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Bhagavad-gītā 6.31

सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थित: । सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते ॥ ३१ ॥
sarva-bhūta-sthitaṁ yo māṁ
[sarva-bhoota-sthitam yo maam]
bhajaty ekatvam āsthitaḥ
[bhajaty ekatvam aasthitah]
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi
[sarvathaa vartamaano ’pi]
sa yogī mayi vartate
[sa yogee mayi vartate]
Word-for-word
sarva - bhūta - sthitam — situated in everyone’s heart yaḥ — he who mām — Me bhajati — serves in devotional service ekatvam — in oneness āsthitaḥ — situated sarvathā — in all respects vartamānaḥ — being situated api — in spite of saḥ — he yogī — the transcendentalist mayi — in Me vartate — remains .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sarva-bhūta-sthitaṁ yo māṁ
sarva - bhūta - sthitam
situated in everyone’s heart
yaḥ
he who
mām
Me
bhajaty ekatvam āsthitaḥ
bhajati
serves in devotional service
ekatvam
in oneness
āsthitaḥ
situated
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi
sarvathā
in all respects
vartamānaḥ
being situated
api
in spite of
sa yogī mayi vartate
saḥ
he
yogī
the transcendentalist
mayi
in Me
vartate
remains .
Important Words
  • sarva-bhūta-sthitam — situated in everyone's heart
    Echoes 6.29 with a small variation: sthita rather than stha. The Lord is sthita — established, settled — in every heart. Permanent residency, not visit.
  • bhajati — serves in devotional service
    From √bhaj, 'to share, to serve, to worship.' The root of bhakti. The verse pivots: the seeing of 6.29–30 becomes the serving of 6.31. Vision matures into service.
  • ekatvam āsthitaḥ — situated in oneness
    Ekatvam — 'oneness' — āsthitaḥ — 'standing in.' The Gauḍīya reading: the yogī is established in the oneness of Kṛṣṇa and Paramātmā (not the oneness of soul with Lord, which is the impersonalist misreading). The yogī sees that the Supersoul he serves is none other than Kṛṣṇa.
  • sarvathā — in all respects
    Sarva + thā — 'in every manner.' Modifies vartamānaḥ. However the yogī is situated — physically, mentally, socially — he remains in Me. Outer condition does not affect the inner location.
  • vartamānaḥ — being situated
    Present participle of √vṛt — 'rolling, being-in-motion.' Even as the yogī moves through changing situations, the abiding does not move. The verb of constant flux is paired with the rock of mayi vartate.
  • mayi vartate — remains in Me
    Locative mayi + √vṛt. The closing words. Whatever else rolls, the yogī rolls in Me. Location-in-Kṛṣṇa is the steady ground beneath every motion.
Such a yogī, who engages in the worshipful service of the Supersoul, knowing that I and the Supersoul are one, remains always in Me in all circumstances.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Outer behaviour ceases to matter once inner relationship is fixed: whatever he is doing — eating, sleeping, governing, fighting — the yogī who worships Kṛṣṇa as the indwelling One is permanently inside Him. A reassurance for Arjuna the soldier.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
'Ekatvam āsthitaḥ' — established in oneness — does not denude the personal worship 'bhajati'; the two coexist. The concessive 'sarvathā vartamāno 'pi' is the chapter's olive-branch to the householder: meditation's fruit is not withdrawal but the freedom to act anywhere.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
एकत्वम् आस्थितः यः सर्व-भूत-स्थितं मां भजति, सर्वथा वर्तमानः अपि सः योगी मयि वर्तते।
ekatvam āsthitaḥ yaḥ sarva-bhūta-sthitaṃ māṃ bhajati, sarvathā vartamānaḥ api saḥ yogī mayi vartate|
He who, established in oneness, worships Me as abiding in all beings — that yogī, however he may be conducting himself, abides in Me.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
सर्व-भूत-स्थितं यः मां भजति एकत्वम् आस्थितः । सर्वथा वर्तमानः अपि सः योगी मयि वर्तते ॥
sarva-bhūta-sthitaṃ yaḥ māṃ bhajati ekatvam āsthitaḥ | sarvathā vartamānaḥ api saḥ yogī mayi vartate ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
सर्व-भूत-स्थितम् sarva-bhūta-sthitam सर्व + भूत (n.) + स्थित (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) acc.sg. (accusative singular)m., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) abiding in all beings
यः yaḥ यद् (rel. pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. who
माम् mām अस्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) acc.sg. (accusative singular) Me
भजति bhajati √भज् pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) worships, serves
एकत्वम् ekatvam एकत्व (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) oneness
आस्थितः āsthitaḥ आ + √स्था p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. established in
सर्वथा sarvathā ind. (indeclinable) in every way
वर्तमानः vartamānaḥ √वृत् pres. (present)part. nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. behaving, conducting
अपि api ind. (indeclinable) even
सः saḥ तद् (dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. that
योगी yogī योगिन् (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) yogī
मयि mayi अस्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) loc.sg. (locative singular) in Me
वर्तते vartate √वृत् pres. (present) 3sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) abides
Purport

