Bhagavad Gita BG 7.7
Chapter 7, Verse 7 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
मत्तः परतरं नान्यत् किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय । मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ॥
mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya mayi sarvam idam protam sutre mani-gana iva
Meaning
There is nothing whatsoever higher than Me, O Dhananjaya. All this is threaded in Me as pearls on a string.
Understanding
The axiomatic statement of Chapter 7: mattah parataram nanyat kincit asti — nothing (kincit) whatsoever (nanyat) higher (parataram) than Me (mattas) exists. Not 'I am the best among many' but: there is no category 'above' Me. And the great simile: mayi sarvam idam protam — all this is threaded (protam — strung through, woven through) in Me — sutre mani-gana iva — like pearls (mani-gana) on a string (sutre). The string is invisible inside the pearl, yet everything depends on it. This is krishna as the invisible, sustaining ground of all existence.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| परतरम् | parataram | higher than, superior to, beyond |
| किञ्चित् | kincit | anything whatsoever |
| प्रोतम् | protam | threaded, strung through, woven |
| सूत्रे | sutre | on a string, on a thread |
| मणिगणाः | mani-ganah | clusters of gems/pearls |
| मत्तः | mattaḥ | from Me, beyond Me |
| न | na | not |
| अन्यत् | anyat | anything else |
| किञ्चित् | kiñcit | anything whatsoever |
| अस्ति | asti | exists, is |
| धनञ्जय | dhanañjaya | O Arjuna (conqueror of wealth) |
| मयि | mayi | in Me |
| सर्वम् | sarvam | all, everything |
| इदम् | idam | this (universe) |
| सूत्रे | sūtre | on a thread, string |
| मणि-गणाः | maṇi-gaṇāḥ | clusters of gems |
| इव | iva | like, as |