Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
पुरोधसां च मुख्यं मां विद्धि पार्थ बृहस्पतिम् ।
सेनानीनामहं स्कन्दः सरसामस्मि सागरः ॥२४॥
purodhasāṁ ca mukhyaṁ māṁ
viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim
senānīnām ahaṁ skandaḥ
sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ
Word for word (synonyms)
- purodhasām
- of all priests
- ca
- also
- mukhyam
- chief
- mām
- Me
- viddhi
- understand
- pārtha
- O son of Pṛthā
- bṛhaspatim
- Bṛhaspati
- senānīnām
- of all commanders
- aham
- I am
- skandaḥ
- Kārtikeya
- sarasām
- of all reservoirs of water
- asmi
- I am
- sāgaraḥ
- the ocean
Translation
Of priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Bṛhaspati, the lord of devotion. Of generals I am Skanda, the lord of war; 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 in 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, 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.
What this verse teaches
Various opulences of Kṛṣṇa (See the table)
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.