Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15, Verse 13 (BG 15.13) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

Undoubtedly, the Earth has had a long history extending far before the discovery of artificial fertilizers. It is possible that in certain ages of the past, the population upon this Earth was even greater than in the present time. Yet the Earth has sustained life. The Earth's capacity to nourish and sustain the creatures of this world—its warmth, its minerals, and all such things—are manifestations of the divine radiance. This means that the same consciousness which expresses itself through the Sun as light and heat also expresses itself through the Earth as its fertile power and the hidden nourishment that sustains life. As the Moon, embodied in the form of essence, I nourish the medicinal plants. That same conscious principle, manifesting through the Moon in the form of moonlight, fills all vegetation with nourishing elements. If previous generations rejected this teaching, then students of today, educated in modern science, would not dare to challenge it. Modern agricultural science proves that the celestial bodies—and especially the Moon—have an unbreakable connection with the estimated yield of crops. According to findings from modern experiments, where tomato seeds were sown on the day of the full moon and harvested again on the day of the full moon, researchers found that the yield of tomatoes was greater than normal. It is a well-known and universally accepted fact that rice seeds preserved for sowing are not only dried in the heat of the Sun, but are also kept in the light of the Moon. Natural and Ayurvedic physicians also keep certain medicines in moonlight for a specific period, and they affirm that this imparts to those medicines the power to cure diseases. In this verse, all these facts are merely indicated, which proves that the teaching of Lord Krishna is not unscientific. The Sun, Moon, and fire in the material world—these sources of energy are in truth the infinite Supreme Self. In the Sun is this light, and in the Moon is that nourishing essence. That same consciousness, entering the Earth, becomes the sustainer and nourisher of all living beings.