सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः।तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता।।14.4।।
sarva‑yoniṣu kaunteya mūrta‑yaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ tāsām brahma mahād‑yoniḥ aham bīja‑pradaḥ pitā
Translation
O son of Kunti! Whatever manifestations spring up in all wombs, of them the mighty Brahman is the womb and I am the father who gives the seed.
Word Meanings
sarva-yoniṣu — in all species of life; kaunteya — O son of Kuntī; mūrtayaḥ — forms; sambhavanti — they appear; yāḥ — which; tāsām — of all of them; brahma — the supreme; mahat-yoniḥ — great womb or source of birth in material substance; aham — I; bīja-pradaḥ — seed‑giving; pitā — father.
Understanding the Verse
In this verse, Krishna reveals the hierarchical relationship between the ultimate reality (Brahman), the material womb, and the individual self. The phrase ‘sarva‑yoniṣu’ (in all wombs) encompasses every living entity, ranging from the tiniest insects to the most complex beings, affirming that the material world is a vast arena of birth and death.
Krishna calls Arjuna 'kaunteya', reminding him of his lineage and the personal bond that makes the teaching intimate. The word ‘mūrta‑yaḥ’ (forms) indicates the countless shapes and identities that manifest in samsara. These forms are not random; they ‘sambhavanti’ (arise) because of a deeper, unseen principle.
The verse identifies that principle as ‘brahma mahād‑yoniḥ’ – the supreme source, the cosmic womb from which all material existence emerges. This ‘great womb’ is not a physical organ but a metaphysical field of potentiality, the subtle matrix that supports the birth of every manifestation. It is the Mahat‑Tattva, the first evolute of the unmanifested absolute.
Krishna then declares himself as the ‘bīja‑pradaḥ pitā’ – the seed‑giving father. Unlike the material womb, which merely houses the embryo, the father provides the seed, the essential cause of life. By identifying as the seed‑giver, Krishna emphasizes that He is the intrinsic cause (karana) behind the emergence of all forms; He injects the divine spark (bīja) into the womb of Brahman, leading to the diversity of the universe.
This dual metaphor of womb and seed highlights the twofold nature of creation: the passive receptivity of the material field and the active principle of consciousness. The verse thus bridges the material and the spiritual, showing that the Supreme (Krishna) pervades both the subtle womb (Brahman) and the manifest world (all wombs). It reinforces the Gita’s central teaching that the soul is not merely a passenger but an integral part of the divine creative process.
For the aspirant, this verse encourages recognition of the divine source behind all experiences. By seeing the world as the womb of Brahman and oneself as the seed‑bearing child of the Supreme, one cultivates humility and devotion. The ultimate goal becomes aligning the individual ‘seed’ with the cosmic womb, thereby realizing one's inseparable connection with the Divine.
