Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, Verse 61

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति । भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया

īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ hṛddeśe'rjuna tiṣṭhati | bhrāmayansarvabhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

Translation

The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, whirling by Māyā all beings (as if) mounted on a machine.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

īśvaraḥ

the Lord

sarvabhūtānām

of all beings

hṛddeśe

of heart, in place

arjuna

O Arjuna

tiṣṭhati

sits

bhrāmayan

turning

sarvabhūtāni

all beings

yantrārūḍhāni

in (on) machine, mounted

māyayā

by illusion

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

The Lord (Īśvara): the Ruler, Nārāyaṇa. Arjuna: pure in the internal self, of a pure antaḥ-karaṇa. The word "arjuna" is used in the sense of 'pure' in the Ṛg-Veda. He causes all beings to revolve as if mounted on machines, like wooden dolls. By Māyā: by causing illusion.