Shloka 18.61
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति |भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ||१८-६१||
īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ hṛddeśe.arjuna tiṣṭhati . bhrāmayansarvabhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā ||18-61||
Meaning
God dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna! He causes them to revolve as it were on a wheel by His mystic power.
Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
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.
In daily life
The Divine dwells in every heart, intimately guiding the whole play of life from within.
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What does ‘मायया’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on maya, in other chapters
- Verse 7.14You cannot out-think illusion with the very mind it deludes — but wholehearted refuge in the Divine carries you across.
- Verse 13.18The light by which you know everything already shines in your own heart, waiting to be recognised.
- Verse 15.15The Divine dwells in your own heart as the source of memory and knowledge, and is the goal of all scripture.
- Verse 4.6The divine enters the world not out of compulsion but by free choice, remaining the master of its own nature.
Swipe left for 18.62 · Take refuge in the Divine with your whole being, and grace will give you supreme peace and an eternal home.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.61
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.61, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.61, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.61 mean?
God dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna! He causes them to revolve as it were on a wheel by His mystic power. (Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.61 for daily life?
The Divine dwells in every heart, intimately guiding the whole play of life from within.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.61 mean?
ईश्वरः — the Lord; सर्वभूतानां — of all beings; हृद्देशे — in the region of the heart; अर्जुन तिष्ठति — O Arjuna, dwells; भ्रामयन् सर्वभूतानि — causing all beings to revolve.
Where does verse 18.61 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 61 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.62.