Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 10, Verse 30
प्रह्लादश्चास्मि दैत्यानां कालः कलयतामहम्।
मृगाणां च मृगेन्द्रोऽहं वैनतेयश्च पक्षिणाम्।।
मृगाणां च मृगेन्द्रोऽहं वैनतेयश्च पक्षिणाम्।।
prahlādaś cāsmi daityānāṁ kālaḥ kalayatām aham
mṛgāṇāṁ ca mṛgendro ’haṁ vainateyaś ca pakṣiṇām
also searched as "prahladash chasmi daityanam kalah kalayatam aham"
Translation
Of Daityas, I am Prahlada; of reckoners, I am Death; of beasts, I am the lion; and of birds, I am Garuda, the son of Vinata.
Vāṇi's rendering
Of demons I am Prahlada, the devoted; of reckoners, time; of beasts, the lion; of birds, Garuda.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| प्रह्लादःprahlādaḥ | Prahlada, the devoted son born in the demon line |
| चca | and |
| अस्मिasmi | I am (joined with the preceding ca as cāsmi) |
| दैत्यानाम्daityānām | among the demons, the sons of Diti |
| कालःkālaḥ | time; the reckoning that ends all things |
| कलयताम्kalayatām | among those who count, measure, subdue |
| अहम्aham | I |
| मृगाणाम्mṛgāṇām | among wild beasts |
| चca | and |
| मृगेन्द्रःmṛgendraḥ | the lord of beasts, the lion |
| अहम्aham | I am (written 'haṁ after the sandhi with mṛgendraḥ) |
| वैनतेयःvainateyaḥ | Garuda, the son of Vinata |
| चca | and |
| पक्षिणाम्pakṣiṇām | among birds |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 Verse 30 mean?
Krishna names himself in four peaks: Prahlada among demons, time among all that reckons, the lion among beasts, Garuda among birds. Three are simply the highest of their kind. The first is different — Prahlada is the highest of his kind by refusing his kind. Devotion outranks lineage, and Krishna puts it first.
Why does Krishna choose Prahlada out of all the demons?
Because Prahlada is the proof that origin does not decide destination. Born to Hiraṇyakaśipu, raised in a house that hated Viṣṇu, he loved anyway and was not burned for it. Krishna is not praising the demon race. He is pointing to the one place in it where bhakti grew without soil.
What does prahladas casmi daityanam kalah kalayatam aham mean?
"Of the demons I am Prahlada; of reckoners, time." Kalayatām means those who count, measure, and bring things to an account. Above every such reckoner stands kāla itself — the count that no one escapes and no one audits. Krishna claims that final tally as his own form.
What is the lesson of the lion and Garuda in this verse?
They are the unmistakable ones. You do not have to be told which animal is the lion, or which bird carries Viṣṇu. Krishna is teaching Arjuna a way of seeing: wherever something is fully, unarguably itself, look there. The glory is not hidden. It is standing at the top of its own kind.
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Commentary
Among the demons Krishna names the one who would not be one. Prahlada was born to the enemy line and loved anyway; his father's hatred could not make the son inherit it. That is the first thing placed in this list of summits — not power, devotion. Then time, which counts everyone and is counted by no one. Then the lion, then Garuda: whatever stands at the top of its kind. Arjuna is being shown where to look for Krishna — always at the peak, and sometimes at the peak of a place no one would think to search. Your birth is not your verdict.