मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन् गर्भं दधाम्यहम्।संभवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत।।14.3।।
mama yoniḥ mahat brahma tasmin garbhaṁ dadhāmi ahaṁ; sambhavaḥ sarva‑bhūtānām tataḥ bhavati bhārata
Translation
The mighty Brahman is a womb for Me; and in That I lay seed; therefrom is the birth of all beings, O descendant of Bharata!
Word Meanings
mama — My; yoniḥ — source of birth; mahat — the total material existence; brahma — supreme; tasmin — in that; garbham — pregnancy; dadhāmi — create; aham — I; sambhavaḥ — the possibility; sarva‑bhūtānām — of all living entities; tataḥ — thereafter; bhavati — becomes; bhārata — O son of Bharata
Understanding the Verse
In this verse Krishna reveals the cosmic relationship between the Supreme Reality (Brahman) and the Lord Himself (Krishna). He describes Brahman as a "yoni" or womb, a metaphor that signifies the source from which all material existence emerges. By calling Brahman "mahat" (the great, all‑encompassing) and "brahma" (the ultimate reality), Krishna emphasizes that the whole universe is contained within this supreme principle. The Lord says that He, as the personal aspect of the Divine, deposits the seed ("garbha") within this womb. This seed is not a physical embryo but the subtle potential that gives rise to all manifest beings. Thus, the act of "dadhāmi" (planting) denotes the Divine's creative agency, where He projects the manifold of existence from the unmanifest source.
The term "sambhavaḥ" conveys the idea of "origin" or "possibility". All living entities ("sarva‑bhūtānām") emerge from this original seed, meaning that the diversity of life—plants, animals, humans, and even subtle beings—shares a single divine origin. The phrase "tataḥ bhavati" (thereafter becomes) stresses the sequential unfolding: first the seed is placed in the womb, then creation proceeds in successive stages. This progression mirrors the natural processes of gestation and birth, reinforcing the analogy that the cosmos undergoes a divine gestation before manifesting as the world we experience.
Finally, Krishna addresses Arjuna as "bhārata", reminding him of his lineage as a descendant of the great Bharata dynasty. By invoking this honorific, Krishna not only personalizes the teaching but also situates the philosophical insight within the context of human duty and destiny. The verse thus serves a dual purpose: it presents a profound metaphysical truth about the relationship between the unmanifest and manifest, and it grounds that truth in the lived reality of a warrior seeking guidance. Understanding this womb‑seed dynamic helps the seeker recognize that all beings, despite apparent differences, are fundamentally linked to the same divine source, fostering a sense of unity, reverence, and responsibility toward all of creation.
