Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 10, Verse 23
रुद्राणां शङ्करश्चास्मि वित्तेशो यक्षरक्षसाम्।
वसूनां पावकश्चास्मि मेरुः शिखरिणामहम्।।
वसूनां पावकश्चास्मि मेरुः शिखरिणामहम्।।
rudrāṇāṁ śaṅkaraś cāsmi vitteśo yakṣa-rakṣasām
vasūnāṁ pāvakaś cāsmi meruḥ śikhariṇām aham
also searched as "rudranam shankarash chasmi vittesho yaksharakshasam"
Translation
Of the Rudras, I am Sankara. Of the Yaksas and Raksasas, I am the Lord of Wealth (Kubera). Of the Vasus, I am Agni; of the mountains, I am Meru.
Vāṇi's rendering
Among Rudras I am Shiva; among spirits of wealth, Kubera; among Vasus, fire; among mountains, Meru.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| रुद्राणाम्rudrāṇām | among the Rudras, the fierce storm-gods |
| शङ्करःśaṅkaraḥ | Shankara, Shiva (appears as śaṅkaraś before ca) |
| चca | and |
| अस्मिasmi | I am |
| वित्तेशःvitteśaḥ | lord of wealth, Kubera (appears as vitteśo before ya-) |
| यक्षरक्षसाम्yakṣa-rakṣasām | among the yakṣas and rākṣasas, the spirits that guard and grasp |
| वसूनाम्vasūnām | among the Vasus, the eight elemental gods |
| पावकःpāvakaḥ | fire, the purifier, Agni (appears as pāvakaś before ca) |
| चca | and |
| अस्मिasmi | I am |
| मेरुःmeruḥ | Meru, the world-mountain |
| शिखरिणाम्śikhariṇām | among the peaked ones, the mountains |
| अहम्aham | I |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 Verse 23 mean?
Krishna names the highest member of four classes: Shiva among the Rudras, Kubera among the yakṣas and rākṣasas, fire among the Vasus, Meru among mountains. The teaching is not about these figures. It is that whatever stands at the summit of any order stands there as him.
What does rudranam shankarash chasmi vittesho yaksharakshasam mean?
Among the Rudras I am Shankara; among the yakṣas and rākṣasas I am the lord of wealth. Krishna is claiming the peak of the fierce and the peak of the grasping alike — no category is left outside, and none is too rough to hold him.
Why does Krishna include Kubera and the rakshasas in his glories?
Because the list would be a flattery if it held only what is pleasant. Wealth-hoarding spirits have their summit too, and Krishna claims it. The vibhūti teaching is not a shortlist of holy things. It is a way of seeing that spares nothing, including what you would rather not look at.
How do I use this verse in daily life?
Notice what you rank. You already hold a private hierarchy — the finest work, the best teacher, the person you measure yourself against. Krishna says the top of that scale is where he stands. Your admiration was never idle. It has been pointing somewhere the whole time.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Kubera sits in this list beside Shiva. Krishna is naming peaks — the fiercest of the Rudras, the brightest of the Vasus, the highest of mountains — and he does not skip the treasure-hoarders. Wherever a thing rises to its own summit, that summit is his. Not the pleasant categories only. Arjuna is being taught to look at the top of any scale and find the same face waiting there. So look at what you admire most in your own field — the mastery, the height you measure yourself against. You have been worshipping without knowing it.