Bhagavad-gītā 9.16
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अहं क्रतुरहं यज्ञः स्वधाऽहमहमौषधम्। मंत्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमग्निरहं हुतम्।।9.16।।
ahaṁ kratur ahaṁ yajñaḥ svadhāham aham auṣhadham mantro ’ham aham evājyam aham agnir ahaṁ hutam
I am the oblation, the sacrifice, and the worship; I am the fuel and the chant; I am the butter offered to the fire; I am the fire itself, and I am the act of offering.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| aham | I |
| kratuḥ | Vedic ritual |
| aham | I |
| yajñaḥ | sacrifice |
| svadhā | oblation |
| aham | I |
| aham | I |
| auṣhadham | medicinal herb |
| mantraḥ | Vedic mantra |
| aham | I |
| aham | I |
| eva | also |
| ājyam | clarified butter |
| aham | I |
| agniḥ | fire |
| aham | I |
| hutam | the act offering |
Yajna is the worship enjoined in the Smriti or the holy books laying down lay and the code of conduct. I am the Mantra, the chant with which the oblation is offered to the manes or ancestors, and the shining ones (the Devatas or gods).
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Observe the chapter’s first-person claims, the relation between Kṛṣṇa and the world, different forms of worship and accessible devotion.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaI am the ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the oblation, I am the medicinal herb, I am the mantra, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire, and I am the act of offering.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaI am Kratu, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering to the manes, I am the herb, I am the Mantra, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire, I am the oblation.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaYajna is the worship enjoined in the Smriti or the holy books laying down lay and the code of conduct. I am the Mantra, the chant with which the oblation is offered to the manes or ancestors, and the shining ones (the Devatas or gods).
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
I am the oblation, the sacrifice
- 2
I am the fuel and the chant
- 3
I am the butter offered to the fire
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