The womb and the seed

mama yonirmahad brahma tasmingarbhaṃ dadhāmyahamsambhavaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ tato bhavati bhārata

My womb is the great Brahman. Into it I place the seed. From that, Bharata, all beings are born.

What it means

Krishna uses an intimate image of creation. Great nature, here called mahad Brahman, is like a womb. Krishna places the seed in it. And from that union, every being is born. Creation isn't a machine. It's like a birth, full of life and tenderness.

The story

Arjuna, a father himself, understands the wonder of a child's birth. Krishna says the whole universe was born that way, from love meeting life.

In your life

Think of the first time you held a newborn, and the wonder of it. All of life began that tenderly. Treat one living thing with extra gentleness today.