Bg. 7.9 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

पुण्यो गन्ध: पृथिव्यां च तेजश्चास्मि विभावसौ । जीवनं सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि तपस्विषु ॥ ९ ॥

Verse text

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu

Synonyms

puṇyaḥ — original ; gandhaḥ — fragrance ; pṛthivyām — in the earth ; ca — also ; tejaḥ — heat ; ca — also ; asmi — I am ; vibhāvasau — in the fire ; jīvanam — life ; sarva — in all ; bhūteṣu — living entities ; tapaḥ — penance ; ca — also ; asmi — I am ; tapasviṣu — in those who practice penance.

Translation

I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

9. I am the fragrance of the earth element, the heat in fire, the life in all entities, the austerity in the tapasvī.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

9. I am the fragrance of the earth element, the heat in fire, the life in all entities, and the endurance in the tapasvī.

Purport

Puṇya means that which is not decomposed; puṇya is original. Everything in the material world has a certain flavor or fragrance, as the flavor and fragrance in a flower, or in the earth, in water, in fire, in air, etc. The uncontaminated flavor, the original flavor, which permeates everything, is Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, everything has a particular original taste, and this taste can be changed by the mixture of chemicals. So everything original has some smell, some fragrance and some taste. Vibhāvasu means fire. Without fire we cannot run factories, we cannot cook, etc., and that fire is Kṛṣṇa. The heat in the fire is Kṛṣṇa. According to Vedic medicine, indigestion is due to a low temperature in the belly. So even for digestion fire is needed. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness we become aware that earth, water, fire, air and every active principle, all chemicals and all material elements are due to Kṛṣṇa. The duration of man’s life is also due to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, man can prolong his life or diminish it. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is active in every sphere.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Puṇya means “pleasing” or “natural” according to Amara Kośa. I am the natural fragrance of earth element. Ca indicates that this statement applies to all the elements. Thus, I am the pleasing taste of water, the pleasing form of fire as well as the natural fragrance of the earth element. I am the power of fire, the essence—that which can burn, illuminate, and relieve cold in all things. I am the life span of all entities—their essence. I am the toleration of suffering, the essence of those performing austerities. [Note: In this verse the Lord is the essence of all items, except the fragrance of earth. Fragrance is the cause of earth.]

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

I am the sense object of natural (existing before transformation) fragrance (puṇyaḥ gandhaḥ) in the earth. The word ca is employed to indicate that the word puṇyaḥ applies to all the other sense objects in all other elements as well. I am the energy in fire—the form (rūpa) which enables all things to be cooked and illuminated. [Note: Form or rūpa is the sense object sustaining the element fire. Tejas is here regarded as equivalent to rūpa.] The word ca indicates that in air I am the natural sense object known as touch, which gives pain on touching something hot. [Note: In this way all the five elements are covered.] I am the life span of the living entities. I am the ability to endure the dualities such as heat and cold in the performers of austerities.

Surrender Unto Me

Bhumir, the earth, is one of Krsna's energies. All the fragrances come from the earth ‑ so they come from Krsna. We plant the seed of a rose, the rose comes up. All we do is adding water. And the flower smells like a rose. Then we plant another type of seed, all we do is adding water, which has taste but no fragrance, and then...a campaka flower comes up, or a jasmine flower... all these different fragrances they are being extracted from the earth. How wonderful it is that Krsna has put the fragrances in the earth. Fire is another of Krsna's energies. And Krsna is the heat in fire, which we all appreciate (specially in winter). What is the life of all that lives? ‑ The soul. And Krsna explains 'apareyam tv anyan..', that the soul is one of His energies, non‑different from Him.