A core teaching · expansive in mood · a little context helps
“One reality appears as every noble force.”
Among purifiers, I am the wind. Among wielders of weapons, I am Rama. Among aquatic beings, I am the crocodile. Among flowing rivers, I am the Ganga.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallythe wind · among purifiers · I am · Rama · among weapon-bearers · I · among aquatic beings · the crocodile · and · I am · among streams · I am · the Ganga
Krishna says he is the purifying wind, Rama among warriors, the crocodile among water beings, and the Ganga among rivers.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vibhuti Yoga" (The Yoga of Divine Glories).
Verse 31 sits in Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vibhuti Yoga, "The Yoga of Divine Glories". The chapter has 42 verses in total.
You are standing by a river at dawn, exhausted and unsure. Then a sudden gust, the current, and the sheer force of nature make your private crisis feel smaller and more bearable.
Did you like this verse?
It trains the mind to recognise one sacred presence shining through many forms.
What this verse means
Krishna says he is the purifying wind, Rama among warriors, the crocodile among water beings, and the Ganga among rivers.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield at Kurukshetra, Krishna continues showing Arjuna how the highest reality appears through the world’s finest powers. He points to wind, Rama, the crocodile, and the Ganga as living signs of his presence, widening Arjuna’s vision before the war begins.
Why this verse still matters
You are standing by a river at dawn, exhausted and unsure. Then a sudden gust, the current, and the sheer force of nature make your private crisis feel smaller and more bearable.
“The world becomes charged with meaning when you start seeing the divine in its strongest forms.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses)