sarva-bhūta-sthitaḿ yo māḿ
bhajaty ekatvam āsthitaḥ
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi
sa yogī mayi vartate
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 6.31
Such a yogi, who engages in the worshipful service of the Supersoul, knowing that I and the Supersoul are one, remains always in Me in all circumstances.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
A yogi who is practicing meditation on the Supersoul 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 not different from Krishna. Krishna 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 Krishna conscious person always engaged in the transcendental loving service of Krishna and a perfect yogi engaged in meditation on the Supersoul. The yogi in Krishna consciousness—even though he may be engaged in various activities while in material existence—remains always situated in Krishna. This is confirmed in the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (1.2.187) of Srila Rupa Gosvami: nikhilasv apy avasthasu jivan-muktah sa ucyate. A devotee of the Lord, always acting in Krishna consciousness, is automatically liberated. In the Narada-pancaratra this is confirmed in this way:
dik-kalady-anavacchinne
krsne ceto vidhaya ca
tan-mayo bhavati ksipram
jivo brahmani yojayet
“By concentrating one’s attention on the transcendental form of Krishna, who is all-pervading and beyond time and space, one becomes absorbed in thinking of Krishna and then attains the happy state of transcendental association with Him.”
Krishna consciousness is the highest stage of trance in yoga practice. This very understanding that Krishna is present as Paramatma in everyone’s heart makes the yogi faultless. The Vedas (Gopala-tapani Upanishad 1.21) confirm this inconceivable potency of the Lord as follows: eko ’pi san bahudha yo ’vabhati. “Although the Lord is one, He is present in innumerable hearts as many.” Similarly, in the smriti-shastra it is said:
eka eva paro vishnuh
sarva-vyapi na samsayah
aisvaryad rupam ekam ca
surya-vat bahudheyate
“Vishnu 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.”
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
The yogi who worships me as paramatma situated everywhere even before direct realization, is beyond the rules. He who, acknowledging that the paramatma alone exists, since he is the cause of all (ekatvam asthitah), worships me, being engaged in worship such as hearing and chanting, resides in me, not in samsara, whether performing the acts indicated in the scriptures or not (sarvatha vartamano ‘pi).
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
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:
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
Such a mature being as mentioned in the previous verse is even more advanced when developed in unalloyed devotion to Lord Krishna for they have transcended the need to adhere to scriptural injunctions to develop unalloyed devotion because they have already achieved this realisation. Such a person is a yogi or one perfected in the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness and is always situated in oneness with the Supreme Lord and as such has reached perfection.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
One should respect all living entities by honouring the Supreme Lord residing within each and every being as confirmed by Lord Krishna in this verse. The words ekatvam asthtitah means singularly existing and the Supreme Lord exists in all places as the One Lord. So it should always be acknowledged that In all respects and situations in the present and in the future the individual should perform all activities for the Supreme Lord. Such spiritual intelligence always leads to spiritual enlightenment. If one by chance omits or due to circumstances fails to perform obligatory activities as prescribed in the Vedic scriptures one may have to suffer a reaction if it was important. This has already been explained previously but for the sake of clarification it is stated that the steps of those who worship and adore Lord Krishna will never deviate from the path of righteousness. If unknowingly an offence is incurred from not following some injunction of the Vedic scriptures or an ordinance is not performed correctly then by the strength of one’s sadhana or spiritual practices all reactions will be dissolved away. Historically many ancient kings, rishis and even demi-gods have committed great offences but due to the strength of their sadhana the reactions received were minimally experienced until they dissolved.
Now begins the summation.
Everywhere the omnipresent Supreme Lord Krishna can be perceived to be residing.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Lord Krishna declares even higher states for the established yogi or one perfecting the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness. The yogi who perceives the Supreme Lord existing in all beings as well as his very self is certainly advanced but here Lord Krishna is stating that the one who worships Him as paramatma the indwelling supreme soul within all living entities is even more superior. In the Vishnu Purana it states: O Lord it is Your nature only which indicates Your Supreme power of encompassing all living beings in creation and because You are omni-present, You are infinite and upon reaching you the liberated beings also assume these qualities. The yogi although engaged in all forms of activities like eating, teaching, traveling, meditating still achieves similar nature to the Supreme Lord due to inseparable communion with Him at all times in all situations.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
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,
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
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.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
sarva-bhuta-sthitam yo mam
bhajaty ekatvam asthitah
sarvatha vartamano ’pi
sa yogi mayi vartate
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
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.
