Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 27 भगवद् गीता अध्याय 14 श्लोक 27 ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाऽहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च। शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च।।14.27।। English Translation - Swami Gambirananda 14.27 For I am the Abode of Brahman-the indestructible and immutable, the eternal, the Dharma and absolute Bliss. English Translation - Swami Sivananda 14.27 For I am the abode of Brahman, the immortal and the immutable, of everlasting Dharma and of absolute bliss. English Translation - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 14.27. I is the place of support for the immortal and changeless Brahman and for [Its] eternal attribute, the unalloyed Happiness. English Commentary - Swami Sivananda 14.27 ब्रह्मणः of Brahman? हि indeed? प्रतिष्ठा the abode? अहम् I? अमृतस्य the immortal? अव्ययस्य the immutable? च and? शाश्वतस्य everlasting? च and? धर्मस्य of Dharma? सुखस्य of bliss? एकान्तिकस्य absolute? च and.Commentary The Self Which is immortal and immutable? Which is attainable by the eternal Dharma or the knowledge of the Self? Which is unending bliss? abides in Me? the Supreme Being.,I? the innermost Self? am the abode of the Supreme Self. The aspirant beholds? with the eye of intuition? that the innermost Self is the very Supreme Self? through Selfrealisation.The Lord bestows grace and mercy on His devotees through His Sakti? energy or power? or Maya. Sakti and the Lord are one. Just as heat is inseparable from fire? so also Maya or Sakti is inseparable from the Lord. Sakti cannot be distinct from the Lord in Whom She inheres.There is another interpretation. By Brahman here is meant the Brahman with attributes or alities? the conditioned Brahman. I? the Absolute Brahman? transcending the attributes or alities? the unconditioned Absolute? am the abode of the Saguna (conditioned) Brahman Who is immortal and imperishable. I am also the abode of the eternal Dharma of Jnananishtha (establishment in the highest wisdom) and the abode of the unending bliss born of that unswerving devotion.Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita? the science of the Eternal? the scripture of Yoga? the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna? ends the fourteenth discourse entitledThe Yoga of the Division of the Three Gunas., English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's 14.27 Hi, for; aham, I, the inmost Self; am the pratistha brahmanah, Abode-that in which something abides is pratistha-of Brahman which is the supreme Self. Of Brahman of what kind? Amrtasya, of that which is indestructible; avyayasya, of that which is immutable; and sasvatasya, of that which is eternal; dharmasya, of that which is the Dharma, realizable through the Yoga of Jnana which is called dharma (virtue); and aikantikasya sukhasya, of that which is the absolute, unfailing Bliss by nature. Since the inmost Self is the abode of the supreme Self-which by nature is immortal etc.-, therefore, through perfect Knowledge it (the former) is realized with certainty to be the supreme Self. This has been stated in, he alifies for becoming Brahman. The purport is this: Indeed, that power of God through which Brahman sets out, comes forth, for the purpose of favouring the devotees, etc., that power which is Brahman Itself, am I. For, a power and the possesser of that power are non-different. Or, brahman means the conditioned Brahman, since It (too,) is referred to by that word. Of that Brahman, I Myself, the unconditioned Brahman-and none else-am the Abode. (The abode of Brahman) of what alities? Of that which is immortal; of that which has the ality of deathlessness; of that which is immutable; so also, of that which is the eternal; which is the dharma having the characteristics of steadfastness in Knowledge; of that which is the absolute, unestionably certain Bliss born of that (steadfastness);-I am the Abode is understood. English Translation of Commentary - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan 14.27 Brahmanah etc. It is I who is the support of the Brhaman. [For], one becomes the [very] Brahman, if I is served [by him]. Otherwise if the Brahman is contemplated on - because Its nature is like that of the insentient (i.e., simply a being)-then it leads him (the seeker) to an emancipation which would simply be undistinguished from the deep sleep stage. English Translation of Ramanuja's Sanskrit Commentary 14.27 The term hi (for) denotes cause. I, who am to be served by unswerving Bhakti Yoga, am the ground of the individual self, immortal and immutable, and also of eternal Dharma, namely, surpassing eternal prosperity and also perfect felicity, i.e., of the felicity attained by the Jnanin stated in texts such as Realising that Vasudeva is all (7.19). I, being of such nature, devotion to Me helps the Jiva to transcend the Gunas. Although the expression eternal Dharma is indicative of the conduct to be observed, in the given context, it means the goal to be attained; for, what