FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 10.28

ఆయుధానామహం వజ్రం ధేనూనామస్మి కామధుక్ । ప్రజనశ్చాస్మి కన్దర్ప: సర్పాణామస్మి వాసుకి: ॥ ౨౮ ॥
āyudhānām ahaṁ vajraṁ
[aayudhaanaam aham vajram]
dhenūnām asmi kāma-dhuk
[dhenoonaam asmi kaama-dhuk]
prajanaś cāsmi kandarpaḥ
[prajanash chaasmi kandarpah]
sarpāṇām asmi vāsukiḥ
[sarpaanaam asmi vaasukih]
Word-for-word
āyudhānām — of all weapons aham — I am vajram — the thunderbolt dhenūnām — of cows asmi — I am kāma - dhuk — the surabhi cow prajanaḥ — the cause for begetting children ca — and asmi — I am kandarpaḥ — Cupid sarpāṇām — of serpents asmi — I am vāsukiḥ — Vāsuki .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
āyudhānām ahaṁ vajraṁ
āyudhānām
of all weapons
aham
I am
vajram
the thunderbolt
dhenūnām asmi kāma-dhuk
dhenūnām
of cows
asmi
I am
kāma - dhuk
the surabhi cow
prajanaś cāsmi kandarpaḥ
prajanaḥ
the cause for begetting children
ca
and
asmi
I am
kandarpaḥ
Cupid
sarpāṇām asmi vāsukiḥ
sarpāṇām
of serpents
asmi
I am
vāsukiḥ
Vāsuki .
Important Words
  • vajram — the thunderbolt
    Indra's weapon, made from Dadhīci's bones (see above). Among all weapons, the most charged — physically and ethically. Kṛṣṇa picks the one whose existence already required ultimate sacrifice.
  • kāma - dhuk — the surabhi cow, the wish-fulfilling cow
    Compound: kāma (desire) + dhuk (yielding, milking). The cow who supplies whatever one wishes for. Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd, picks the highest cow — fittingly tying His vibhūti to His own beloved animal.
  • kandarpaḥ — Cupid, the god of love
    Among causes of procreation (prajanaḥ), Kandarpa — the deity of erotic desire — is supreme. Note the qualifier in many commentaries: the dharmic kāma, the one that serves prajā, not the rogue passion. Kṛṣṇa claims the regulated, generative force.
  • vāsukiḥ — Vāsuki
    Among serpents (sarpāḥ — venomous ones), Vāsuki is king. He served as the churning-rope around Mount Mandara during the milk-ocean churning. Kṛṣṇa identifies with the serpent-king who once participated in His own Kūrma pastime.
Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the surabhi. Of causes for procreation I am Kandarpa, the god of love, and of serpents I am Vāsuki.
Purport

The thunderbolt, indeed a mighty weapon, represents Kṛṣṇa’s power. In Kṛṣṇaloka in the spiritual sky there are cows which can be milked at any time, and they give as much milk as one likes. Of course such cows do not exist in this material world, but there is mention of them in Kṛṣṇaloka. The Lord keeps many such cows, which are called surabhi. It is stated that the Lord is engaged in herding the surabhi cows. Kandarpa is the sex desire for presenting good sons; therefore Kandarpa is the representative of Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes sex is engaged in only for sense gratification; such sex does not represent Kṛṣṇa. But sex for the generation of good children is called Kandarpa and represents Kṛṣṇa.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
28. Among weapons, I am the thunderbolt. Among cows, I am the Kāmadhenu. Among types of lust, I am that for producing offspring. Among snakes, I am Vāsuki.
Commentary

Among the cows, I am Kāmadhenu (kāma-dhuk). [Note: This cow was born from the churning of the milk ocean. She gives unlimited milk.] Among the types of lust, I am lust for the purpose of producing offspring (prajanaḥ).

