FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 15.12

యదాదిత్యగతం తేజో జగద్భ‍ాసయతేఽఖిలమ్ । యచ్చ‍న్ద్రమసి యచ్చ‍ాగ్న‍ౌ తత్తేజో విద్ధి మామకమ్ ॥ ౧౨ ॥
yad āditya-gataṁ tejo
[yad aaditya-gatam tejo]
jagad bhāsayate ’khilam
[jagad bhaasayate ’khilam]
yac candramasi yac cāgnau
[yach chandramasi yach chaagnau]
tat tejo viddhi māmakam
[tat tejo viddhi maamakam]
Word-for-word
yat — that which āditya - gatam — in the sunshine tejaḥ — splendor jagat — the whole world bhāsayate — illuminates akhilam — entirely yat — that which candramasi — in the moon yat — that which ca — also agnau — in fire tat — that tejaḥ — splendor viddhi — understand māmakam — from Me .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yad āditya-gataṁ tejo
yat
that which
āditya - gatam
in the sunshine
tejaḥ
splendor
jagad bhāsayate ’khilam
jagat
the whole world
bhāsayate
illuminates
yac candramasi yac cāgnau
tat tejo viddhi māmakam
akhilam
entirely
yat
that which
candramasi
in the moon
yat
that which
ca
also
agnau
in fire
tat
that
tejaḥ
splendor
viddhi
understand
māmakam
from Me .
Important Words
  • tejaḥ — splendor
    Tejas is not just brightness — it is the *power* of brightness: heat, radiance, vigor, charisma. The same word covers a king's prestige and the sun's flare. The verse claims every register of tejas at once for Kṛṣṇa.
  • āditya - gatam — in the sunshine
    Gatam — 'gone into.' The tejas has *traveled into* the sun, from somewhere prior. The sun is a delivery point, not a source. The grammar already gives away the verse's argument before Kṛṣṇa concludes it.
  • bhāsayate — illuminates
    The same verb that 15.6 denied of the supreme dhāma is here affirmed of the borrowed tejas. The dhāma is *bhā* itself; the sun merely *causes to shine*. Two grades of luminosity, distinguished by a single causative.
  • akhilam — entirely
    A + khila — without remainder. There is no patch of the universe lit by some other source. Whatever shines, shines borrowed; whatever glows, glows on loan.
  • māmakam — from Me
    Possessive adjective rather than the ordinary genitive 'mama' — māmaka stresses intimacy, family relation. The light is not Kṛṣṇa's by impersonal ownership but by kinship: it issues from Him as a son issues from a father.
The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.
Purport

The unintelligent cannot understand how things are taking place. But one can begin to be established in knowledge by understanding what the Lord explains here. Everyone sees the sun, moon, fire and electricity. One should simply try to understand that the splendor of the sun, the splendor of the moon, and the splendor of electricity or fire are coming from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In such a conception of life, the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, lies a great deal of advancement for the conditioned soul in this material world. The living entities are essentially the parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, and He is giving herewith the hint how they can come back to Godhead, back to home. From this verse we can understand that the sun is illuminating the whole solar system. There are different universes and solar systems, and there are different suns, moons and planets also, but in each universe there is only one sun. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (10.21) , the moon is one of the stars ( nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī ). Sunlight is due to the spiritual effulgence in the spiritual sky of the Supreme Lord. With the rise of the sun, the activities of human beings are set up. They set fire to prepare their foodstuff, they set fire to start the factories, etc. So many things are done with the help of fire. Therefore sunrise, fire and moonlight are so pleasing to the living entities. Without their help no living entity can live. So if one can understand that the light and splendor of the sun, moon and fire are emanating from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, then one’s Kṛṣṇa consciousness will begin. By the moonshine, all the vegetables are nourished. The moonshine is so pleasing that people can easily understand that they are living by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Without His mercy there cannot be sun, without His mercy there cannot be moon, and without His mercy there cannot be fire, and without the help of sun, moon and fire, no one can live. These are some thoughts to provoke Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the conditioned soul.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
12. Know that the light of the sun, moon and fire, which illuminates this universe, is My light.
Commentary

Whatever the jīva attains in his bound state, I, being the essence of the sun, moon and other objects, supply that. This is explained in three verses. The light situated in the sun, rising in the morning on Udaya Parvata, illuminates the world in order to cause action for the attaining present and future enjoyment. That light, and all light (akhilam) that is in the moon and fire, belong to Me alone. What are known as the sun, moon and fire, are actually Me. Know that these are My vibhūtis.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
12. Know that the light of the sun, moon and fire, which illuminates this universe, is My light.
Commentary

I alone accomplish the enjoyment for My aṁśa, the jīva, who is attached to the material world, and I alone accomplish the liberation for the jīva desiring freedom from the material world. This is explained in four verses. Know that the light situated in the sun, in the moon and in fire, which illuminates the whole universe, belongs to Me. Actions for attaining jīva’s enjoyment according to his karma are accomplished by the light of the sun which has risen and the fire which is blazing. These actions are causes of happiness and destroy darkness and lethargy for the jīva. When the moon rises, there is nourishment of herbs, dissipation of heat and pain, and relaxation in the moonlight. The light which produces these effects in the sun, moon and fire is My vibhūti of light.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

They see the sun but they can't understand that it comes from Krsna. Here we hear more opulences of Krsna. Why Krsna has told these specific opulences? ‑ Because we are completely dependent on the sun, on the moon, on fire, which means that we are completely dependent on Krsna, but we see all those things separated from Him. So Krsna here choose those opulences on which we are completely dependent on.

