The Divine is far to ego but near to awareness.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च |सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत् ||१३-१६||
bahirantaśca bhūtānāmacaraṃ carameva ca . sūkṣmatvāttadavijñeyaṃ dūrasthaṃ cāntike ca tat ||13-16||
Use this verse when God feels distant.
Meaning
It is outside and inside all beings, unmoving and moving; because it is subtle, it is hard to know. It is far away, yet also near.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The supreme reality is both beyond us and intimately present within us.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna describes the paradox of the Divine. Brahman cannot be captured by ordinary senses, yet it is never absent. It is beyond reach for the ego but close to the sincere heart.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna deepens the paradoxes to dissolve our spatial assumptions about the Divine. The Absolute is outside all beings and within them; it appears as the unmoving (the stable, like mountains and stones) and as the moving (the living and changing). It is so subtle that the ordinary mind cannot grasp it, for the mind is built to know gross objects, while Brahman is the very subtlety underlying them.
Most beautiful is the final paradox: it is far away and yet near (durastham cantike ca). To the heart turned outward and forgetful, the Divine seems infinitely distant, beyond reach. To the one who turns within in awareness, it is nearer than one's own breath, the immediate ground of being.
Distance here is not measured in space but in attention. Brahman never moves; it is we who, by forgetting or remembering, experience it as remote or intimate. The whole spiritual journey is simply waking up to a presence that was never actually absent.
In daily life
Look inward and outward for divine presence.
A person may feel God is far during stress, yet discover peace through one quiet inward pause.
Try this today
Pause for one minute and notice inner presence.
The Divine is near, even when my mind feels distant.Reflect
Where do I feel Krishna is far, and where is He actually near?
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Quick check
What does ‘अचरम् चरम् एव च’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on subtlety, in other chapters
- Verse 4.16The true nature of action and inaction is subtle enough to confuse even the wise — yet grasping it is a key to inner freedom.
- Verse 5.9Even your smallest reflexes are nature at work, not the true Self — hold that awareness and remain free amid all activity.
- Verse 10.22Even the mind that perceives and the awareness that lights up all experience are manifestations of the Divine.
- Verse 17.10What is stale, lifeless, and impure dulls the spirit — be mindful of feeding yourself things that deaden rather than awaken you.
Swipe left for 13.17 · Diversity rests in one undivided reality.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 13.16
Who says Bhagavad Gita 13.16, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 13.16, in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 13.16 mean?
It is outside and inside all beings, unmoving and moving; because it is subtle, it is hard to know. It is far away, yet also near. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 13.16 for daily life?
Look inward and outward for divine presence. A person may feel God is far during stress, yet discover peace through one quiet inward pause.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 13.16 mean?
बहिः अन्तः च भूतानाम् — without and within all beings; अचरम् चरम् एव च — the unmoving and also the moving; सूक्ष्मत्वात् तत् अविज्ञेयम् — because of its subtlety, unknowable; दूरस्थम् च अन्तिके च तत् — and far away and yet near is That.
Where does verse 13.16 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 16 of 35 in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 13.17.