yach chāpi sarva-bhūtānāṁ bījaṁ tad aham arjuna
na tad asti vinā yat syān mayā bhūtaṁ charācharam
yat — which;
cha — and;
api — also;
sarva-bhūtānām — of all living beings;
bījam — generating seed;
tat — that;
aham — I;
arjuna — Arjun;
na — not;
tat — that;
asti — is;
vinā — without;
yat — which;
syāt — may exist;
mayā — me;
bhūtam — creature;
chara-acharam — moving and nonmoving
In this verse, Krishna is explaining to Arjuna that everything in the universe relies on Him for existence. Think of it like this: just as a seed is necessary for a plant to grow, Krishna is the seed or the source for everything that exists. Without this seed, nothing can be created or even survive. This applies to all living beings—humans, animals, plants—and even things that aren't alive, like rocks or water.
Krishna emphasizes that everything—both things that move (like animals and people) and things that don’t move (like trees or mountains)—can't exist without His power. He is saying that His energy is what keeps the universe and all its beings alive and functioning. Without that energy, there would be nothing at all.
When Krishna mentions that anything existing without Him is termed 'maya,' he is pointing out that if something seems to exist but doesn't come from His energy, then it's not truly real; it’s just an illusion or a temporary state. For instance, if you see a toy, it may look real, but it’s not alive and doesn’t have its own life source. Similarly, Krishna is telling us that without Him, everything is just an illusion—it might seem real on the surface, but without His essence, it doesn’t have true existence.
This helps us understand the importance of seeing Krishna as the fundamental source of everything and recognizing that our lives, the world around us, and everything we encounter are linked back to Him. It’s like saying, 'Everything you see around you, whether moving or not, is here because of a deeper source that you can always rely on.' This connection also encourages us to think about how we relate to everything in our lives, reminding us that there's a design and purpose beyond what we often see.