A yogī who is practicing meditation on the Supersoul sees within himself the plenary portion of Kṛṣṇa as Viṣṇu – with four hands, holding conchshell, wheel, club and lotus flower. The yogī should know that Viṣṇu is not different from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa in this form of Supersoul is situated in everyone’s heart. Furthermore, there is no difference between the innumerable Supersouls present in the innumerable hearts of living entities. Nor is there a difference between a Kṛṣṇa conscious person always engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa and a perfect yogī engaged in meditation on the Supersoul. The yogī in Kṛṣṇa consciousness – even though he may be engaged in various activities while in material existence – remains always situated in Kṛṣṇa. This is confirmed in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.187) of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī: nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate. A devotee of the Lord, always acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is automatically liberated. In the Nārada Pañcarātra this is confirmed in this way: dik-kālādy-anavacchinne kṛṣṇe ceto vidhāya ca tan-mayo bhavati kṣipraṁ jīvo brahmaṇi yojayet “By concentrating one’s attention on the transcendental form of Kṛṣṇa, who is all-pervading and beyond time and space, one becomes absorbed in thinking of Kṛṣṇa and then attains the happy state of transcendental association with Him.” Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest stage of trance in yoga practice. This very understanding that Kṛṣṇa is present as Paramātmā in everyone’s heart makes the yogī faultless. The Vedas ( Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad 1.21) confirm this inconceivable potency of the Lord as follows: eko ’pi san bahudhā yo ’vabhāti. “Although the Lord is one, He is present in innumerable hearts as many.” Similarly, in the smṛti-śāstra it is said: eka eva paro viṣṇuḥ sarva-vyāpī na saṁśayaḥ aiśvaryād rūpam ekaṁ ca sūrya-vat bahudheyate “Viṣṇu is one, and yet He is certainly all-pervading. By His inconceivable potency, in spite of His one form, He is present everywhere, as the sun appears in many places at once.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
31. The yogī who worships Me as the one living being who is the cause of all, exists in Me, no matter what his manner of worship.
Commentary

The yogī who worships Me as Paramātmā situated everywhere, even before direct realization, is beyond the rules. He who, acknowledging that the Paramātmā alone exists, since He is the cause of all (ekatvam āsthitaḥ), worships Me through hearing and chanting, resides in Me, not in saṁsāra, whether performing the acts indicated in the scriptures or not (sarvathā vartamāno ’pi).

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
31. The yogī who meditates on Me as one, though situated in all entities, exists in Me, no matter whether he performs prescribed duties or not.
Commentary

This yogī, experiencing My inconceivable svarūpa śakti, becomes very dear to Me. The verse is spoken with this intention. I, the size of seven inches [Note: The size of the Lord is one pradeśa: the length from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the extended forefinger.], with four arms holding cakra, conch, club and lotus, with complexion of the atasī flower, reside in the hearts of all jīvas. The yogī who meditates (bhajati) on Me situated in the hearts of all, understanding that all My numerous forms are one (by acintya śakti), whether he performs or neglects his prescribed duties during unfavorable times (sarvathā vartamanaḥ), resides in Me. That means the yogī, whose fault of sensuality has been burned up by the great influence of realizing My quality of possessing inconceivable śakti, enjoys liberation in the form of closeness to Me, rather than experiencing saṁsāra. The śrutis speak of the Lord’s possessing acintya śakti: eko’pi san bahudhā yo’vabhāti Though one, he exists as many. Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad 1.21 The smṛti says: eka eva paro viṣṇuḥ sarva-vyāpī na saṁśayaḥ aiśvaryād rūpam ekaṁ ca sūryavad bahudheyate Supreme Viṣṇu is one, and yet He is certainly all-pervading. By His inconceivable potency, He makes the one form become many, as the sun spreads its rays everywhere. Matsya Purāṇa

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Text 31 and 32 mentions “Actions of a perfect yogi”

