ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च ।
शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥
brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham amṛtasyāvyayasya ca |
śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 14.27)
“Since I am the basis of Brahman, of the imperishable nectar, of the eternal dharma, and of the bliss of the one-pointed.”
Commentary
nanu mad-bhaktānāṁ kathaṁ nirguṇa-brahmatva-prāptiḥ? sā tu advitīya-tad-ekānubhavenaiva sambhavet | tatrāha brahmaṇo hīti | hi yasmāt parama-pratiṣṭhātvena prasiddhaṁ yad brahma tasyāpy ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā pratiṣṭhīyate’sminn iti pratiṣṭhā āśrayo’nna-mayādiṣu śrutiṣu sarvatraiva pratiṣṭhā-padasya tathārthatvāt | tathāmṛtasya pratiṣṭhā kiṁ svargīya-sudhāyāḥ? na | avyayasya nāśa-rahitasya mokṣasyety arthaḥ | tathā śāśvatasya dharmasya sādhana-phala-daśayor api nitya-sthitasya bhakty-ākhyasya parama-dharmasyāhaṁ pratiṣṭhā, tathā tat-prāpyasyaikāntika-bhakta-sambandhinaḥ sukhasya premṇaś cāhaṁ pratiṣṭhā |
(Excerpt from the Sārārtha-varṣinī-ṭīkā)
“[An objection is raised:] ‘Well, how can the attainment of your bhaktas be nirguṇa Brahmatva [i.e., realization of you manifest as quality-less Brahman]? That, rather, can occur only by means of experience of that one without a second [i.e., of that aspect of yours wherein there is no manifestation of the variegation of your cit-śakti, and that aspect of yours is not the aspect focused on by your bhaktas].’ To that, he says: brahmaṇo hi … [i.e.. he speaks BG 14.27]. ‘Since’ (hi) I am the basis (pratiṣṭhā) even of that Brahman which is well-known as being the ultimate basis (pratiṣṭhā). Pratiṣṭhā, that upon which being established occurs, means a foundation (aśraya) on account of this meaning of the word pratiṣṭhā being present everywhere throughout the Śrutis, as in regard to the puruṣa constituted of food (annamaya) and so forth [as discussed in Taittirīya Upaniṣad: 2.1.1 and onwards]. Similarly, [I am] the basis (pratiṣṭhā) of nectar (amṛtasya). Meaning of the ambrosia belonging to Svarga? No. [I am the basis (pratiṣṭhā)] Of [that which is] imperishable (avyayasya), that is, indestructible, meaning, mokṣa. Similarly, I am the basis (pratiṣṭhā) of the eternal dharma (śāśvatasya dharmasya), that is, of the eternally existent supreme dharma known as bhakti in the stages of bot sādhana and the result [i.e., the sādhya]. Similarly, I am the basis (pratiṣṭhā) of the bliss (sukhasya), that is, of the prema, belonging to a one-pointed bhakta which is able to be attained by that [i.e., by the supreme dharma known as bhakti].”