130. Knowing the Unknowable
K rishna described his para-prakriti (higher nature) as the ‘life element’ that supports the universe (7.5). He gives the example of the string that supports the gems to form a beautiful ornament (7.7). He gives some more examples of the same in the following verses. While describing ‘life element’, Krishna earlier said that ‘none knows ‘this’ at all even though many describe it in many ways’ (2.29). ‘None’ stands for someone who is trying to understand ‘this’ through indriyas (senses) whereas the ‘life element’ is beyond the senses. This fact needs to be kept in mind to understand the following verses where He describes ‘life element’. Krishna says, “I am the ras in the water, the light in the Sun and the Moon, the sacred syllable pranvaakshar ( Om ) in the Vedas , the sound in space, and the manliness in man” (7.8). Ras is often translated as taste or sapidity, but both fall short of its true meaning, for Krishna is referring to the life-nurturing essence of wate...