Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 14, Verse 27
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाऽहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च।शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च।।
brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham amṛtasyāvyayasya ca
śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca
also searched as "brahmano hi pratishthaham amritasyavyayasya cha"
Translation
For I am the ground of Brahman, the immortal, immutable, and eternal Dharma, and perfect bliss.
Vāṇi's rendering
For I am the ground the eternal rests on — of deathlessness, of everlasting dharma, of absolute joy.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ब्रह्मणःbrahmaṇaḥ | of Brahman, the absolute (appears as brahmaṇo before hi) |
| हिhi | for, indeed |
| प्रतिष्ठाpratiṣṭhā | the ground, the standing-place, that on which a thing rests |
| अहम्aham | I (joined to pratiṣṭhā by sandhi) |
| अमृतस्यamṛtasya | of the deathless |
| अव्ययस्यavyayasya | of the unspendable, that which never wears away (sandhi with amṛtasya) |
| चca | and |
| शाश्वतस्यśāśvatasya | of the everlasting |
| चca | and |
| धर्मस्यdharmasya | of dharma, the right way of things |
| सुखस्यsukhasya | of joy |
| ऐकान्तिकस्यaikāntikasya | unmixed, absolute, admitting no opposite (sandhi with sukhasya) |
| चca | and |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 27 mean?
It means the absolute is not unsupported. Krishna names himself the pratiṣṭhā — the standing-place — of deathlessness, of dharma that never lapses, of joy with no opposite in it. Whatever you consider highest and most permanent is itself resting on him. The summit has a floor.
What is the meaning of brahmano hi pratishthaham amritasyavyayasya cha?
Brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhā aham — for I am the ground of Brahman. Pratiṣṭhā is not a synonym or a decoration; it is the place a thing stands. Krishna is saying that the imperishable, the everlasting dharma, and absolute joy all have a support, and he is it.
How can Krishna be the ground of Brahman if Brahman is the highest reality?
The Gītā does not rank them as rivals. It says the impersonal absolute you reach through discipline is not an empty ceiling — there is a person in it. Deathlessness is not a state you fall into alone. It is held, and the holding has a face and a name.
Why does this verse end the chapter on the three gunas?
Because crossing the guṇas leaves a question: crossed into what? The chapter has taught you to stop being pulled by brightness, restlessness, and fog. This last verse says where that leaves you standing — on Krishna, who is under everything you were straining toward.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Even Brahman rests on something. That is the startling claim — deathlessness, everlasting dharma, joy without edges, all of it standing on Krishna the way a floor stands on earth. Arjuna has spent a chapter learning to cross the three guṇas toward the eternal; now he is told the eternal is not the last thing. There is a ground beneath the ground. This matters when you are reaching for something high and afraid it will not hold. Whatever you climb toward is itself held. You are not building upward into empty air — the top of the ladder rests on someone's hand.