10 27 - Madhavendra Puri - ISKCON Radhadesh 2012-10-18
- BG 10 27 - Sachinanadana Swami - Beograd 1990-09-01
- Ujjvala Rasajna Mataji BG 10-27
- Hari Lila Pr BG 10-27 Tamil
- Rasika Govinda Pr BG 10-27 - 2017-10-16
- Rasika Govinda Pr BG 10-27 Tamil - 2017-10-16
- BCaitanyaS BG 10-27 Russian Translation - 2005-08-29 Irkutsk
- SNS BG 10-27 - 1990-09-01 Beograd EN
- See magnificence in beings as His expression.
- Honor leadership as His specific opulence.
- Don't be cynical about kingly authority — it can be His.
- Where have I been cynical about authority that may be Him?
- How does this verse temper that cynicism?
The horse born from the milk-ocean's churning, the elephant who carries Indra, the human who governs nations — Kṛṣṇa picks from each species not the ordinary specimen but the one whose origin is mythic and whose function is rulership. Where dominion stands, His vibhūti stands.
When the demigods and demons together churned the milk ocean (samudra-manthana) to obtain the nectar of immortality, fourteen jewels emerged before the amṛta-kalaśa itself. Among them were Uccaiḥśravā the divine horse and Airāvata the lordly elephant.
The Bhāgavatam's eighth canto records the whole episode. Kṛṣṇa names two of those churning-born jewels here — fitting, because the same Lord, in His Kūrma form, supported Mount Mandara beneath the ocean during that very churning. The animals He picks were lifted into being by His own pastime.
My note
Source: vedabase.io