Even the thunderbolt and the desire that begets life are his glory.
Among weapons the thunderbolt, among cows the wish-giving Kamadhuk, among serpents Vasuki their king: Krishna names the chief of each class as his own glory. And among the powers that beget, he is Kandarpa, the desire that brings forth children; even this most charged of natural powers, turned toward the continuance of life, is his.
Among weapons, I am the thunderbolt. Among cows, I am Kamadhenu, who grants every wish. I am Kandarpa, the cause of birth. Among serpents, I am Vasuki.
The roll of glories goes on: class after class, Krishna has been naming the foremost member as himself, and here he gives four more, keeping the serpents of this verse apart from the nagas of the next.
Where they agreethe convergence
Across schools and centuries the commentators come to the same ground. These are the points they share, and the voices that hold each one.
Kind after kind, he names its chief as himself, so that wherever you meet the foremost of anything, you are meeting him.
Across Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Śuddhādvaita, Bhakti, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Madhusūdana · Rāmānuja · Vedānta Deśika · Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara · Baladeva · Jñāneśvar · Tilak · Ramsukhdas · Viśvanātha · Vallabha · Dhanapati · SivanandaIn Śaṅkara, Madhusūdana, and 12 others’ words
This verse continues Krishna's long list of his vibhutis, his glories or special manifestations: in each class of things he names the foremost member, so that recognizing the best of any kind becomes a way of recognizing him. Here he names four. Among weapons (ayudha) he is the thunderbolt (vajra). Among cows he is Kamadhuk, the wish-fulfilling cow. Among procreators he is Kandarpa, the power of desire that brings forth offspring. Among serpents he is Vasuki, their king. The grammar throughout is 'of this class, I am the chief one,' the same pattern that runs through the whole chapter.
Among weapons he is Indra's thunderbolt, made of the sage Dadhici's bones; its might is the stored power of a self-offering austerity.
Across Advaita, Bhakti, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Madhusūdana · Dhanapati · Ramsukhdas · Jñāneśvar · SivanandaIn Śaṅkara, Madhusūdana, and 4 others’ words
The thunderbolt named here is no ordinary weapon. The commentators identify it as the vajra wielded by Indra, and several explain its origin: it was fashioned from the bones of the sage Dadhici. Ramsukhdas draws out why this makes it fit to be Krishna's glory: the bones carried the teja, the spiritual power, of Dadhici's tapasya, his austerity, so the weapon's might is really the stored fruit of a sage's self-offering. Some add that only Indra, who has completed a hundred sacrifices, can wield it.
Among cows he is Kamadhuk, who milks out every wish; the foremost of cows is the one whose giving never runs dry.
Across Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Śuddhādvaita, Bhakti, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Madhusūdana · Rāmānuja · Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara · Viśvanātha · Baladeva · Sivananda · Jñāneśvar · TilakIn Śaṅkara, Madhusūdana, and 8 others’ words
The cow Kamadhuk (also called Kamadhenu or Surabhi) is the divine cow that yields whatever one wishes. The commentators explain the name directly: she is called Kamadhuk because she 'milks out' all desires (kama), giving every wished-for thing. Some place her origin in the churning of the milk-ocean, and some name her as the cow of the sage Vasishtha. She is the perfect emblem of inexhaustible giving, and so the foremost of cows.
Among begetters he is Kandarpa, the desire that brings forth children and continues life; the desire that seeks pleasure alone is no glory of his.
Across Advaita, Śuddhādvaita, BhaktiŚaṅkara · Madhusūdana · Nīlakaṇṭha · Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara · Baladeva · Ānandagiri · Dhanapati · ViśvanāthaIn Śaṅkara, Madhusūdana, and 7 others’ words
Among procreators, Krishna is Kandarpa, the deity of desire, but the commentators are careful to define which desire he means. Kandarpa here is prajana, the desire whose purpose is to beget offspring, the procreative impulse that continues life. Several commentators stress that the little word 'and' (ca) in the verse deliberately excludes the other kind of desire: the desire that aims only at pleasure or mere intercourse. Only the offspring-engendering, life-continuing desire is Krishna's glory; the merely indulgent kind is not.
Among serpents he is Vasuki, their king; the nagas are a separate line, whose own chief he names next.
Across Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Śuddhādvaita, Bhakti, and the modern voicesŚaṅkara · Madhusūdana · Rāmānuja · Puruṣottama · Baladeva · Sivananda · Vedānta Deśika · Ānandagiri · JñāneśvarIn Śaṅkara, Madhusūdana, and 7 others’ words
Among serpents Krishna is Vasuki, their king. The commentators note a technical distinction here between two classes of serpent that the verse and the next one keep apart: sarpa (serpents proper) and naga. Krishna is Vasuki, the king of the sarpas in this verse, while Ananta is named as foremost of the nagas in the verse that follows. The exact basis of the distinction is debated, but the commentators agree that Vasuki is the chief of his particular serpent-class.
