The Divine supports without being bound.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
न च मत्स्थानि भूतानि पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् |भूतभृन्न च भूतस्थो ममात्मा भूतभावनः ||९-५||
na ca matsthāni bhūtāni paśya me yogamaiśvaram . bhūtabhṛnna ca bhūtastho mamātmā bhūtabhāvanaḥ ||9-5||
Use this verse when service feels binding.
Meaning
Yet beings are not truly in Me. See My divine mystery: I sustain beings, create beings, and yet am not confined in them.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna’s relationship with creation is mysterious and divine.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna sustains creation without being trapped by it. This teaches how divine action is free, non-dependent, and beyond ordinary logic.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna deepens the paradox of the previous verse and seems to reverse it: though beings rest in him, 'in reality they do not abide in Me.' This is no contradiction but the unfathomable yoga-aishvara, the divine mystery of the Lord. From the standpoint of dependence, all is in God; from the standpoint of God's absolute nature, nothing limits or touches him.
He describes himself as bhuta-bhrit (the bearer of all beings) and bhuta-bhavana (their very source), yet not bhuta-stha (confined within them). The sun lights and sustains countless lives without being entangled in any. Krishna invites Arjuna not to resolve this with logic but to 'behold' it — pashya — as a wonder. Some truths about the Infinite can only be contemplated, not contained.
In daily life
Serve others without losing inner freedom.
A caregiver can serve deeply without making service an ego-burden.
Try this today
Serve one person today with detachment.
I serve without losing inner freedom.Reflect
Where do I support others but feel bound?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘भूतभावनः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on contemplation, in other chapters
- Verse 2.66Without discipline there is no wisdom, without wisdom no contemplation, without contemplation no peace, and without peace happiness is impossible.
- Verse 10.17 · ArjunaThe mind needs concrete supports to fix itself on the Divine — so ask, with Arjuna, where to rest your attention.
- Verse 18.76 · SanjayaSacred wisdom yields fresh joy each time you return to it, so make it a constant companion.
- Verse 11.31 · ArjunaWhen the Divine shows a face beyond our understanding, the wise response is to bow and humbly ask to know.
Swipe left for 9.6 · Krishna is the vast space of existence.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 9.5
Who says Bhagavad Gita 9.5, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 9.5, in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga (Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 9.5 mean?
Yet beings are not truly in Me. See My divine mystery: I sustain beings, create beings, and yet am not confined in them. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 9.5 for daily life?
Serve others without losing inner freedom. A caregiver can serve deeply without making service an ego-burden.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 9.5 mean?
न च मत्स्थानि भूतानि — and yet beings do not abide in Me; पश्य — behold; मे योगम् ऐश्वरम् — My divine, lordly Yoga; भूतभृत् — supporter of beings; न च भूतस्थः — yet not dwelling in beings.
Where does verse 9.5 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 5 of 34 in Chapter 9, Raja Vidya Yoga. The next verse is 9.6.