Lord Krishna

Divine Teacher

The Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.

Speaking: Chapter 10, Verse 20

Verse 20

The Yoga of Divine Glories

I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.

Context & Meaning

Before listing external manifestations, Krishna names the most intimate one: I am the Self seated in every heart. Not an external power or a distant deity — but the innermost reality of every single being. And I am their beginning, middle, and end. The Divine is not somewhere in the list of things — it is the ground on which the list stands.

Scholar Commentaries

1 commentary · Public domain

Ramanujacharya

Vishishtadvaita

The ātmā dwelling in all hearts is the Paramātman — the Supreme Self. Every individual self is sustained by this inner presence. To know one's own deepest self is to know the Divine, for they are not ultimately separate.