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
28. Among weapons, I am the thunderbolt. Among cows, I am the Kāmadhenu. Among types of lust, I am that for producing offspring. Among snakes, I am Vāsuki.
Commentary

Among weapons, I am the thunderbolt. I am the kāma dhenu, who fulfills whatever one desires, among the cows. I am that lust which produces children (prajanaḥ). Ca here indicates that I am not lust whose only purpose is pleasure of the sex act. Among snakes with one head, I am Vāsuki.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
10.28 Ayudhanam, among weapons; I am the vajram, thunderbolt, made of the bones of (the sage) Dadhici. Dhenunam, among milch cows; I am kama-dhuk, Kamadhenu, which was the yielder of all desires of (the sage) Vasistha; or it means a cow in general which gives milk at all times. I am Kandarpa, prajanah, the Progenitor, (the god) Kama (Cupid). Sarpanam, among serpents, among the various serpents, I am Vasuki, the kind of serpents.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
10.26 - 10.29 Of trees I am Asvattha which is worthy of worship. Of celestial seers I am Narada. Kamadhuk is the divine cow. I am Kandarpa, the cause of progeny. Sarpas are single-headed snakes while Nagas are many-headed snakes. Aatic creatures are known as Yadamsi. Of them I am Varuna. Of subdures, I am Yama, the son of the sun-god.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
10.28 See Comment under 10.42
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
10.28 Among weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the wish-fulfilling cow called Kamadhenu; I am the progenitor, the god of love; among serpents I am Vasuki.
Commentary

10.28 आयुधानम् among weapons? अहम् I? वज्रम् the thunderbolt? धेनूनाम् among cows? अस्मि (I) am? कामधुक् kamadhenu? the heavenly cow which yiedls all desires? प्रजनः the progenitro? च and? अस्मि (I) am? कन्दर्पः Kandarpa (Kamadeva)? सर्पाणाम् among serpents? अस्मि (I) am? वासुकिः Vasuki.Commentary Vajram the thunderbolt weapon made of the bones of Dadhichi an implement of warfare which can only be handled by Indra who has fininshed a hundred sacrifices.Kamadhuk The cow Kamadhenu of the great sage Vasishtha which yielded all the desired objects? also born of the ocean of milk.Kandarpa Cupid.Vasuki The Lord of hoodless or ordinary serpents.Sarpa (serpent) has only one head. Vasuki is yellowcoloured. Nagas have many heads. Ananta is firecoloured.Sridhara says that the Sarpa is poisonous and the Naga is nonpoisonous. Sri Ramanuja says that Sarpa has only one head and Naga has many heads.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
10.28 Among weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am kamadhenu. I am Kandarpa, the Progenitor, and among serpents I am Vasuki.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
10.28 I am the Thunderbolt among weapons; of cows I am the Cow of Plenty, I am Passion in those who procreate, and I am the Cobra among serpents.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 7.11 BG 10.23 BG 11.39 SB 9.6.23 SB 6.12.14 SB 10.16.18 CC Madhya 21.130 CC Madhya 19.176 CC Ādi 4.165 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.2BRS 1.2.187
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; of cows the surabhi; of progenitors I am Kandarpa; of serpents I am Vāsuki.
Practical Applications
  • Honor the cow as His opulence — protect, don't exploit.
  • Recognize even procreative force as His expression when in dharma.
  • Don't reduce nature to commodity.
Reflection Questions
  • How do I relate to cows in my food and product choices?
  • What change is being asked?
Analogy

From weapons, the thunderbolt that gods themselves use; from cows, the wish-fulfilling surabhi; from procreative force, the god of love himself; from serpents, the king of nāgas. Kṛṣṇa picks the apex of each natural power — and one of them is the desire that drives families into being. Even kāma, lawfully placed, is His vibhūti.

Stories
Vajra forged from Dadhīci's bones

When the demon Vṛtra terrorized the demigods, no ordinary weapon could pierce him. The sage Dadhīci, on Indra's request, gave up his own body so that his bones could be forged into the vajra — the thunderbolt named here.

The Bhāgavatam (canto 6) records the story in detail. Kṛṣṇa picks the vajra as His weapon-vibhūti because behind that thunderbolt lies a sage's complete self-offering. The weapon's supremacy comes from the giver's surrender.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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