Chapter 15 · Shloka 13— The Yoga of the Supreme Person

gām āviśhya cha bhūtāni dhārayāmy aham ojasā puṣhṇāmi chauṣhadhīḥ sarvāḥ somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ

gām

— earth

āviśhya

— permeating

cha

— and

bhūtāni

— living beings

dhārayāmi

— sustain

aham

— I

ojasā

— energy

puṣhṇāmi

— nourish

cha

— and

auṣhadhīḥ

— plants

sarvāḥ

— all

somaḥ

— the moon

bhūtvā

— becoming

rasa-ātmakaḥ

— supplying the juice of life

Krishna reveals His sustaining presence in nature: 'Entering the earth, I sustain all beings with My energy; and becoming the watery moon, I nourish all plants.' Krishna describes how He sustains and nourishes all life. 'Gam avisya ca bhutani dharayamy aham ojasa' — entering (avisya) the earth (gam), I sustain/support (dharayami) all beings (bhutani) with My energy/vitality (ojas). 'Pushnami causadhih sarvah somo bhutva rasatmakah' — and becoming the watery moon (soma, full of sap/essence — rasatmaka), I nourish (pushnami) all plants and herbs (ausadhi). Shankaracharya explains this vision of the Divine actively sustaining nature. The Divine 'enters the earth' and sustains all beings by its vital energy — the very power that holds things together, that gives the earth its supporting strength, is the divine energy. And becoming 'soma' (the moon, associated with sap, moisture, and the nourishing essence), the Divine nourishes all plants and herbs, giving them their vital sap and growth. This presents the Divine not as a distant creator who set things in motion and withdrew, but as the active, indwelling power continuously sustaining and nourishing all life — present in the supporting earth and the nourishing moisture, in the very forces that hold up and feed all living things. This verse reveals the Divine as the active, indwelling power that sustains all beings through the earth and nourishes all plants through the moon's nourishing essence. The insight worth drawing out is the vision of the Divine not as a distant, absent creator, but as the active, indwelling presence that CONTINUOUSLY sustains and nourishes all life — present in the very forces that hold us up and feed us. This is a warm and intimate vision of the sacred. The Divine isn't pictured here as a remote being who created the world long ago and then stepped back to watch from a distance. Instead, the Divine is the active, present power right now sustaining all beings (entering the earth, giving it its supporting strength) and nourishing all life (becoming the nourishing essence that feeds every plant). This means the sacred isn't far away or absent; it's intimately present in the most ordinary sustaining and nourishing forces of life — in the ground that holds you up, in the food that nourishes you, in the very forces that keep you alive moment to moment. There's a profound shift in perception available here: the things that sustain and nourish us — which we usually take completely for granted — can be seen as expressions of a continuous divine sustaining presence. The earth supporting you, the food feeding you, the countless forces keeping you alive aren't just mechanical or random; they can be experienced as the ongoing care of an indwelling sacred presence. This invites gratitude and a sense of being held. The lesson: notice that you are continuously sustained and nourished — by the earth that holds you, the food that feeds you, the countless forces that keep you alive each moment — and consider that these aren't merely impersonal mechanisms, but can be experienced as expressions of a present, sustaining, nourishing sacredness. You're not a random speck in an indifferent void; you're being continuously held and fed by the very ground of existence. This can transform the way you relate to the most ordinary supports of your life: from taking them for granted to receiving them with gratitude, as the ongoing gift of a sustaining presence. You are held. You are fed. Receive it with thanks.