follows and what precedes it, denote the goal and not conduct. The purport is this: It has been stated that seeking refuge with the Lord is the only means for transcending the Gunas and the attainment of self-realisation, prosperity and the Supreme Being in the earlier text beginning with, For this divine Maya of Mine consisting of the three Gunas is hard to break through, except for those who take refuge in Me alone ৷৷. (7.14). Thus, seeking surrender to the Lord with one-pointed mind is the only means for transcending the Gunas and for the attainment of the state of brahman through that. [Here Prapatti, surrender to the Lord, is mentioned as a limb of unswerving Bhakti Yoga according to some interpreters. This is however a disputable point, as some maintain that Prapatti is in itself an independent path]. Commentary - Chakravarthi Ji “But why would your devotees attain the impersonal brahman, which happens only by realizing oneness with God?” “Because I am also the basis of that famous brahman, since I am the supreme basis of everything. The meaning of pratistha is shelter, that upon which something is standing firmly, as this also is the meaning used everywhere in the srutis, such as in the description of the annamaya purusa in the Taittiriya Upanisad. And I am the basis or shelter of amrta (amrtasya).” “Does this mean the nectar of svarga?” “No, it is indestructible (avyayasya): therefore amrta means liberation. I am the basis of liberation. Also I am the basis of the eternal method (sasvatasya dharmasya), which is eternally present, both in the stage of sadhana and perfection, the supreme method called bhakti. And also I am the basis of happiness—of prema (sukhasya) in relation to the ekantika devotee (aikantikasya), who is qualified to receive it. And because everything is dependent on me, he also who worships me with a desire to be one with God merges in the Brahman and attains the status of brahman.” Sridhara Svami gives the following meaning of the verse: “I am the basis of Brahman” means “I am the condensed brahman,” just as the sun globe is condensed light. Just as the sun, though being the form of light, is also acts as the basis of light, so I, Krsna, am the form of brahman, but I am also the basis of brahman. In this regard, Visnu Purana 6.7.76 provides the authority: subhasrayah sa cittasya sarvagasya tathatmanah. This statement is explained by Sridhara Svami. “He is the shelter (asrayah), or the pratistha, of the supreme brahman (sarvagasya atmanah). Thus it is stated by the Lord: I am the shelter of brahman (brahmano hi pratisthaham).” Also in the Visnu Dharmottara, concerning the subject of Naraka dvadasi, it is said: prakrtau puruse caiva brahmanyapi ca sa prabhuh yathaika eva puruso vasudevo vyavasthitah The Lord, one person, Vasudeva is situated in prakrti, the jlva and the brahman. In relation to masarksa worship it is also said: yathacyutas tvam paratah parasmat sa brahmabhutat paratah paratma The paramatma is superior to the existence of brahman, just as you, Acyuta, are superior to all others. The Lord speaks to Arjuna in relation to bringing back the children of the brahmana in Hari Vamsa, Visnu Parva 114: tat param paramam brahma sarvam vibhajate jagat mamaiva tad ghanam tejo jnatum arhasi bharata That supreme brahman illuminates the whole universe. You should know that the condensed light belongs to me. The Brahma Samhita says: yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti- kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam govindam adi-purusarh tarn aham bhajami I serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental bodily effulgence, known as the brahmajyoti, which is unlimited, unfathomed and all-pervasive, is the cause of the creation of unlimited numbers of planets, etc., with varieties of climates and specific conditions of life. Brahma Samhita 5.40 In the eighth canto, the Lord says: madiyam mahimanamc ca para-brahmeti sabditam vetsyasy anugrhltam me samprasnair vivrtam hrdi You will be thoroughly advised and favored by Me, and because of your inquiries, everything about My glories, which are known as param brahma, will be manifest within your heart. Thus you will know everything about Me. SB 8.24.38 Madhusudana Sarasvati explains as follows: “But your devotee should attain you. How is he qualified merely for the state of brahman (brahma bhuyaya kalpate), when you are different from brahman? This verse answers that. I alone am the end, the conclusion or paryaptih of Brahman.” According to the Amara Kosa, the word paryaptih means complete fullness. With the following verse Madhusudana Sarasvati offers his praise to Krsna: parakrta-mano-dvandvam param brahma narakrti saundarya-sara-sarvasvam vande nandatmajam mahah I offer my respects to the son of Nanda, joy personified, the very essence of all beauty in human form, the supreme brahman, devoid of dualities of the mind. This chapter explains the misfortune in being bound by the gunas and the satisfaction in being free of the gunas, which is produced by bhakti alone. Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary Here the reason is revealed by Lord Krishna for what He proclaimed in the previous verse. That He, Himself is the pratistha or source of the brahman in concentrated form. In the same way the sun is concentrated light. Likewise He is imperishable, immortal and eternal. He is dharma or the eternal religious principles which are the means to moksa or liberation from material existence and freedom from samsara the perpetual cycle of birth and death. The Supreme Lord Krishna is the ultimate embodiment of pure, absolute, transcendental ananda or bliss. As His devotees only desire association with Him, they inevitably attain His nature and association with Him. So in conclusion the Supreme Lord Krishna has declared that the ocean of samsara results from the three gunas or modes of material nature which are all subservient to Him. The ocean referred to is in the form of the 43,200,000 or 43 million and 200 thousand lifetimes in one day of Brahma that all all jivas or embodied beings who have not achieved moksa are subjected to before partial dissolution of creation dissolves them back into pradhana or the cosmic absolute. In this chapter the Supreme Lord Himself has confirmed that His devotees easily cross over this ocean due to their exclöuisve devotion unto Him. Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary In this verse the brahman or spiritual substrtatum pervading all existence refers to Sri Laxsmi, the goddess of fortune. This is what is being clarified by the words brahmano hi. As one attains Sri Laxsmi one attains the Supreme Lord as she is never separated from Him. So by her grace one attains the immortal, eternal, imperishable state of the Lord Krishna. The word aikantikanye means the ultimate and denotes the happiness one experiences in communion with the Supreme Lord. Thus the manner of attaining Him has been explained. Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary The word hi means indeed, in as much aa when by propitiated by never erring bhakti yoga or intense loving devotion, the Supreme Lord Krishna personally manifests Himself to His surrendered devotee who has no other refuge but Him. The words sasvatasya dharmasya mean the sublime equisite spiritual happiness that comes in asociation with the Supreme Lord and His devotees. Although the concept of dharma usually means the eternal spiritual principles promulgated in the Vedic scriptures implying the means to accomplish a goal. In this verse it is the goal be that it occurs betweeen two other expressions of goals one being brahmano hi prastisthalam which refers to the atma or realising the soul and the othe being aikantikasya sukhasya realising the Supreme Lord. The words aikantikasya sukhasya means the absolute nature of never ending bliss with the Supreme Lord which is the natural result of bhakti yoga. The essence is that exclusive loving devotion unto the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorised avataras as revealed in Vedic scriptures is the only way to transcend the three gunas or modes of material nature and sincere prayers offerred to Him from hearts over flowing with love is the essential means for Him to reciprocate and grace us with His mercy. Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary The word hi means indeed, in as much aa when by propitiated by never erring bhakti yoga or intense loving devotion, the Supreme Lord Krishna personally manifests Himself to His surrendered devotee who has no other refuge but Him. The words sasvatasya dharmasya mean the sublime equisite spiritual happiness that comes in asociation with the Supreme Lord and His devotees. Although the concept of dharma usually means the eternal spiritual principles promulgated in the Vedic scriptures implying the means to accomplish a goal. In this verse it is the goal be that it occurs betweeen two other expressions of goals one being brahmano hi prastisthalam which refers to the atma or realising the soul and the othe being aikantikasya sukhasya realising the Supreme Lord. The words aikantikasya sukhasya means the absolute nature of never ending bliss with the Supreme Lord which is the natural result of bhakti yoga. The essence is that exclusive loving devotion unto the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorised avataras as revealed in Vedic scriptures is the only way to transcend the three gunas or modes of material nature and sincere prayers offerred to Him from hearts over flowing with love is the essential means for Him to reciprocate and grace us with His mercy. Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 14.27Brahmano hi pratishthaa’ham amritasyaavyayasya cha; Shaashwatasya cha dharmasya sukhasyaikaantikasya cha. Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 14.27brahmaṇaḥ—of Brahman; hi—only; pratiṣhṭhā—the basis; aham—I; amṛitasya—of the immortal; avyayasya—of the imperishable; cha—and; śhāśhvatasya—of the eternal; cha—and; dharmasya—of the dharma; sukhasya—of bliss; aikāntikasya—unending; cha—and