Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 31

English Translation

That yogi who, being established in unity, adores Me as existing in all things, he exist in Me-in whatever condition he may be.

Detailed Commentary

।।6.31।। Explanation—'एकत्वमास्थितः' (resting in oneness): In the previous verse, the Lord stated that for one who sees Him in all beings and all beings in Him, He is never out of sight, and that person is never out of His sight. Why are they not out of sight? Because the person has achieved an inseparability with Him who is situated in all beings, meaning a deep love has developed with Him. In Advaita philosophy, there is a unity of form (Svarupa), but here the unity is not of that nature. Here, there is inseparability despite there being two, meaning the Lord and the devotee appear to be two, but are actually one. Just as a husband and wife, though two bodies, consider themselves one, and two friends also consider themselves one; because due to excessive affection, the sense of duality ceases to exist there. Similarly, a devotee who attains the Lord through Bhakti Yoga achieves inseparability with the Lord due to immense love for Him. This very inseparability is expressed here by the phrase 'एकत्वमास्थितः'. 'सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजति' (who worships Me, existing in all beings): The worship consists of recognizing that the Lord is pervasive in all places, times, objects, persons, events, and circumstances, meaning the entire universe is the Lord's very form—'वासुदेवः सर्वम्' (Vasudeva is all) (7.19). The phrase 'सर्वभूतस्थितम्' might suggest that the Lord is situated only in living beings. But this is not the case; the Lord is entirely present in every particle of the entire creation. Just as gold ornaments are made of gold, exist in gold, and merge back into gold, similarly, at all times, it is only Paramatma. However, because the existence of ornaments appears separate, for the sake of explanation, it is said that the ornament is just gold. Similarly, before creation, during creation, and after creation, it is only Paramatma. But people perceive that living beings and objects have separate existences, so for the sake of explanation, it is said that there is one Paramatma in all beings. This very reality is conveyed here by the words 'सर्वभूतस्थितं माम्'. 'सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते' (that Yogi, abiding in all conditions, abides in Me): That Yogi, even while performing all actions—eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, sitting, standing—in accordance with Shastra and Varna-Ashrama, still abides in Me. The reason is that in his perception, no other reality exists besides Me, so whatever he does, he does all in Me. In the thirteenth chapter, in the context of Gyan Yoga, the Lord stated that even while performing all actions, such a one is not born again—'सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि न स भूयोऽभिजायते' (13.23); and here the Lord states that even while performing all actions, he abides in Me. This implies that there, it is a matter of disassociation from the world, and here, it is a matter of inseparability with the Lord. Upon disassociation from the world, the Gyan Yogi becomes liberated, and upon achieving inseparability with the Lord, the devotee experiences a unique rasa (nectar) of love, which is infinite and ever-increasing. Here the Lord says that the Yogi acts in Me, meaning he abides in Me. This raises the doubt: do not other beings also abide in the Lord? The solution to this is that, in reality, all beings act in the Lord, they abide in the Lord; however, due to the existence and importance of the world in their minds, they do not realize their state of being in the Lord. Thus, even while acting in the Lord, even while abiding in the Lord, their conduct is in the world. They consider the world as the world, not as the form of the Lord. They even say, "We are worldly, we live in the world." But the devotee of the Lord knows that this entire world is Vasudeva Himself. Therefore, that devotee always abides in the Lord and always acts in the Lord. Connection—The Lord first described the experience of the Svarupa Dhyana Yogi in the twenty-ninth verse. In between, in the thirtieth and thirty-first verses, He explained the state and characteristics of the perfected Bhakti Yogi. Now, to describe the experience of the Sankhya Yogi who meditates on the Nirguna-Nirakara (attributeless, formless Absolute), the next verse is presented.