Bhagavad Gita 10.20 · Aham Atma Gudakeshaअहमात्मा गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयस्थितः।अहमादिश्च मध्यं च भूतानामन्त एव च ॥
aham ātmā guḍākeśha sarva-bhūtāśhaya-sthitaḥ
aham ādiśh cha madhyaṁ cha bhūtānām anta eva cha
Sanskrit recitation
Glory in the world you already know · 10.19–10.42 · Teaching
Translation
I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings.
Hindi translation
हे नींदको जीतनेवाले अर्जुन ! सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके आदि, मध्य तथा अन्तमें भी मैं ही हूँ और प्राणियोंके अन्तःकरणमें आत्मरूपसे भी मैं ही स्थित हूँ।
Meaning
O Gudakesa I am the soul (Pratyagatma) which exists in the hearts of all beings and I am also the source or origin, the middle or stay, and the end of all created beings. I am the birth, the life and the death of all beings. Meditate on Me as the innermost Self.Gudakesa means either coneror of sleep or thickhaired.He who is able to meditate on the Self with Abheda Bhavana (attitude of nonduality), is a qualified aspirant (Adhikari) of the first class. He who is not able to meditate on the Self should think of the Lord in those things which are mentioned below. This type of meditation is for the aspirants of the middle class.
After Swami Sivananda
Glory in the world you already know· 10.19–10.42→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 10.19The Blessed Lord said, "Very well! Now I will declare to you My divine glories in their…
10.20I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning, the…
- 10.21Among the twelve Adityas, I am Vishnu; among luminaries, the radiant sun; among the seven…
- 10.22Among the Vedas, I am the Sama-Veda; among the gods, I am Vasava; among the senses, I am…
- 10.23And among the Rudras, I am Sankara; among the Yakshas and Rakshasas, the Lord of Wealth…
- 10.24And, among the household priests of kings, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati;…
- 10.25Among the great sages, I am Bhrigu; among words, I am the one syllable (Om); among…
- 10.26Among all the trees, I am the Peepul; among the divine sages, I am Narada; among the…
- 10.27Know Me as Ucchaisravas, born of nectar, among horses; Airavata among lordly elephants;…
- 10.28Among weapons, I am the thunderbolt; among cows, I am the wish-fulfilling cow called…
- 10.29I am Ananta among the Nagas; I am Varuna among water-deities; Aryaman among the Manes; I…
- 10.30And I am Prahlada among the demons, I am Time among reckoners, I am the lion among beasts,…
- 10.31Among the purifiers, I am the wind; among the warriors, I am Rama; among the fishes, I am…
- 10.32Among creations I am the beginning, the middle, and the end, O Arjuna; among the sciences,…
- 10.33Among the letters of the alphabet, I am the letter 'A' and the dual among compounds. I am…
- 10.34And I am the all-devouring Death, and the source of prosperity for those who are to be…
- 10.35Among the hymns, I am the Brihatsaman; among meters, I am Gayatri; among months, I am…
- 10.36I am the gambling of the deceitful; I am the splendor of the splendid; I am victory; I am…
- 10.37Among the Vrishnis, I am Vaasudeva; among the Pandavas, I am Arjuna; among the sages, I am…
- 10.38Of those who punish, I am the scepter; among those who seek victory, I am statesmanship;…
- 10.39And whatever is the seed of all beings, that too am I, O Arjuna; there is no being, be it…
- 10.40There is no end to My divine glories, O Arjuna, but this is a brief statement by Me of the…
- 10.41Whatever being there is glorious, prosperous, or powerful, know that to be a manifestation…
- 10.42But, of what avail is the knowledge of all these details to you, O Arjuna? I exist,…
Word-by-word→
- cha
- also
- eva
- even
- aham
- I
- ātmā
- soul
- antaḥ
- end
- madhyam
- middle
- ādiḥ
- the beginning
- bhūtānām
- of all beings
- sarva-bhūta
- of all living entities
- guḍākeśha
- Arjun, the conqueror of sleep
- āśhaya-sthitaḥ
- seated in the heart
Read this when you feel
Themes
Related verses
- 12.8Fix your mind on Me, and your intellect in Me. Then you will certainly live in Me alone…
- 10.13All the sages have thus declared Thee, as also the divine sage Narada; so also Asita,…
- 11.28Verily, just as many torrents of rivers flow towards the ocean, so too these heroes in the…
- 18.13Learn from Me, O mighty-armed Arjuna, these five causes, as declared in the Sankhya…