Bg. 10.35

BG 10.35

Devanagari

बृहत्साम तथा साम्न‍ां गायत्री छन्दसामहम् । मासानां मार्गशीर्षोऽहमृतूनां कुसुमाकर: ॥ ३५ ॥

Verse text

bṛhat-sāma tathā sāmnāṁ gāyatrī chandasām aham māsānāṁ mārga-śīrṣo ’ham ṛtūnāṁ kusumākaraḥ

Synonyms

bṛhat-sāma the Bṛhat-sāma ; tathā also ; sāmnām of the Sāma Veda songs ; gāyatrī the Gāyatrī hymns ; chandasām of all poetry ; aham I am ; māsānām of months ; mārga-śīrṣaḥ the month of November-December ; aham I am ; ṛtūnām of all seasons ; kusuma-ākaraḥ spring.

Translation

Of the hymns in the Sāma Veda I am the Bṛhat-sāma, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī. Of months I am Mārgaśīrṣa [November-December], and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

35. Among the sāmas, I am the Bṛhat Sāma. Among meters, I am gāyatrī. Among months, I am Mrgaśīrṣa. [Note: This is the first month in one calendar system.] Among the seasons, I am the spring.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

35. Among the sāmas, I am the Bṛhat Sāma. Among meters, I am gāyatrī. Among months, I am Mrgaśīrṣa. Among the seasons, I am the spring.

Purport

It has already been explained by the Lord that amongst all the Vedas, He is the Sāma Veda. The Sāma Veda is rich with beautiful songs played by the various demigods. One of these songs is the Bṛhat-sāma, which has an exquisite melody and is sung at midnight. In Sanskrit, there are definite rules that regulate poetry; rhyme and meter are not written whimsically, as in much modern poetry. Amongst the regulated poetry, the Gāyatrī mantra, which is chanted by the duly qualified brāhmaṇas, is the most prominent. The Gāyatrī mantra is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Because the Gāyatrī mantra is especially meant for God realization, it represents the Supreme Lord. This mantra is meant for spiritually advanced people, and when one attains success in chanting it, he can enter into the transcendental position of the Lord. One must first acquire the qualities of the perfectly situated person, the qualities of goodness according to the laws of material nature, in order to chant the Gāyatrī mantra. The Gāyatrī mantra is very important in Vedic civilization and is considered to be the sound incarnation of Brahman. Brahmā is its initiator, and it is passed down from him in disciplic succession. The month of November-December is considered the best of all months because in India grains are collected from the fields at this time and the people become very happy. Of course spring is a season universally liked because it is neither too hot nor too cold and the flowers and trees blossom and flourish. In spring there are also many ceremonies commemorating Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes; therefore this is considered to be the most joyful of all seasons, and it is the representative of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The Lord has already said that he is the Sāma among the Vedas. Here he says that among the verses to be sung he is the Bṛhat Sāma in the verse which begins tvamṛrddhim havāmahe. (Ṛg Veda 6.46.1) Among meters I am gāyatrī, and among seasons I am spring (kusumākaraḥ), filled with flowers.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

Among the Vedas, I am the Sāma Veda. This was stated previously. Now the Lord speaks more particularly. Among the sāmas, special songs based on the words of the Rg Veda, the bṛhad sāma which starts with tvām iddhi havāmahe (Ṛg Veda 6.46.1) is special, being chanted at the end of ceremonies, praising of Indra for his having great powers. Among the verses endowed with regular meter and lines (chandasām), I am the gayatrī verse, being most excellent because it gives second birth to the three higher castes. [Note: Baladeva takes chandas as verse rather than meter. There are many verses in gāyatrī meter. The verse in gāyatrī meter which is famous as the initiation mantra for the second born is also called gāyatrī.] As well, it is regarded as non-different from brahman according to the śruti. gāyatrī vā idaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ yad idaṁ kiṁ ca: gāyatrī is all this, whatever being exists. (Chāndogya Upanisad 3.12.1) I am Mārgaśīrṣa month, which is better than the other months, because in that month there is a supply of new grains. I am spring, which is better than other seasons because it is neither too hot nor too cold, it has many fragrant flowers, and it has many festivals celebrating Me.

Surrender Unto Me

Krsna already said that of the Vedas, He is the Sama‑Veda.