Unity-based devotion is true yoga.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थितः |सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते ||६-३१||
sarvabhūtasthitaṃ yo māṃ bhajatyekatvamāsthitaḥ . sarvathā vartamāno.api sa yogī mayi vartate ||6-31||
Use this verse when devotion must become service.
Meaning
The yogi who worships Me as dwelling in all beings, established in unity, lives in Me whatever their way of life.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Devotion becomes complete when Krishna is seen in all beings.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna teaches that spiritual life is not limited to a particular external lifestyle. Seeing and serving the Divine in all is the key.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna draws out a liberating consequence of the unity-vision. The yogi who is established in oneness (ekatvam asthitah) and worships the Lord dwelling in all beings abides in God 'whatever his mode of living' — sarvatha vartamano api. Whether he is meditating in solitude or moving busily through the marketplace, his communion with the Divine remains unbroken.
This is a profound reassurance for anyone who cannot retreat to a cave. Once the vision of unity is firmly grasped, outer activity no longer threatens inner union. The worship has become not an act performed at certain hours but a way of seeing that pervades every moment.
Because he beholds the one Lord in all, every encounter becomes worship, every action takes place within God. Krishna here quietly dismantles the notion that spiritual life requires withdrawal from the world. The realized yogi carries his sanctuary within and dwells in the Divine no matter what his hands are doing.
In daily life
Treat service to beings as service to Krishna.
Helping a stressed colleague can become devotion when done with this vision.
Try this today
Serve one person today as an offering to Krishna.
I serve Krishna present in all beings.Reflect
Can I worship Krishna through how I treat others?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘सर्वथा वर्तमानः अपि’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on union, in other chapters
- Verse 7.18All sincere seekers are noble, yet devotion taken to its depth makes the soul one with the Divine itself.
- Verse 9.34Offer your mind, heart, actions, and reverence wholly to the Divine, and you are drawn inevitably toward union.
- Verse 11.54Only wholehearted, single-minded devotion opens the path to truly know, see, and unite with the Divine.
- Verse 13.19Understanding these truths with a devoted heart, not just a sharp mind, is what lifts you into the Divine.
Swipe left for 6.32 · Empathy is supreme yoga.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.31
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.31, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.31, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.31 mean?
The yogi who worships Me as dwelling in all beings, established in unity, lives in Me whatever their way of life. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.31 for daily life?
Treat service to beings as service to Krishna. Helping a stressed colleague can become devotion when done with this vision.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.31 mean?
सर्वभूतस्थितम् माम् — Me, who dwell in all beings; यः भजति — he who worships / loves; एकत्वम् आस्थितः — established in unity / oneness; सर्वथा वर्तमानः अपि — though acting in every way / whatever his mode of living; सः योगी मयि वर्तते — that yogi abides in Me.
Where does verse 6.31 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 31 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.32.