Bhagavad Gita · Raja Vidya Raja Guhya YogaChapter 9, Shloka 18 (9.18)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
गतिर्भर्ता प्रभुः साक्षी निवासः शरणं सुहृत्
प्रभवः प्रलयः स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम्
॥ 9.18 ॥
gatirbhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṃ suhṛt
prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṃ nidhānaṃ bījamavyayam
Translation
"I am the goal, the supporter, the lord, the witness, the home, the refuge and the selfless friend; I am the origin, the dissolution, the foundation, the storehouse and the imperishable seed."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. Gatiḥ karma-phalam; bhartā poṣṭā; prabhuḥ svāmī; sākṣī prāṇināṃ kṛtākṛtasya — the witness of what beings have done and left undone; śaraṇam ārtānām, prapannānām ārti-haraḥ — the refuge of the distressed, the one who takes away the pain of those who surrender; suhṛt pratyupakārānapekṣaḥ san upakārī; nidhānaṃ nikṣepaḥ kālāntaropabhogyaṃ prāṇinām — beings' deposit account, to be drawn on later; bījam … avyayaṃ … na hi abījaṃ kiñcit prarohati — nothing sprouts without a seed.
Acharya Ramanuja. Nivāsaḥ vāsa-sthānaṃ ca veśmādi — I am also the dwelling, the house and the like; śaraṇam iṣṭasya prāpakatayā aniṣṭasya nivāraṇatayā samāśrayaṇīyaḥ cetanaḥ — a conscious being worth taking refuge in, who brings what is good and wards off what is harmful — sa ca aham eva; suhṛt hitaiṣī.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.