In What Sense Is Krishna Said to be the Basis of Brahman?

[Shri Anil Antony asked: In Your discourse on ‘Meaning of Brahman, Ishvara and Atman’ You mentioned that, in Gita when Krishna said “I am the base of Brahman, where I refer to unimaginable God and Brahman refer to the first Energetic Incarnation called Īśvara (or Datta). But, here, in a way God (absolute unimaginable God) is becoming the basis of God (Datta) again. Can we take the Brahman here as the world created by Him, so that referring God twice may be avoided? Kindly clarify.]

Swami replied:- Brahman is the word used for both unimaginable God and Iishvara (God Datta) to avoid the confusion. I have already suggested that the unimaginable God is to be called Parabrahman and God Datta to be called as Iishvara. Brahman is a general word, which is greatest in any specific category of items. Krishna told that He is the basis for Brahman, which means that He is the basis for unimaginable God as well as for Iishvara. Here, the word ‘basis’ means that Krishna is the basis of expression for both. Unimaginable God is not expressed to any soul and Iishvara is not expressed to human beings unless they do long penance. Hence, here, the word ‘basis’ means only expression as address for unimaginable God and invisible Iishvara. When we say that the unimaginable God is the basis for Iishvara as well as Krishna, it means in the real sense of the word ‘basis’, it means that without unimaginable God there is nothing, nothing, nothing...

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