पिताऽहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामहः ।
वेद्यं पवित्रमोंकार ऋक् साम यजुरेव च ॥
वेद्यं पवित्रमोंकार ऋक् साम यजुरेव च ॥
I am the father of this world, the mother, the supporter, and the grandfather. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier, the sacred syllable Om, and also the Rig, Sama, and Yajur Vedas.
— Krishna
Bhagavad Gita · 9.17
Hindi · हिन्दी
क्रतु मैं हूँ, यज्ञ मैं हूँ, स्वधा मैं हूँ, औषध मैं हूँ, मन्त्र मैं हूँ, घृत मैं हूँ, अग्नि मैं हूँ और हवनरूप क्रिया भी मैं हूँ । जाननेयोग्य पवित्र, ओंकार, ऋग्वेद, सामवेद और यजुर्वेद भी मैं ही हूँ । इस सम्पूर्ण जगत् का पिता, धाता, माता, पितामह, गति, भर्ता, प्रभु, साक्षी, निवास, आश्रय, सुहृद्, उत्पत्ति, प्रलय, स्थान, निधान तथा अविनाशी बीज भी मैं ही हूँ ॥
It shifts attention from asking where the sacred is to recognising that all sacred forms point back to Krishna.
What this verse means
Krishna says he is the world’s father, mother, supporter, and ancestor. He is also the sacred sound Om and the Vedas themselves.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna stands frozen while Krishna unfolds who he really is. After naming himself as the fire, the offering, and the rite, Krishna widens the vision: he is the world’s source, support, and sacred knowing itself.
Why this verse still matters
When everything familiar collapses — family expectations, labels, even your own certainty — this speaks to the ground beneath them all.
“You are held by something larger than family, ritual, or language.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses)