Chapter 18, Verse 61
ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति | भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ||१८-६१||
īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ hṛddeśe.arjuna tiṣṭhati . bhrāmayansarvabhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā ||18-61||
Meaning
18.61 The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all beings, by His illusive power, to revolve as if mounted on a machine.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna unveils a profound mystery: the Ishvara, the Lord, dwells in the heart-region of all beings, and by His maya causes them to revolve as though mounted upon a machine. The whole turning play of existence is sustained from within by the indwelling Divine.
This image of beings 'mounted on a machine' (yantra) is striking — it pictures the body-mind as an instrument moved by deeper forces. Yet the Lord is not a distant operator but the intimate presence in every heart. The teaching dissolves both fatalism and arrogance: we are neither isolated masters of our fate nor mere puppets, for the One who turns the wheel is also our own innermost Self, near as the heart, inviting us to surrender.
💡 Key Takeaway
The Divine dwells in every heart, intimately guiding the whole play of life from within.
Related Verses
चेतसा सर्वकर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्परः | बुद्धियोगमुपाश्रित्य मच्चित्तः सततं भव ||१८-५७||
cetasā sarvakarmāṇi mayi saṃnyasya matparaḥ . buddhiyogamupāśritya maccittaḥ satataṃ bhava ||18-57||
18.57 Mentally renouncing all actions in Me, having Me as the highest goal, resorting to the Yoga of discrimination do thou ever fix thy mind on Me.
मच्चित्तः सर्वदुर्गाणि मत्प्रसादात्तरिष्यसि | अथ चेत्त्वमहंकारान्न श्रोष्यसि विनङ्क्ष्यसि ||१८-५८||
maccittaḥ sarvadurgāṇi matprasādāttariṣyasi . atha cettvamahaṃkārānna śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi ||18-58||
18.58 Fixing thy mind on Me, thou shalt by My grace overcome all obstacles; but if from egoism thou wilt not hear Me, thou shalt perish.
तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत | तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम् ||१८-६२||
tameva śaraṇaṃ gaccha sarvabhāvena bhārata . tatprasādātparāṃ śāntiṃ sthānaṃ prāpsyasi śāśvatam ||18-62||
18.62 Fly unto Him for refuge with all thy being, O Arjuna; by His grace thou shalt obtain supreme peace (and) the eternal abode.