Bhagavad Gita BG 9.17
Chapter 9, Verse 17 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
पिताहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामहः । वेद्यं पवित्रमोङ्कार ऋक् साम यजुरेव च ॥
pita 'ham asya jagato mata dhata pitamahah vedyam pavitram om-kara rik sama yajur eva ca
Meaning
I am the father of this world, the mother, the sustainer, the grandfather. I am the knowable, the purifier, the syllable OM, and the Rik, Sama, and Yajur (Vedas).
Understanding
A cascade of divine self-identifications. Krishna is: pitA (father — the male/formal principle), mAtA (mother — the nurturing/intimate principle), dhAtA (sustainer, ordainer), pitAmaha (grandfather — origin of origins). He is the vedyam (that which is to be known — the ultimate object of all knowledge), pavitram (the purifier), om-kAra (the syllable OM), and the three Vedas (Rig, Sama, Yajur). The total structure of existence — cosmic family, knowledge, scripture, sound — is Krishna.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| पिता | pita | father |
| माता | mata | mother |
| धाता | dhata | sustainer, ordainer, supporter |
| पितामहः | pitamahah | grandfather (father's father — origin of origins) |
| वेद्यम् | vedyam | that which is to be known, the knowable |
| पिता | pitā | the father |
| अहम् | aham | I am |
| अस्य | asya | of this |
| जगतः | jagataḥ | of the universe |
| माता | mātā | the mother |
| धाता | dhātā | the supporter, the ordainer |
| पितामहः | pitāmahaḥ | the grandfather |
| पवित्रम् | pavitram | the purifier |
| ओम्-कारः | om-kāraḥ | the syllable Om |
| ऋक् | ṛk | the Rig Veda |
| साम | sāma | the Sama Veda |
| यजुः | yajuḥ | the Yajur Veda |
| एव | eva | indeed |
| च | ca | and |