Bhagavad Gita · Jnana Vijnana YogaChapter 7, Shloka 8 (7.8)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभाऽस्मि शशिसूर्ययोः
प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु
॥ 7.8 ॥
raso'hamapsu kaunteya prabhā'smi śaśisūryayoḥ
praṇavaḥ sarvavedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṃ nṛṣu
Translation
"O Kaunteya, I am the taste (rasa) in water, the radiance in the moon and the sun, Om in all the Vedas, sound in space, and human effort (capacity) in human beings."
Interpretation
Seeing the essence. The "water-ness" of water is its taste; the "sun-ness" of the sun is its radiance; the essence of the Vedas is Om.
Shankaracharya — "strung on that". Raso'ham apāṃ yaḥ sāraḥ sa rasaḥ, tasmin rasa-bhūte mayi āpaḥ protā ity arthaḥ, evaṃ sarvatra — the essence of water is taste; water is strung on me, who am that taste; and so everywhere. Praṇavaḥ oṃkāraḥ … tasmin praṇava-bhūte mayi sarve vedāḥ protāḥ; pauruṣaṃ puruṣasya bhāvaḥ … yataḥ puṃ-buddhiḥ nṛṣu — the "human-ness" of a human being, by which one recognises "this is a human being".
Acharya Ramanuja (7.8–7.11 together). ete sarve vilakṣaṇā bhāvā matta eva utpannāḥ mac-cheṣa-bhūtā mac-charīratayā mayi eva avasthitāḥ ataḥ tat-prakāraḥ aham eva avasthitaḥ — all these remarkable states arise from me, are my śeṣa (dependent on me), and abide in me as my body; therefore it is I who am present in these forms.
The difference: Shankara — Ishvara is the essence of a thing, on whom the thing is "strung"; Ramanuja — things are the Lord's body, so "I am taste" means "taste is a mode (form) of me".
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.