This is the shared ground; it can be carried as it is. Below is where they differ.
Where they differthe divergence
Śuddhādvaita, in their fuller words
Vallabha reads each item through the lens of service to Bhagavan, God. The wish-cow is glorious not just for granting wishes but because she is to be worshipped for her usefulness in Bhagavan-service. And the procreative desire that is Krishna's glory is specifically the rule-bound desire whose office is to engender Bhagavan-devoted progeny, devotees: it is the desire brought under regulation, or the one that is chief by being strong, never the loose desire that earlier discipline put under restraint.
Advaita Vedānta, in their fuller words
These commentators add specific traditional identifications drawn from scripture and story: the wish-cow is named as the cow of the sage Vasishtha, and is said to have arisen from the churning of the ocean. The point is to anchor each glory in a concrete, well-known instance, so the reader recognizes exactly which famous being the verse exalts.
Viśiṣṭādvaita, in their fuller words
These commentators draw the serpent distinction by the number of heads: a sarpa, the class Vasuki leads, is single-headed, while a naga has many heads. One of them also reads this verse together with the next as a single composition, so that the two together name eight further glories, in each case the chief in its class.
Bhakti, in their fuller words
Among these commentators the serpent distinction is sometimes drawn by venom rather than by heads: the sarpa is the poisonous serpent, and Vasuki is the king of the poisonous serpents (with the nagas taken as the non-poisonous class). One of them also reads 'Kandarpa' as plural, so that Krishna is the foremost among the very gods of desire, the chief Kandarpa among Kandarpas.
A few questions to carry
These ask for understanding, not recall; each answer is settled by the commentary itself.
For a second sitting
Carry this with youwhat stays
Notice what makes the thunderbolt worth naming as a glory of God. Ramsukhdas points out that the vajra is mighty because it was made from the bones of the sage Dadhici, and so it carries the teja, the concentrated power, of his tapasya, his self-giving austerity. The lesson is quiet but real: the greatness anyone or anything ever displays is borrowed greatness, the stored fruit of self-offering, and ultimately it is God's own power shining through. When you meet anything that is the best of its kind, the strongest weapon, the most giving source, the very root of new life, let it turn your mind not to the thing but to the One whose glory it carries.
Whatever today shows you as the best of its kind, let it turn your mind from the thing to the One whose glory it carries.
Read deeper
Everything a full study holds, folded below.
Word by word
All the commentary, woven together
The commentary, woven together
machine-assisted draft, pending review
Convergence
his verse continues Krishna's long list of his vibhutis, his glories or special manifestations: in each class of things he names the foremost member, so that recognizing the best of any kind becomes a way of recognizing him. Here he names four. Among weapons (ayudha) he is the thunderbolt (vajra). Among cows he is Kamadhuk, the wish-fulfilling cow. Among procreators he is Kandarpa, the power of desire that brings forth offspring. Among serpents he is Vasuki, their king. The grammar throughout is 'of this class, I am the chief one,' the same pattern that runs through the whole chapter.
Braided from 14 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Rāmānujācārya · Vedānta Deśika · Śrī Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara Svāmī · Śrīla Baladeva · Sant Jñāneśvar · Lokmanya Tilak · Swami Ramsukhdas · Śrīla Viśvanātha · Vallabhācārya · Dhanapati Sūri · Swami Sivananda
The thunderbolt named here is no ordinary weapon. The commentators identify it as the vajra wielded by Indra, and several explain its origin: it was fashioned from the bones of the sage Dadhici. Ramsukhdas draws out why this makes it fit to be Krishna's glory: the bones carried the teja, the spiritual power, of Dadhici's tapasya, his austerity, so the weapon's might is really the stored fruit of a sage's self-offering. Some add that only Indra, who has completed a hundred sacrifices, can wield it.
Braided from 6 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Dhanapati Sūri · Swami Ramsukhdas · Sant Jñāneśvar · Swami Sivananda
The cow Kamadhuk (also called Kamadhenu or Surabhi) is the divine cow that yields whatever one wishes. The commentators explain the name directly: she is called Kamadhuk because she 'milks out' all desires (kama), giving every wished-for thing. Some place her origin in the churning of the milk-ocean, and some name her as the cow of the sage Vasishtha. She is the perfect emblem of inexhaustible giving, and so the foremost of cows.
