Bhagavad Gita BG 10.24
Chapter 10, Verse 24 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
पुरोधसां च मुख्यं मां विद्धि पार्थ बृहस्पतिम् । सेनानीनामहं स्कन्दः सरसामस्मि सागरः ॥
purodhasam ca mukhyam mam viddhi partha brhaspatim senaninam aham skandah sarasam asmi sagarah
Meaning
Among priests (purohitas), know Me as the chief — Brihaspati, O Partha; among generals (senanina) I am Skanda; among bodies of water I am the ocean.
Understanding
Three more correspondences: (1) Purodhasam mukhyam Brhaspatim — among purohitas (priests, specifically the priestly preceptors), I am Brihaspati, the teacher-priest of the gods, the lord of sacred speech (Brhaspati = lord of the brhat — the vast/sacred). (2) Senanīnam Skandah — among generals I am Skanda (Kartikeya, son of Shiva and Parvati), the divine commander who led the celestial armies against the asuras. (3) Sarasam Sagarah — among bodies of water (saras = lakes, reservoirs) I am the Sagara (ocean). The ocean is the superlative of water — all rivers flow to it, it is inexhaustible, fathomless. Each vibhuti is the supreme within its domain.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| पुरोधसाम् | purodhasam | among the purohitas, among priests/preceptors |
| बृहस्पतिम् | brhaspatim | Brihaspati — teacher-priest of the gods, lord of sacred speech |
| सेनानीनाम् | senaninam | among generals, among army commanders |
| स्कन्दः | skandah | Skanda (Kartikeya) — the divine commander, son of Shiva |
| सागरः | sagarah | the ocean — vast, inexhaustible, the receptacle of all rivers |
| पुरोधसाम् | purodhasām | of the priests, chaplains |
| च | ca | and |
| मुख्यम् | mukhyam | the chief, the foremost |
| माम् | mām | Me |
| विद्धि | viddhi | know |
| पार्थ | pārtha | O Arjuna |
| बृहस्पतिम् | bṛhaspatim | Brihaspati (preceptor of gods) |
| सेनानीनाम् | senānīnām | of military commanders |
| अहम् | aham | I am |
| स्कन्दः | skandaḥ | Skanda (Kartikeya, god of war) |
| सरसाम् | sarasām | of reservoirs of water |
| अस्मि | asmi | I am |
| सागरः | sāgaraḥ | the ocean |