Chapter 9, Verse 17
पिताहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामहः | वेद्यं पवित्रमोंकार ऋक्साम यजुरेव च ||९-१७||
pitāhamasya jagato mātā dhātā pitāmahaḥ . vedyaṃ pavitramoṃkāra ṛksāma yajureva ca ||9-17||
Meaning
9.17 I am the father of this world, the mother, the dispenser of the fruits of actions and the grandfather; the (one) thing to be known, the purifier, the sacred monosyllable (Om), and also the Rik-, the Sama-and the Yajur-Vedas.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna continues his self-revelation, now embracing the most intimate human relationships. He is the pita (father) and mata (mother) of all that is, the dhata who upholds and dispenses life's fruits, and even the pitamaha, the grandfather and primordial origin. The Divine is not a distant abstraction but the very source from which all kinship and care flow.
He is also the goal of all seeking — vedyam, 'that which is to be known' — and pavitram, the purifier of every taint. And he is the heart of sacred sound: the syllable Om and the three Vedas. By naming himself as both the nurturing parent and the highest knowledge, Krishna gathers tenderness and transcendence into one. We need not choose between a God who loves us and a Truth we strive to understand; in him, the two are one.
💡 Key Takeaway
The Divine is at once the loving parent of all life and the highest truth we seek to know — tenderness and transcendence united.
Related Verses
अहं क्रतुरहं यज्ञः स्वधाहमहमौषधम् | मन्त्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमग्निरहं हुतम् ||९-१६||
ahaṃ kraturahaṃ yajñaḥ svadhāhamahamauṣadham . mantro.ahamahamevājyamahamagnirahaṃ hutam ||9-16||
9.16 I am the Kratu; I am the Yajna; I am the offering (food) to the manes; I am the medicinal herbs and all the plants; I am the Mantra; I am also the Ghee or the melted butter; I am the fire; I am the oblation.
त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापा यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते | ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोक- मश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ||९-२०||
traividyā māṃ somapāḥ pūtapāpā yajñairiṣṭvā svargatiṃ prārthayante . te puṇyamāsādya surendralokaṃ aśnanti divyāndivi devabhogān ||9-20||
9.20 The knowers of the three Vedas, the drinkers of Soma, purified of all sins, worshipping Me by sacrifices, pray for the way to heaven; they reach the holy world of the Lord of the gods and enjoy in heavn the divine pleasures of the gods.