vedāhaṁ samatītāni vartamānāni chārjuna
bhaviṣhyāṇi cha bhūtāni māṁ tu veda na kaśhchana
veda — know;
aham — I;
samatītāni — the past;
vartamānāni — the present;
cha — and;
arjuna — Arjun;
bhaviṣhyāṇi — the future;
cha — also;
bhūtāni — all living beings;
mām — me;
tu — but;
veda — knows;
na kaśhchana — no one
In this verse, Krishna is telling Arjuna that He knows everything about time and all living beings. He has complete awareness of the past, what is happening right now, and what will happen in the future. This means Krishna has a perspective that no human can achieve because people are limited by their experiences and knowledge. For example, you may remember events from your past and have ideas about the future, but you can’t see everything that has happened to everyone or predict every little thing that will happen in your life. People often forget things from their past, and they cannot fully remember all their past lives or even see what is going to happen tomorrow.
Krishna is showing that He is very different from normal human beings. While we may know some things, we can easily forget or make mistakes. In contrast, Krishna is always aware of everything and does not forget.
Additionally, the verse hints at the divide between how some people see Krishna. Some people think of the divine as something without form, while Krishna is saying He has a form and a personality. He is not just a force or a concept; He is a Supreme Being with awareness and understanding.
Understanding Krishna as the Supreme Personality also means recognizing that He is not limited by a physical body like humans. A person with a physical body has limitations, such as forgetting or not knowing many things about their own life or others'. But Krishna, being the Supreme Being, does not bear those limitations. Hence, He exists beyond the usual human experience and does not need to remember anything because He knows all—past, present, and future—intimately.
In short, Krishna is pointing out his unique ability to understand everything fully. He knows every living being and their journey, and He is setting Himself apart from those who might see Him as just like them. It suggests that true understanding and knowledge come not from just reading or intellectual exercises but from a deeper, divine source that Krishna embodies.