9.16–18
Chapter 9, Verses 16–18
अहं क्रतुरहं यज्ञः स्वधाऽहमहमौषधम्। मंत्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमग्निरहं हुतम्৷৷ पिताऽहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामहः। वेद्यं पवित्रमोंकार ऋक् साम यजुरेव च৷৷ गतिर्भर्ता प्रभुः साक्षी निवासः शरणं सुहृत्। प्रभवः प्रलयः स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम्৷৷
ahaṅ kraturahaṅ yajñaḥ svadhā.hamahamauṣadham. maṅtrō.hamahamēvājyamahamagnirahaṅ hutam৷৷ pitā.hamasya jagatō mātā dhātā pitāmahaḥ. vēdyaṅ pavitramōṅkāra ṛk sāma yajurēva ca৷৷ gatirbhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṅ suhṛt. prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṅ nidhānaṅ bījamavyayam৷৷
Translation
Verse 16
I am the Oblation, the Sacrifice and the Worship; I am the Fuel and the Chant, I am the Butter offered to the fire, I am the Fire itself, and I am the Act of offering.
Verse 17
I am the Father of the universe and its Mother; I am its Nourisher and its Grandfather; I am the Knowable and the Pure; I am Om; and I am the Sacred Scriptures.
Verse 18
I am the Goal, the Sustainer, the Lord, the Witness, the Home, the Shelter, the Lover and the Origin; I am Life and Death; I am the Fountain and the Seed Imperishable.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
Verse 16
अहम् I, क्रतुः sacrifice, अहम् I, यज्ञः the sacrifice, स्वधा the offering to Pitris or ancestors, अहम् I, अहम् I, औषधम् the medicinal herbs and all plants, मन्त्रः sacred syllable, अहम् I, अहम् I, एव also, आज्यम् ghee or clarified butter, अहम् I, अग्निः the fire, अहम् I, हुतम् the offering. Commentary: Kratu is a kind of Vedic sacrifice.Yajna is the worship enjoined in the Smriti or the holy books laying down lay and the code of conduct.I am the Mantra, the chant with which the oblation is offered to the manes or ancestors, and the shining ones (the Devatas or gods).Hutam also means the act of offering.Aushadham All plants including rice and barley or medicine that can cure diseases. (Cf.IV.24)
Verse 17
पिता father, अहम् I, अस्य of this, जगतः world, माता mother, धाता the dispenser of the fruits of actions, पितामहः grandfather, वेद्यम् the (one) thing to be known, पवित्रम् the purifier, ओंकारः the Omkara, ऋक् Rik, साम Sama, यजुः Yajus, एव also, च and. Commentary: Dhata Supporter or sustainer by dispenser of the fruits of actions.Isvara or the Saguna Brahman is the father. MulaPrakriti or the primordial Nature is the mother. The pure Satchidananda Para Brahman (ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute) is the grandfather.Vedyam The one thing to be known. This is the Supreme Being.Pavitram Purifier. I am of the form of a bath in the holy river Ganga and the Gayatri Japa which purify the aspirants externally and internally.Cha and. This includes the AtharvanaVeda also. (Cf.XIV.3)
Verse 18
गतिः the goal, भर्ता the supporter, प्रभुः the Lord, साक्षी the witness, निवासः the abode, शरणम् the shelter, सुहृत् the friend, प्रभवः the origin, प्रलयः the dissolution, स्थानम् the foundation, निधानम् the treasurehouse, बीजम् the seed, अव्ययम् imperishable. Commentary: I am the goal, the fruit of action. He who nourishes and supports is the husband. I am the witness of the good and evil actions done by the Jivas (individuals). I am the abode wherein all living beings dwell. I am the shelter or refuge for the distressed. I relieve the sufferings of those who take shelter under Me. I am the friend, i.e., I do good without expecting any return. I am the source of this universe. In Me the whole world is dissolved. I am the mainstay or the foundation of this world. I am the treasurehouse which living beings shall enjoy in the future. I am the imperishable see, i.e., the cause of the origin of all beings. Therefore, take shelter under My feet.
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.