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Among weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the wish-fulfilling cow called Kamadhenu; I am the progenitor, the god of love; among serpents I am Vasuki.

Among weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows, the wish-fulfilling cow. I am Kandarpa, the cause of birth, and among serpents I am Vasuki.

The thunderbolt (vajra) is Indra's weapon, the mightiest in the world of the myths. Kamadhenu is the wish-granting cow who gives whatever is asked. Kandarpa, the god of love, appears with a careful qualifier: Krishna is love insofar as it brings forth new life, desire in its creative and rightful role rather than as mere craving. Vasuki is the king of serpents, who served as the rope in the churning of the ocean. The qualifier on desire is worth noticing, since the Gita elsewhere warns sharply against desire as an enemy. Here it is honoured in its proper place.