Father, mother, grandparent

pitāhamasya jagato mātā dhātā pitāmahaḥvedyaṃ pavitramoṃkāra ṛksāma yajureva ca

I am this world's father, mother, sustainer and grandparent, what is to be known, Om, and the Vedas.

What it means

Krishna uses the language of family. I am the father of this world. The mother. The one who sustains. The grandparent. He's also what we seek to know, the purifier, Om, the sacred sound, and the Vedas themselves. The divine isn't distant. It holds us like family.

The story

Arjuna is about to lose so many elders, fathers, grandfathers, teachers. Krishna says, I am all of these to you. Whatever you lose, this love remains.

In your life

Remember the feeling of being tucked into bed by a parent as a child. Safe, held. If you're missing someone who cared for you like that, remember that kind of love is still holding you.