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Study a Verse
Pick any verse to see what it means and how to use it in your life.
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 10.31
पवन: पवतामस्मि राम: शस्त्रभृतामहम् ।
झषाणां मकरश्चास्मि स्रोतसामस्मि जाह्नवी ॥ ३१ ॥
pavanaḥ pavatām asmi
rāmaḥ śastra-bhṛtām aham
jhaṣāṇāṁ makaraś cāsmi
srotasām asmi jāhnavī
Of purifiers I am the wind, of the wielders of weapons I am Rāma, of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
Kṛṣṇa is the wind among purifiers, Rāma among weapon wielders, the shark among fishes, and the Ganges among flowing rivers.
Prabhupāda explains that the shark is one of the biggest aquatic creatures and the most dangerous to humans.
The shark therefore represents Kṛṣṇa.
limitless, all-pervading opulences
Names His opulences and then explains that these opulences simply indicate a fraction of His glory
Because He pervades and supports the entire universe with a mere fragment of His total potency
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: bhagavān, vibhūti.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 10.31 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to krishna’s nature?
Notice something excellent and see it as His opulence.
Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.