The body is a sacred field where Krishna dwells.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
कर्षयन्तः शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतसः |मां चैवान्तःशरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान् ||१७-६||
karṣayantaḥ śarīrasthaṃ bhūtagrāmamacetasaḥ . māṃ caivāntaḥśarīrasthaṃ tānviddhyāsuraniścayān ||17-6||
Use this verse for healthy spiritual discipline.
Meaning
Those senseless people torment the elements in the body and also Me who dwell within the body; know them to be of asuric resolve.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Hurting the body in the name of spirituality insults the Divine within.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna gives a body-positive spiritual correction. The body is not to be tortured by egoic austerity because Krishna dwells within it. True tapas purifies, it does not violate the sacred body.
Read the traditional commentary
Completing the thought from the previous verse, Krishna names the gravest fault of misguided austerity: in torturing the body, these acetasah ('senseless') people torment the very elements that compose them — and, more strikingly, they torment Krishna himself, for the Divine dwells antah-shariram, within the body, as the indwelling Self. To violate the body in arrogance is to disrespect the sacred presence it houses.
This is a striking teaching for anyone who imagines that punishing the body is automatically holy. The body is not the enemy of the spirit but its temple. Krishna calls such resolve asura — demonic — not because effort is bad, but because effort severed from reverence becomes self-violence.
Genuine spiritual practice honours the divine spark within, treating body and mind as instruments to be refined, never weapons to be abused.
In daily life
Treat the body with discipline and respect, not abuse.
A person doing harsh dieting for image or spiritual pride can shift to balanced, respectful discipline.
Try this today
Choose one body-respecting discipline today.
I honor Krishna within this body.Reflect
Am I caring for the body as Krishna’s dwelling?
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Quick check
What does ‘माम् च एव अन्तःशरीरस्थम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on austerity, in other chapters
- Verse 7.9The same divine life glows in every creature and fuels every sincere effort — let that recognition deepen your reverence.
- Verse 6.16Spiritual progress comes through balance, not extremes — neither indulge the body nor torture it.
- Verse 5.13Dwell in your body like a calm resident in a city — let it function while you rest in the peace of non-doership.
- Verse 8.4The Lord of all sacrifice dwells within your own body, so every offering reaches the Divine seated in your heart.
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Questions about Bhagavad Gita 17.6
Who says Bhagavad Gita 17.6, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 17.6, in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga (Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 17.6 mean?
Those senseless people torment the elements in the body and also Me who dwell within the body; know them to be of asuric resolve. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 17.6 for daily life?
Treat the body with discipline and respect, not abuse. A person doing harsh dieting for image or spiritual pride can shift to balanced, respectful discipline.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 17.6 mean?
कर्षयन्तः — torturing, emaciating; शरीरस्थम् भूतग्रामम् — the group of elements within the body; अचेतसः — the senseless, unthinking; माम् च एव अन्तःशरीरस्थम् — and Me too, dwelling within the body; तान् विद्धि — know them.
Where does verse 17.6 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 6 of 28 in Chapter 17, Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 17.7.