Devanagari
गतिर्भर्ता प्रभु: साक्षी निवास: शरणं सुहृत् ।
प्रभव: प्रलय: स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम् ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
gatir bhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī
nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṁ suhṛt
prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṁ
nidhānaṁ bījam avyayam
Synonyms
gatiḥ
—
goal
;
bhartā
—
sustainer
;
prabhuḥ
—
Lord
;
sākṣī
—
witness
;
nivāsaḥ
—
abode
;
śaraṇam
—
refuge
;
su-hṛt
—
most intimate friend
;
prabhavaḥ
—
creation
;
pralayaḥ
—
dissolution
;
sthānam
—
ground
;
nidhānam
—
resting place
;
bījam
—
seed
;
avyayam
—
imperishable.
Translation
I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
16-19. I am the sacrifices mentioned in the śruti and smṛti, the offering to the Pitṛs, the herbs, the mantra, the ghee, the fire and the act of offering. I am the father of the universe, the mother, the maintainer, the grandfather, the object of knowledge, the purifier, om, the Ṛk, Sāma and Yajur Vedas. I am the result, the master, the controller, the witness, the abode, the shelter, the friend. I am creation, destruction and maintenance, the treasure, the indestructible cause. I create heat, withdraw rain and then shower it. I am liberation and bondage, the subtle and gross, O Arjuna.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
16-19. I am the vedic and smārta sacrifices, the offering to the pitṛs, the herbs, the mantra, the ghee, the fire and the act of offering. I am the father of the universe, the mother, the maintainer, the grandfather, the object of knowledge, the purifier, om, the ṛk, sāma and yajur Vedas. I am the method, the master, the controller, the witness, the abode, the shelter, the friend. I am creation, destruction and maintenance, the treasure, the indestructible cause or seed. I create heat, withdraw rain and then shower it. I am liberation and bondage, the subtle and gross, O Arjuna.
Purport
Gati means the destination where we want to go. But the ultimate goal is Kṛṣṇa, although people do not know it. One who does not know Kṛṣṇa is misled, and his so-called progressive march is either partial or hallucinatory. There are many who make as their destination different demigods, and by rigid performance of the strict respective methods they reach different planets known as Candraloka, Sūryaloka, Indraloka, Maharloka, etc. But all such lokas, or planets, being creations of Kṛṣṇa, are simultaneously Kṛṣṇa and not Kṛṣṇa. Such planets, being manifestations of Kṛṣṇa’s energy, are also Kṛṣṇa, but actually they serve only as a step forward for realization of Kṛṣṇa. To approach the different energies of Kṛṣṇa is to approach Kṛṣṇa indirectly. One should directly approach Kṛṣṇa, for that will save time and energy. For example, if there is a possibility of going to the top of a building by the help of an elevator, why should one go by the staircase, step by step? Everything is resting on Kṛṣṇa’s energy; therefore without Kṛṣṇa’s shelter nothing can exist. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme ruler because everything belongs to Him and everything exists on His energy. Kṛṣṇa, being situated in everyone’s heart, is the supreme witness. The residences, countries or planets on which we live are also Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate goal of shelter, and therefore one should take shelter of Kṛṣṇa either for protection or for annihilation of his distress. And whenever we have to take protection, we should know that our protection must be a living force. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme living entity. And since Kṛṣṇa is the source of our generation, or the supreme father, no one can be a better friend than Kṛṣṇa, nor can anyone be a better well-wisher. Kṛṣṇa is the original source of creation and the ultimate rest after annihilation. Kṛṣṇa is therefore the eternal cause of all causes.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
“How one can worship You as viśvarūpa in many ways (bahudhā)?” The Lord speaks four verses in response.
Kratu means sacrifices mentioned in the śruti like the agniṣṭoma. Yajṣa refers to sacrifices mentioned in the smṛtis like vaiśvadeva-homa. Auṣadham refers to food made from herbs.
I am the father (pitā) because I give rise to individual and total ingredients (material cause) for all the universes. I am the mother (mātā) because I hold within My womb the universe. I am the nourisher (dātā) of the universe. I am the grandfather, because I produce the creator of the universe, Brahmā. I am the object to be known and the object which purifies.
