ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति |
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया || 61||
īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
īśhvaraḥ—the Supreme Lord; sarva-bhūtānām—in all living being; hṛit-deśhe—in the hearts; arjuna—Arjun; tiṣhṭhati—dwells; bhrāmayan—causing to wander; sarva-bhūtāni—all living beings; yantra ārūḍhani—seated on a machine; māyayā—made of the material energy
Translation:
O Arjuna! the Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, causing all beings to revolve like puppets by His illusive power (Maya).
Commentary:
Where does the Lord dwell? How does His powers work? These questions are answered here. It is the most foolish delusion of man to think that the Lord is far away, somewhere in the remote sky, and at some such place where man cannot reach. This way of thinking has become a habit of mind for all mankind, except for a very few wise men, who know the secret. The Lord is not away from us. He is with us, in us right in our own heart. That is the Lord’s declaration. He dwells in the heart of all beings, and so one should be very careful in his thought and deeds. He sees all. He is the all-pervasive Atman. He is the dispenser of rewards and punishments for each and every being, according to his Punya and Papa Karma Therefore man should feel the presence of the Lord within and without and try his best to avoid evil and cling to the good only. People must follow the path of truth and righteousness, for, the Lord sees all by His invisible presence everywhere. The Lord’s declaration should inspire hope to the devotee. Where else is he to go to find the Lord who is present in his own heart?
The Lord is present everywhere, and most so in the heart of man. He should be worshipped as the nearest of the near and the dearest of the dear. Without any distinction whatsoever, he is in all beings. The vehicle of manifestation may be a small thing like an ant, or a big thing like an elephant. This does not make any difference at all for the Lord. He is equally present in all, in the sinner as well as in the saint. His presence is felt more where the heart is pure. The difference is only in the degree of manifestation. If the mirror is clear, the sun’s reflection is bright; if the mirror is unclear, the reflection is dim. This makes no difference at all to the Sun.
Yantraudhani: The illusive power of Maya works on all beings. They are moved by Maya in accordance with their own nature. They are like puppets mounted on a machine. As the wheel moves, all the beings move helplessly. They cannot get out of the wheel. The Jivas are bound to the wheel of Samsara, the cycle of birth and death, and rotate helplessly by the inscrutable power of Maya. In the next verse, the Lord points out the way to get out of the wheel. The way is to surrender to the Lord of Maya, who by His grace releases the Jiva from the endless cycle of Samsara.
Mayaya: Maya is the instrument of the Lord. The entire work of nature is carried on by Maya. The Lord, as the Atma, is only the witness to the activities of Maya.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
“The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, by His illusive power causing all beings to revolve as though mounted on a potter’s wheel.” This has all happened before, like the throw of a dice, so it is in life; the wheel goes on and the same combination comes up; that pitcher and glass have stood there before, so, too, that onion and potato. What can we do, Madam, He has us on the wheel of life.[Source]
Question: Where does Iswara dwell?
Answer: In the heart of all beings.
Question: How does he work?
Answer: He revolves all beings in the great wheel of Samsara.
Question: How?
Answer: Like puppets mounted on a wheel.
Question: What is the secret power of the Lord?
Answer: Maya – the illusive power of the Lord.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 18 🔻 (78 Verses)
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 |
| 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 |
| 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 |
