The friend of all beings

bhoktāraṃ yajñatapasāṃ sarvalokamaheśvaramsuhṛdaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ jñātvā māṃ śāntimṛcchati

Knowing Me as the one who receives every offering and effort, the great Lord of all worlds, the friend of all beings, one finds peace.

What it means

Krishna ends the chapter by revealing three faces of the divine. The one who receives every yajna, every offering and effort. The great Lord of all the worlds. And suhridam sarva-bhutanam, the friend of all beings. Knowing God as that kind of friend, he says, brings peace.

The story

Arjuna has known Krishna as a friend all his life. Now Krishna says that friendship is a doorway. The Lord of every world is a friend to every being, including Arjuna, and including those across the field.

In your life

Think of the friend you can call at three in the morning. Now imagine that kind of friendship holding all of life. Tonight, before sleep, rest in the thought that you are deeply befriended.