Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 22
Vibhūti-yoga in the Bhāgavata: The Lord’s Manifest Opulences and the Discipline of Control
पुरोधसां वसिष्ठोऽहं ब्रह्मिष्ठानां बृहस्पति: । स्कन्दोऽहं सर्वसेनान्यामग्रण्यां भगवानज: ॥ २२ ॥
purodhasāṁ vasiṣṭho ’haṁ brahmiṣṭhānāṁ bṛhaspatiḥ skando ’haṁ sarva-senānyām agraṇyāṁ bhagavān ajaḥ
ಪುರೋಹಿತರಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ವಸಿಷ್ಠ ಮುನಿ; ವೈದಿಕ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅತ್ಯುನ್ನತರಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಬೃಹಸ್ಪತಿ. ಮಹಾಸೇನಾಧಿಪತಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಸ್ಕಂದ (ಕಾರ್ತಿಕೇಯ); ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಮಾರ್ಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುನ್ನಡೆಯುವವರಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಭಗವಾನ್ ಅಜ—ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾ.
FAQs
In Canto 11, Chapter 16, Krishna identifies Himself as the supreme excellence within many groups—here, as Vasiṣṭha among priests, Bṛhaspati among Brahman-realized teachers, Skanda among commanders, and as Aja among foremost leaders—showing that all greatness ultimately rests in Him.
Krishna is teaching Uddhava by giving recognizable examples of the highest representatives in key domains—priestly guidance, spiritual wisdom, military command, and leadership—so the listener can perceive the Lord’s presence as the source of all outstanding power and virtue.
See excellence, integrity, and true leadership as reflections of the Divine, and cultivate those qualities in your own role—seeking wise counsel (like a purohita), spiritual intelligence (brahma-niṣṭhā), disciplined strength (senānī), and selfless guidance (agraṇī).