Gam Avishya Cha Bhutani

After light in 15.12, Krishna now speaks of sustenance. He enters the earth and, through his vital energy, holds all living beings in place. The ground we stand on, the soil that grows our food — the holding power within it is his.

He also becomes Soma — the nourishing essence associated with the moon — and through it feeds every plant, herb, and crop. The greenness of leaves, the juice of fruits, the potency of medicinal herbs — that life-giving sap, Krishna says, flows from him.

Think of how a mother quietly holds a household together. The children may not notice, the elders may not remark on it, but the house runs because she sustains it from within. This sustaining presence works the same way — silently, constantly, without announcement.

This is the second shloka in the vibhuti (divine manifestation) sequence that began at 15.12. From external light, Krishna moves to the earth's sustaining power and the nourishment of plant life. The term 'somo bhutva rasatmakah' connects to the Vedic tradition in which Soma is the life-giving essence. In tradition, this shloka is read as an expression of the divine as the hidden source of all life on earth.