I am the result (gati), the master (bhartṛ), the controller (prabhu), the seer of all good and bad things (sakṣi), the abode (nivāsaḥ), the deliverer from dangers (śaraṇam), and the motiveless benefactor (suhṛt). I am the act of creation, destruction and maintenance (prabhava-pralaya-sthānam). I am the treasures (nidhānam) such as padma-nidhi and śaṅkha-nidhi, [Note: These are some of Kuvera’s treasures.] the cause (bījam), which is indestructible (avyayam), unlike rice and other seeds which are temporary.
Being the sun, I cause heat in the summer, and shower rain in the rainy season, and sometimes I also hold back the rain. I am liberation (amṛtam), and repeated birth and death in bondage (mṛtyuḥ). I am the subtle and the gross (sad-asad). Thus the person, thinking that I am all of this, worships Me as the form of universe. These verses are thus connected with the last part of verse 15 which mentions the universal form.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
In four verses Kṛṣṇa shows how He is situated in the form of the universe. Kratu refers to the Vedic śrauta sacrifices such as jyotiṣṭoma. Yajṣa refers to the sacrifices such as vaiśvadeva, mentioned in the smṛtis. Svadhā refers to the śrāddha rites offered to the pitas. Auṣadha means medicine or food coming from herbs. Mantra means the words such as yājyāpuro nu uttered in offering oblations to the devatās. Ajya means the substances for offering such as ghee. The fires (agni) used for sacrifice are of various types such as āhavanīya. Hūta means the act of offering oblations. I am situated as the soul of all those things.
I am situated as the mother, the father and the grandfather of each moving and non-moving thing in the universe. I, in the form of kings and others, am situated as the maintainer and nourisher in all those entities (dhātā). Because I am the possessor of all energies material and spiritual, and the paramātmā within all matter and jīvas, the number of living entities to maintain is no problem for Me. I am what is to be known (vedyam) and what purifies (pavitram)—the waters of rivers like the Gaṅgā. I am om, the seed of all the Vedas and the cause of knowledge of Brahman, the object of knowledge (vedyam).
I am the three Vedas, ṛk, yajus and sāma. The word ca indicates Atharva Veda. Rk also refers to the vedic verse with regular syllables. Sāma refers to those verses with regular meter and which are sung. Some say that sāma refers to any verse which is sung. Yajus refers to verses not sung and with irregular syllables. I am these three types of mantras useful in rites.
Gati means the method or path by which a goal is achieved, literally “that by which something is attained (gamyate). Bhartā means a protector. Prabhu means controller. Sākṣī means the seer of all sinful and pious acts. Nivāsa means a place of enjoyment, literally, where one resides. Śaraṇa means He who takes away the suffering or the person who approaches. The derivation of the word is “that in which suffering will be destroyed (duḥkham śīrṣyate asmin).” Suhṛt is one who does beneficial activities for someone else because of that person’s qualifications. prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṁ refer to the acts of creation destruction, and maintenance. Nidhānam refer to the nine treasures such as padma nidhi. [Note: Kuvera has nine treasures: padmanidhi, mahānidhi, saṅkhanidhi, makaranidhi, kacchapanidhi, mukundanidhi, nandanidhi, nīlanidhi and kharvanidhi.] Bijam means the cause which is indestructible I am not perishable like rice and other material seeds.
In the form of the sun, I heat the universe during the summer. During monsoon season, I release rain (varṣam) in the form of clouds. Sometimes in the form of drought, I draw back the rain. I am liberation (amṛtam) and saṁsāra (mṛtyuḥ). I am the gross (sat) and the subtle (asat). I alone am all of this. I, the son of Vasudeva, one person, holding all powers, am situated in the form of the whole universe with many names and forms. Some worship Me with this jṣāna yajṣa, which searches out the one person in these many things.
Surrender Unto Me
When Krsna is explaining that He is the basis of everything, the resting place, the eternal seed, He is 'avyayam', He is imperishable, when the universe is destroyed it is Krsna that remains.