Chapter 14: The Three Gunas · Verse 27

ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च |

शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥२७॥

brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāhamamṛtasyāvyayasya ca |

śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca ||27||

For I am the foundation of Brahman — the immortal, the imperishable, the eternal dharma, and absolute bliss.

Brahman foundation immortality dharma absolute bliss

Synthesis

For I am the foundation of Brahman — the immortal, the imperishable, the eternal dharma, and absolute happiness. Shankara reads this as Krishna identifying Himself with the supreme Brahman that is the basis of all. Ramanuja sees God as the ground of both the personal and impersonal aspects of the divine. The Bhakti tradition celebrates this as the ultimate revelation: Krishna is the source of everything, including Brahman. Madhva interprets this as establishing God's supremacy — even the impersonal Brahman rests upon the personal God. Abhinavagupta reads this as Paramashiva declaring Himself the ground of both personal and impersonal divinity. Vallabha sees this as Krishna's ultimate self-revelation: He is the foundation from whom the absolute, eternal dharma, and supreme bliss all flow. Tilak reads this as the philosophical culmination of karma yoga: all duty participates in the cosmic order resting upon God. Vivekananda interprets this as the Gita's declaration that personal and impersonal aspects of divinity are complementary — the same reality approached through knowledge, devotion, or service.

Commentaries 8 traditions

Advaita Vedanta/Adi Shankaracharya

Shankara interprets 'pratiṣṭhā' as identity: Krishna speaks as Brahman itself, the foundation of all that is immortal, imperishable, and blissful. The personal form is the doorway to the impersonal Absolute — they are ultimately one and the same.

Apply This Verse

Personal Growth

Every value you hold — truth, freedom, purpose, joy — rests on a foundation. This verse invites you to ask: what is the ultimate ground of everything I value? Finding that ground gives everything else meaning and stability.

Questions this verse answers

  • ?"What is the ultimate foundation of everything I value?"
  • ?"What gives my life its deepest meaning?"
  • ?"Can I find something that never changes beneath everything that does?"
  • ?"What is the ground I can build my life upon?"