18.61 As though mounted on a wheel Krishna speaks
ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया
īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
The lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, Arjuna, and by his power turns them about, as though mounted on a wheel.
Explanation
As though mounted on a wheel.
The lord dwells in the hearts of all beings and turns them about — and the word is yantra: a machine, a device.
It is the least sentimental image in the book for the divine presence. 15.7's fragment and 13.23's witness are both here, described as something mechanical.
Going further
Word by word
- 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
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The lord dwells in the hearts of all beings and turns them about as though mounted on a wheel.
The word is yantra — a machine, a contrivance. It is a startlingly mechanical image for the final chapter, and it sits one verse before the instruction to surrender. The Gita puts the least comforting version of the picture immediately before its gentlest instruction.