Bhagavad-gītā 9.18
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
गतिर्भर्ता प्रभुः साक्षी निवासः शरणं सुहृत्। प्रभवः प्रलयः स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम्।।9.18।।
gatir bhartā prabhuḥ sākṣhī nivāsaḥ śharaṇaṁ suhṛit prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṁ nidhānaṁ bījam avyayam
The Goal, the Supporter, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Refuge, the Friend, the Origin, the Dissolution, the Substratum, the Storehouse, the Seed immutable.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| gatiḥ | the supreme goal |
| bhartā | sustainer |
| prabhuḥ | master |
| sākṣhī | witness |
| nivāsaḥ | abode |
| śharaṇam | shelter |
| su-hṛit | friend |
| prabhavaḥ | the origin |
| pralayaḥ | dissolution |
| sthānam | store house |
| nidhānam | resting place |
| bījam | seed |
| avyayam | imperishable |
Keep the verse in view while connecting gatiḥ (the supreme goal), su-hṛit (friend), and avyayam (imperishable). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the most confidential royal knowledge. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 9.18.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Observe the chapter’s first-person claims, the relation between Kṛṣṇa and the world, different forms of worship and accessible devotion.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
The Goal, the Supporter, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Refuge, the Friend, the Origin, the Dissolution, the Substratum, the Storehouse, the Seed immutable
- 2
gatiḥ: the supreme goal
- 3
su-hṛit: friend
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Cover
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 9.18, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 9.18 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 9.18 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 9.18 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 9.18, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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