Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 6, Verse 31: Krishna to ArjunaDhyāna-Yoga

Bhagavad Gītā 6.31Chapter 6 · Dhyāna-Yoga · KrishnaArjuna · anuṣṭubh
सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थितः
सर्वथा वर्तमानो ऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते
sarvasarva(138 verses)compound (compound member)all, entire-bhūtabhūta(67 verses)compound (compound member)being, creature; element; past, gone-sthitaṃ√sthā(27 verses)accusative masculine singular participle nounto stand, remain (verbal root) yo māṃmad(383 verses)accusative singular nounI, me (1st person pronoun stem); also: to rejoice (verbal root) bhaj√bhaj(12 verses)present indicative 3rd person singular verbto share, partake of, worship, love (verbal root)aty ekaeka(18 verses)compound (compound member)one, alone, singletvamtva(21 verses)accusative neuter singular nounyou-ness; abstract suffix making 'X-ness' from X āsthitaḥā-√sthā(6 verses)nominative masculine singular participle nounto take a stand on, resort to (ā- + √sthā)attested in commentariesviśiṣṭādvaitaप्राकृतभेदपरित्यागेन सुदृढं यो भजते स योगी व्युत्थानकाले
sarvathāsarvathā(2 verses)in every way, entirelyattested in commentariesadvaitaसर्वप्रकारैः वर्तमानोऽपि सम्यग्दर्शी योगी मयि वैष्णवे परमे पदे वर्तते नित्यमुक्तviśiṣṭādvaitaवर्तमानोऽपि इत्यनेन कालभेदः सिद्धः नadvaita-bhaktiयेन केनापि रूपेण वर्तमानोऽपि व्यवहरन्नपि स योगी ब्रह्माहमस्मीति विद्वान्मयि परमात्मन्येवाभेदेन वर्तते vart√vṛt(12 verses)nominative masculine singular present participle verbto be, exist, occur, turn (verbal root)amāno 'pi sa yogīyogin(28 verses)nominative masculine singular nounyogi (yoga + -in 'possessor of')attested in commentariesadvaitaमयि वैष्णवे परमे पदे वर्तते नित्यमुक्तviśiṣṭādvaitaव्युत्थानकालेśuddhādvaitaमयि मदाधारो भवतिbhaktiज्ञानी सन्सर्वथा कर्मत्यागेनापि वर्तमानो मय्येव वर्तते मुच्यते न तु भ्रश्यतीत्यर्थःadvaita-bhaktiब्रह्माहमस्मीति विद्वान्मयि परमात्मन्येवाभेदेन वर्तते mayimad(383 verses)locative singular nounI, me (1st person pronoun stem); also: to rejoice (verbal root) vartate√vṛt(12 verses)present indicative 3rd person singular verbto be, exist, occur, turn (verbal root)attested in commentariesadvaitaनित्यमुक्तviśiṣṭādvaitaमाम् एव पश्यति। स्वात्मनि सर्वभूतेषु च सर्वदा मत्साम्यम् एव पश्यति इत्यर्थः।ततोऽपि काष्ठाम् आहdvaita। एवमपरोक्षं पश्यतो ज्ञानफलं नियतमित्यर्थः। तथापि प्रायो नाधर्मं करोति कुर्वतस्तु महच्चेद्दुःखसूचकं भवतीत्युक्तं पुरस्ताbhaktiमुच्यते न तु भ्रश्यतीत्यर्थःadvaita-bhakti। सर्वथा तस्य मोक्षंप्रति नास्ति प्रतिबन्धशङ्का।तस्य ह न देवाश्च नाभूत्या ईशत आत्मा ह्येषां स भवति इति श्रुतेः। देवा महा
spokensingle-voice recital; rendered via IndicF5 conditioned on a Sanskrit reference clip
meaning

The yogi who worships Me as one self dwelling in all beings, however he moves through the world, lives in Me.

Bhāṣyakāra purports

  • Śaṅkaraadvaita

    The yogin who abides in oneness (ekatva) perceives Me as seated in all beings and worships accordingly. Such a one of right vision (samyagdarśin) dwells in the supreme Vaiṣṇava station (paramaṁ padam) whatever the outer circumstance — not because outer action is perfected, but because no obstacle to liberation (mokṣa-pratibandha) can arise for one who sees non-difference. He is eternally free (nitya-mukta) already.

    divergence: Śaṅkara: 'sarvathā sarvaprakāraiḥ vartamāno'pi samyagdarśī yogī mayi vaiṣṇave parame pade vartate nitya-mukta eva saḥ' — right vision dissolves the problem; conduct is irrelevant to one already at the summit.

