BG 18.61

 In the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, Verse 61 says:

Sanskrit

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥

Transliteration

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

A close translation

“The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all beings to revolve (or move), as if mounted on a machine, by the power of māyā.”

Key ideas in the verse

• “The Lord dwells in the heart”
  Krishna says the Divine is not distant — present in the inner being of all creatures.
• “Mounted on a machine” (yantrārūḍhāni)
  The body–mind complex is compared to a machine or vehicle. Beings function through nature (prakṛti), habits, tendencies, and causation.
• “By māyā”
  This can mean the divine power that manifests and governs the world — the force through which embodied existence operates.

Tension with free will

This verse often raises the question: If God moves everyone, do we have free will?

The surrounding verses matter:

• 18.63: Krishna says, “Reflect fully on this, then act as you choose.” — implying agency.
• 3.27: actions arise from the qualities of nature, though ego thinks “I am the doer.”
• 5.8–9: the wise see actions occurring through the senses without egoic identification.

A common synthesis is:

At the everyday level: you choose, act, and bear responsibility.
At a deeper level: life unfolds through a larger order; the ego is not the ultimate controller.

That’s why 18.61 → 18.62 → 18.66 form a progression:

18.61: The Divine governs the whole process.
18.62: “Take refuge in Him wholeheartedly.”
18.66: “Surrender fully; do not grieve.”