THEME: Realizing Krishna to be the origin of Supersoul, the perfect yogi worships and serves Him and thus

always remains in Him in all circumstances

Focus of Learning

(a) How a yogi sees the Supersoul

One sees within himself the plenary portion of Krishna as Vishnu – With four hands, holding conchshell, wheel, club and lotus flower
The yogi should know that Vishnu is non-different from Krishna, who is present as Supersoul in everyone’s heart
There is no difference between the innumerable Supersouls present in the innumerable hearts of living entities

This purport explains how a Krishna conscious persons fulfils the vision of a perfect yogi

(a) A Krishna conscious person certainly sees Lord Krishna everywhere, and he sees everything in

Krishna

While seeing all the separate manifestations of the material nature, He is conscious of Krishna, knowing that everything is a manifestation of Krishna’s energy
Basic principle of Krishna consciousness – Nothing can exist without Krishna and Krishna is the Lord of everything

(b) Krishna consciousness is the development of love for Krishna

Ref. Brahma Samhita 5.38 “premanjana cchurita...”
It is the position transcendental even to the material liberation
An intimate relationship between the Lord and the devotee exists
In that stage the living entity can never be annihilated, nor is the Personality of Godhead ever out of the sight of the devotee

(c) To merge in Krishna is spiritual annihilation. A devotee takes no such risk

In Krishna consciousness, the devotee becomes one with Krishna in the sense that Krishna becomes everything for the devotee and the devotee becomes full in loving Krishna

(d) Text 6.30 refers to yogi turning in to a pure devotee – He cannot live for a movement without

seeing the Lord within Himself

LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 6.31 & 6.32: By his proper worship, the yogi understands the actual situation of

the soul in the material world. Krishna will describe that next.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
6.31 This being so, i.e. after reiterating (in the first line of the present verse) the idea of full realization contained in the previous verse, the result of that (realization), viz Liberation, is being spoken of (in the second line): The yogi, the man of full realization; vartate, exists; mayi, in Me, in the supreme state of Visnu; sarvatha api, in whatever condition; vartamanah, he may be. He is verily ever-free. The idea is that he is not obstructed from Liberation by anything. Furthermore,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
6.31 (iii) The Yogin who, fixed in the state of Yoga in oneness because he has the same form of uncontracted knowledge (as Myself), worships Me steadfastly by renouncing the differences of the Prakrti (i.e., of the body) - then that Yogin, even while coming out of Yoga, howsoever he may live, views Me only, when viewing his own self and all other beings. The meaning is that he views his similarity to Myself in his own self and in the self of all beings. Now Sri Krsna proceeds to speak of the maturest stage beyond this:
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
6.31 Sarva - etc. Whosoever is completely possessed of the knowledge of this kind, he necessarily realises the Bhagavat as one and immanent in all and does not get stained [by any of his actions] is whatever condition he is.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
6.31 He who, being established in unity, worships Me Who dwells in all beings, that Yogi abides in Me, whatever may be his mode of living.
Commentary

6.31 सर्वभूतस्थितम् abiding in all beings? यः who? माम् Me? भजति worships? एकत्वम् unity? आस्थितः established? सर्वथा in every way? वर्तमानः remaining? अपि also? सः that? योगी Yogi? मयि in Me? वर्तते abides.Commentary He who has dissolved all duality in the underlying unity? who is thus established in unity? who worships Me? i.e.? who has realised Me as the Self of all? dwells always in Me? whatever his mode of living may be. He is ever liberated.Sadana lived in God though he was a butcher because his mind was ever fixed at the lotus feet of the Lord.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
6.31 That yogi who, being established in unity, adores Me as existing in all things, he exist in Me-in whatever condition he may be.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
6.31 The sage who realises the unity of life and who worships Me in all beings, lives in Me, whatever may be his lot.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 13.31 BG 18.61 BG 9.22 SB 2.2.8 SB 3.28.41 SB 11.14.37 CC Madhya 20.262 CC Madhya 20.153 CC Madhya 22.31 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.11Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.1
Sciences essays referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The yogi who knows that I and the Supersoul are one, abiding in all beings — wherever situated, he abides in Me.
Practical Applications
  • Cultivate awareness of the Supersoul (Paramātmā) within all.
  • Recognize that you abide in Him wherever you go.
  • No need to relocate to find Him — He is already here.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I imagine I need to 'go to' for spirituality?
  • What does abiding-where-I-am look like?
Analogy

A drop of water poured into the ocean does not become the ocean but is everywhere the ocean is, in every wave and tide. The yogī who knows Kṛṣṇa as the Supersoul in all hearts is that drop — situated wherever Kṛṣṇa is situated, which is every heart. He does not relocate. He understands his location was always inside Him.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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