Bhagavad Gita BG 7.26
Chapter 7, Verse 26 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
वेदाहं समतीतानि वर्तमानानि चार्जुन । भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन ॥
vedaham samatitani vartamanani carjuna bhavishyani ca bhutani mam tu veda na kashcana
Meaning
I know all beings — past, present, and future — O Arjuna. But no one knows Me.
Understanding
This is one of the most asymmetric statements in all of scripture. Krishna knows (veda — 'I know') all beings (bhutani) across all three time periods: the past (samatitani — completely gone), the present (vartamanani — currently existing), the future (bhavishyani — yet to be). This three-time omniscience reflects Krishna's transcendence of time itself. He stands outside the flow of past-present-future and knows it all simultaneously. But then the devastating reversal: 'mam tu veda na kashcana' — Me, however (tu), no one (kashcana) knows (veda). The asymmetry is total: He knows everyone; no one knows Him. Why? The preceding verses explain: yoga-maya veils Him (v.25), the unintelligent misunderstand Him (v.24). This verse establishes the foundational asymmetry of the Divine-human relationship — God sees all, humans see only the surface. And this is precisely why the teaching of this chapter is so precious: Krishna is offering a rupture in this asymmetry. 'You cannot know Me by ordinary means — but I will reveal Myself.' The entire Gita is Krishna breaking the veil of yoga-maya through his own grace and speech.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| वेद अहम् | veda aham | I know (veda = perfect-present 'I know/have known'), complete knowing |
| समतीतानि | samatitani | the completely past ones (sama = complete, atita = past) |
| वर्तमानानि | vartamanani | the present ones, those currently existing |
| भविष्याणि | bhavishyani | the future ones, those yet to be |
| न कश्चन | na kashcana | no one at all, not even one |
| वेद | veda | I know |
| अहम् | aham | I |
| समतीतानि | samatītāni | the past |
| वर्तमानानि | vartamānāni | the present |
| च | ca | and |
| अर्जुन | arjuna | O Arjuna |
| भविष्याणि | bhaviṣyāṇi | the future |
| च | ca | and |
| भूतानि | bhūtāni | beings, creatures |
| माम् | mām | Me |
| तु | tu | but |
| वेद | veda | knows |
| न | na | not |
| कश्चन | kaścana | anyone |