The insight worth drawing out is the warm vision of the Divine not as a distant, absent creator, but as the active, indwelling presence that CONTINUOUSLY sustains and nourishes all life — present in the very forces that hold us up and feed us each moment. This is an intimate and tender vision of the sacred. The Divine isn't pictured here as a remote being who created the world long ago and then stepped back to watch from a cold distance, indifferent. Instead, the Divine is the active, present power right now sustaining all beings (entering the earth, giving it its supporting strength) and nourishing all life (becoming the nourishing essence that feeds every plant and herb). This means the sacred isn't far away, abstract, or absent; it's intimately present in the most ordinary sustaining and nourishing forces of your life — in the ground that holds you up, in the food that nourishes your body, in the very forces that keep you alive moment to moment without your even noticing. There's a profound shift in perception available here, even apart from any particular belief: the things that continuously sustain and nourish us — which we almost always take completely for granted — can be seen and experienced as expressions of a continuous sustaining presence and care. The earth supporting you right now, the food feeding you, the countless forces keeping you alive aren't merely cold mechanical accidents or random processes; they can be experienced as the ongoing, attentive care of an indwelling sacred presence. This invites genuine gratitude and a deep sense of being held and supported by existence itself. The lesson: notice, really notice, that you are continuously sustained and nourished — by the earth that holds you, the food that feeds you, the countless quiet forces that keep you alive each and every moment — and consider that these aren't merely impersonal, indifferent mechanisms, but can be received and experienced as expressions of a present, sustaining, nourishing sacredness. You're not a random, isolated speck in an indifferent void; you're being continuously held, supported, and fed by the very ground of existence itself. This can genuinely transform the way you relate to the most ordinary supports of your daily life: shifting from taking them entirely for granted to receiving them with real gratitude, as the ongoing gift of a sustaining presence. You are held. You are fed. You are supported. So receive it all with thanks, rather than oblivious entitlement.

The insight worth drawing out is the warm vision of the Divine not as a distant, absent creator, but as the active, indwelling presence that CONTINUOUSLY sustains and nourishes all life — present in the very forces that hold us up and feed us each moment. This is an intimate and tender vision of the sacred. The Divine isn't pictured here as a remote being who created the world long ago and then stepped back to watch from a cold distance, indifferent. Instead, the Divine is the active, present power right now sustaining all beings (entering the earth, giving it its supporting strength) and nourishing all life (becoming the nourishing essence that feeds every plant). This means the sacred isn't far away, abstract, or absent; it's intimately present in the most ordinary sustaining and nourishing forces of your life — in the ground that holds you up, in the food that nourishes your body, in the very forces that keep you alive moment to moment without you even noticing. There's a profound shift in perception available here, even apart from any particular belief: the things that continuously sustain and nourish us — which we almost always take completely for granted — can be seen and experienced as expressions of a continuous sustaining presence and care. The earth supporting you right now, the food feeding you, the countless forces keeping you alive aren't merely cold mechanical accidents or random processes; they can be experienced as the ongoing, attentive care of an indwelling sacred presence. This invites genuine gratitude and a deep sense of being held and supported by existence itself. The lesson: notice, really notice, that you're continuously sustained and nourished — by the earth that holds you, the food that feeds you, the countless quiet forces keeping you alive each and every moment — and consider that these aren't merely impersonal, indifferent mechanisms, but can be received and experienced as expressions of a present, sustaining, nourishing sacredness. You're not a random, isolated speck in an indifferent void; you're being continuously held, supported, and fed by the very ground of existence itself. This can genuinely transform the way you relate to the most ordinary supports of your daily life: shifting from taking them totally for granted to receiving them with real gratitude, as the ongoing gift of a sustaining presence. You are held. You are fed. You are supported. So receive it all with thanks, instead of oblivious entitlement.

Krishna shares a warm, beautiful idea: he says he enters into the earth and holds up all living beings with his energy, and becomes the moon's nourishing essence to feed all the plants! In other words, the wonderful Divine isn't far away — it's right here, holding us up and feeding us all the time! Here's the beautiful idea: God isn't like someone who made the world a long time ago and then left! Instead, God is right here NOW, holding up the earth so we can stand on it, and helping all the plants grow so we have food! The very things that keep us alive — the solid ground, the food we eat, the forces that help us stay alive — are all expressions of God's loving care, happening right now! Think about it: the ground holds you up, food gives you energy, and so many things keep you alive every single moment — and these are all gifts! This makes us feel so grateful and so taken care of! We're not alone in a cold, empty universe — we're being held and fed and cared for all the time! So here's the lovely lesson: notice all the wonderful things that keep you alive and healthy — the ground, the food, the sunshine, the air. Instead of taking them for granted, feel grateful! These are all gifts of loving care. You are held, you are fed, you are cared for — every single moment. Receive it all with a thankful heart, and you'll feel how wonderfully supported you really are!