Lord Krishna
Divine TeacherThe Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.
Speaking: Chapter 9, Verse 18
Verse 18
The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and Royal Secret
I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge, and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed.
Context & Meaning
Twelve names of the Divine in two verses — each one a complete spiritual world. Krishna is the destination, the sustainer on the journey, the master, the witness, the home we return to, the refuge in fear, the dearest friend, origin, dissolution, foundation, resting place, and imperishable seed. Every human longing finds its ultimate answer in one of these names.
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainMadhvacharya
DvaitaSuhṛt — dearest friend — is perhaps the most intimate of all these names. Not an ally of convenience but the one who wishes only good, unconditionally and eternally. This is the ground of devotional relationship: the Lord as one's truest and most constant companion.