Text 21
dhiṣṇyānām asmy ahaṁ merur
gahanānāṁ himālayaḥ
vanaspatīnām aśvattha
oṣadhīnām ahaṁ yavaḥ
dhiṣṇyānām — residences; asmi — am; aham — I; meruḥ — Mount Sumeru; gahanānām — of impervious places; himālayaḥ — the Himālayas; vanaspatīnām — among trees; aśvatthaḥ — banyan tree; oṣadhīnām — among plants; aham — I; yavaḥ — barley.
Among residences I am Mount Sumeru, and of impervious places I am the Himālayas. Among trees I am the holy fig tree, and among plants I am those that bear grains.
Oṣadhīnām here indicates those plants that fructify once and then die. Among them, those that give grains, which sustain human life, represent Kṛṣṇa. Without grains it is not possible to produce milk products, nor can one properly perform Vedic fire sacrifices without offerings of grains.