I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.

Krishna continues His self-revelation: He is the pure fragrance that rises from wet earth, the heat radiating from fire, the very life-force animating all creatures, and the burning sincerity of the ascetic's tapas. He is the sacred quality within each thing — not the thing itself, but its deepest essence.