Braided from 10 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Rāmānujācārya · Śrī Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara Svāmī · Śrīla Viśvanātha · Śrīla Baladeva · Swami Sivananda · Sant Jñāneśvar · Lokmanya Tilak
Among procreators, Krishna is Kandarpa, the deity of desire, but the commentators are careful to define which desire he means. Kandarpa here is prajana, the desire whose purpose is to beget offspring, the procreative impulse that continues life. Several commentators stress that the little word 'and' (ca) in the verse deliberately excludes the other kind of desire: the desire that aims only at pleasure or mere intercourse. Only the offspring-engendering, life-continuing desire is Krishna's glory; the merely indulgent kind is not.
Braided from 9 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha · Śrī Puruṣottama · Śrīdhara Svāmī · Śrīla Baladeva · Śrī Ānandagiri · Dhanapati Sūri · Śrīla Viśvanātha
Among serpents Krishna is Vasuki, their king. The commentators note a technical distinction here between two classes of serpent that the verse and the next one keep apart: sarpa (serpents proper) and naga. Krishna is Vasuki, the king of the sarpas in this verse, while Ananta is named as foremost of the nagas in the verse that follows. The exact basis of the distinction is debated, but the commentators agree that Vasuki is the chief of his particular serpent-class.
Braided from 9 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Rāmānujācārya · Śrī Puruṣottama · Śrīla Baladeva · Swami Sivananda · Vedānta Deśika · Śrī Ānandagiri · Sant Jñāneśvar
Divergence
Śuddhādvaita
Vallabha reads each item through the lens of service to Bhagavan, God. The wish-cow is glorious not just for granting wishes but because she is to be worshipped for her usefulness in Bhagavan-service. And the procreative desire that is Krishna's glory is specifically the rule-bound desire whose office is to engender Bhagavan-devoted progeny, devotees: it is the desire brought under regulation, or the one that is chief by being strong, never the loose desire that earlier discipline put under restraint.
Vallabhācārya
Advaita Vedānta
These commentators add specific traditional identifications drawn from scripture and story: the wish-cow is named as the cow of the sage Vasishtha, and is said to have arisen from the churning of the ocean. The point is to anchor each glory in a concrete, well-known instance, so the reader recognizes exactly which famous being the verse exalts.
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī
Viśiṣṭādvaita
These commentators draw the serpent distinction by the number of heads: a sarpa, the class Vasuki leads, is single-headed, while a naga has many heads. One of them also reads this verse together with the next as a single composition, so that the two together name eight further glories, in each case the chief in its class.
Rāmānujācārya · Vedānta Deśika
Bhakti
Among these commentators the serpent distinction is sometimes drawn by venom rather than by heads: the sarpa is the poisonous serpent, and Vasuki is the king of the poisonous serpents (with the nagas taken as the non-poisonous class). One of them also reads 'Kandarpa' as plural, so that Krishna is the foremost among the very gods of desire, the chief Kandarpa among Kandarpas.
Śrīdhara Svāmī · Śrīla Baladeva · Śrīla Viśvanātha
A Seeker Asks
Why would a benevolent God point to a weapon of war and the power of sexual desire as among his own glories, rather than only to gentle or holy things?
The verse is not blessing violence or indulgence as such. Its single principle, repeated through the whole chapter, is that Krishna is the foremost member of every class, so that wherever you see excellence you can recognize him. The thunderbolt is named because it is the supreme weapon, and even its might traces back to a sage's austere self-offering, the teja of tapasya stored in Dadhici's bones; the glory points back through the weapon to spiritual power.
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Swami Ramsukhdas · Dhanapati Sūri
As for desire, the commentators take pains to show that Krishna claims only one kind. The desire he calls his glory is prajana, the procreative power that brings forth offspring and continues life; the small word 'and' in the verse is read precisely to exclude the desire that aims only at pleasure. So the verse does not exalt lust; it exalts the life-giving creative force, the very engine by which new beings come into the world.
Braided from 6 commentators
Śaṅkarācārya · Madhusūdana Sarasvatī · Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha · Śrīdhara Svāmī · Śrīla Baladeva · Śrī Puruṣottama
And in the devotional reading the point becomes sharper still: the desire that is God's glory is the regulated desire whose work is to bring forth God-devoted offspring, never the loose desire that spiritual discipline restrains. Seen this way, even the most charged of natural powers is being lifted toward service and continuance of life, not toward indulgence.
Vallabhācārya
Contemplation
Notice what makes the thunderbolt worth naming as a glory of God. Ramsukhdas points out that the vajra is mighty because it was made from the bones of the sage Dadhici, and so it carries the teja, the concentrated power, of his tapasya, his self-giving austerity. The lesson is quiet but real: the greatness anyone or anything ever displays is borrowed greatness, the stored fruit of self-offering, and ultimately it is God's own power shining through. When you meet anything that is the best of its kind, the strongest weapon, the most giving source, the very root of new life, let it turn your mind not to the thing but to the One whose glory it carries.
Sit with this · Swami Ramsukhdas
All the translations and commentary
Pull up a chair.
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