  • Rāmānujaviśiṣṭādvaita

    The yogin who has abandoned the conventional distinction between beings (prākṛta-bheda-parityāga) and beholds Me pervading all with undimmed, unshrunk cognition (asaṁkucita-jñāna-ekākāratā) — even when he rises from formal meditation (vyutthāna-kāla) and moves through ordinary life — still sees Me and only Me in himself and in every creature. He perceives My sameness (mat-sāmyam) everywhere without interruption.

    divergence: Rāmānuja: 'vyutthāna-kāle'pi yathā tathā vartamānaḥ svātmānaṁ sarva-bhūtāni ca paśyan mayi vartate — sarvadā mat-sāmyam eva paśyati' — the vision is continuous; it does not require the seated posture.

  • Madhvadvaita

    One who stands firm in the recognition that there is one undivided Īśvara present everywhere (sarvatra eka eva Īśvaraḥ iti sthitaḥ) and in that aparokṣa (direct, non-inferential) vision worships Me — that devotee truly abides in Me whatever his outward conduct. The fruit of such direct vision is certain (niyata). Even so, the Dvaita-knowing devotee virtually never falls into adharma (unrighteousness); should a small lapse occur through inadvertence, it is incinerated like a seed in fire.

    divergence: Madhva: 'ekatvaṁ āsthitaḥ sarvatra eka evēśvara iti sthitaḥ… aparokṣaṁ paśyato jñāna-phalaṁ niyatam' and the appended verse: 'kadācid api nādharme buddhir Viṣṇu-dṛśāṁ bhavet / pramādāt tu kṛtaṁ pāpaṁ svalpaṁ bhasmī-bhaviṣyati.'

  • Vallabhaśuddhādvaita

    One who, even while established in this ekatva-vision, still turns his heart toward Vāsudeva and serves (bhajati, sevate) Him — making his mind flowing toward Me (mat-pravaṇa cetaḥ) — that yogin becomes grounded in Me (mad-ādhāra) entirely. He becomes My servant (mat-kiṅkara) as Śuka became, as Uddhava became. For the jñānin who also worships Kṛṣṇa, there is no higher station than this.

    divergence: Vallabha: 'mat-pravaṇaṁ cetaḥ karoti sa yogī mad-ādhāro bhavati — mat-kiṅkaraḥ Śuka iva Uddhava iva bhavatīty arthaḥ' and the cited verse 'jñānī ced bhajate Kṛṣṇaṁ tasmān nāsty adhikaḥ paraḥ.'

  • Śrīdharabhakti

    The jñānin-yogin who has taken refuge in non-difference (abheda) — recognizing Me as abiding in all beings — and who worships from that stance: even if he moves through life by abandoning all ritual prescription (karma-tyāga), he remains with Me and is liberated (mucyate). He does not fall away (na bhraśyate). He is not a mere functionary of injunction (vidhi-kiṅkara); his freedom is already secured.

    divergence: Śrīdhara: 'sarvathā karma-tyāgena'pi vartamāno mayi eva vartate mucyate na tu bhraśyatīty arthaḥ' — the non-fall guarantee is the distinctive Śrīdhara emphasis.

  • Madhusūdanaadvaita-bhakti

    Having recognized the tvam-pada (the empirical I) and the tat-pada (Brahman) each in their purified, upādhi-free form, the yogin collapses them into absolute non-difference (atyanta-abheda) — as the jar-ākāśa (space enclosed by a pot) merges with the mahā-ākāśa (infinite space) when the vessel is removed. That direct realization (aparokṣī-karaṇa) is itself liberation-while-living (jīvan-mukti). Whatever the prārabdha-karma then compels — whether complete renunciation like Yājñavalkya, prescribed duty like Janaka, or unconventional conduct like Dattātreya — no action can constitute bondage. Even gods cannot obstruct such a one's freedom.

    divergence: Madhusūdana: 'ghaṭākāśo mahākāśa ity atreva upādhi-bheda-nirākaraṇena niścinvan… sarvathā tasya mokṣaṁ prati nāsti pratibandha-śaṅkā — devā mahā-prabhāvā api tasya mokṣābhavanāya neśate.'

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