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

Splendor of the sun, moon, electricity and fire come from Supreme Personality of Godhead

Focus of Learning

(a) Benefit of such a conception of life as given in this verse – This invokes Krishna consciousness in

the conditioned soul

The unintelligent cannot see how things are taking place in the material world
In such a conception of life, the beginning of Krishna consciousness, lies a great deal of advancement for the conditional soul in this material world
Sun provides illumination - With rise of sun all activities begin

▪ One sun illuminates the entire solar system

▪ Each universe has only one sun

Moon as one of the stars (Ref Bg. 10.21) – Very pleasing to the people and nourishes the vegetables
Fire – Help in cooking and many factories
Without Lord’s mercy there cannot be sun, moon or fire – without which no-one can live

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III

Since living entities are so much attracted to sense gratification, how can they ever appreciate Krishna
Therefore these verses help them to contemplate, how, even sense enjoyment is impossible without the help of the Lord and one can develop his Krishna Consciousness by appreciating Krishna as the maintainer of this phenomenal world
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
15.12 Yat, that which is; aditya-gatam, in the sun, which abides in the sun;-what is that-the tejah, light, brilliance, radiance; which bhasayate, illumines, reveals; akhilam, the whole, entire; jagat, world; yat, that ulluminating light which is; candramasi, in the moon; ca, and yat, which is; agnau, in fire, the carrier of oblations; viddhi, know; tat, that; tejah, light; to be mamakam, Mine. That light belong to Me who am Visnu. Or: The light that is Consciousness, which is in the sun, which is in the moon, and which is in fire, know that light to be Mine. That light belongs to Me who am Visnu. Objection; Is it not that the light that is Consciousness exists eally in the moving and the non-moving? Such being the case, why is this particular mention, 'That light in the sun which৷৷.,'etc? Reply: This defect does not arise, because, owing to the abundance of the sattva ality, there can be an abundane [Ast. reads avistaratva (amplitude) in place of adhikya.-Tr.] (of Consciousness). Since in the sun etc. the sattva is very much in evidence, is greatly brilliant, therefore there is an abundance of the light (of Consciousness) in them alone. And so it (sun etc.) is specially mentioned. But it is not that it (Consciousness) is abundant only there. Indeed, as in the world, a face, though in the same position, is not reflected in wood, a wall, etc., but in a mirror etc. it is reflected according to the degree in which they are more and more transparent, so is it here. Further,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
15.12 That brilliance of the sun and other luminaries which illumines the whole universe - that brilliance belongs to Me. Know that this capacity of illumining is granted to them by Me who have been worshipped severally by them. Sri Krsna states that the power in the earth to support all those that reside on it belongs to Him alone:
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
15.12 See Comment under 15.14
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
15.12 That light which residing in the sun illumines the whole world, that which is in the moon and in the fire know that light to be Mine.
Commentary

15.12 यत् which? आदित्यगतम् residing in the sun? तेजः light? जगत् the world? भासयते illumines? अखिलम् whole? यत् which? चन्द्रमसि in the moon? यत् which? च and? अग्नौ in the fire? तत् that? तेजः light? विद्धि know? मामकम् Mine.Commentary The immanence of the Lord as the allilluminating light of consciousness is described in this verse.I am the cause and the source of the light by which the sun illumines the world? as also the reflected light of the sun in the moon and that of fire.Tejah Light The light of consciousness.If that is so? an objector says The light of consciousness exists alike in all moving and unmoving objects. Then why has the Lord mentioned this special alification of light as residing in the sun? moon and fire Please explain. We say The higher manifestation of the light of consciousness in the sun? etc.? is due to a large concentration of Sattva in them. Sattva is very brilliant and luminous in them. That is the reason why there is this special alification.Here is an illustration. The face of a man is not at all reflected on a wall? piece of wood or a block of stone? but the same face is reflected beautifully in a very clean mirror. The degree of clearness of the reflection in the mirror is acording to the degree of transparency of the mirror. The more the transparency of the mirror? the better the reflection of the face the less the transparency? the worse the reflection. Even so Gods light shines in the sun and also in the pure heart of a devotee.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
15.12 That light in the sun which illumines the whole world, that which is in the moon, and that which is in fire,-know that light to be Mine.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
15.12 Remember that the Light which, proceeding from the sun, illumines the whole world, and the Light which is in the moon, and That which is in the fire also, all are born of Me.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)
Related verses
BG 10.21 BG 7.8 BG 13.18 SB 3.26.50 SB 12.11.28 SB 8.18.5 CC Ādi 2.12 CC Madhya 20.256 CC Madhya 25.37 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.2.10Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.15
Study Q&A referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The radiance of the sun, dispelling darkness, the brilliance of the moon, the splendor of fire — all from Me.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize light itself as Kṛṣṇa.
  • Use sunlight as remembrance.
  • Honor sources of illumination as His specific opulence.
Reflection Questions
  • When did I last honor sunlight as Him?
  • What would daily sunlight-as-prayer offer?
Analogy

A king commissions a hundred mirrors and a hundred lamps and scatters them across his kingdom — each subject who walks into a lit room feels grateful to the lamp. But the kingdom's light bill is paid in one ledger, by one treasurer. Sun, moon, and fire are mirrors and lamps; the brilliance ferried through them is one tejas, flowing without bill from a single source.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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