Bhagavad Gita 8.4 · Krishna
God within every body
अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम्।
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर॥
adhibhūtaṃ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaścādhidaivatamadhiyajño’ahamevātra dehe dehabhṛtāṃ vara
The perishable is the realm of matter. The cosmic Person rules the gods. And I am the lord of offering, here in the body.
Words
- puruṣa
- yajña
What it means
Everything physical, our bodies included, is perishable. Above the powers of nature stands purusha, the cosmic Person. Then Krishna says something intimate. The lord of every yajna, every offering, is not far away. It is Krishna himself, present inside each embodied being.
The story
Krishna speaks this from a chariot, surrounded by thousands of soldiers about to face each other. Every one of those bodies will perish. And yet, he says, he dwells within each one of them.
In your life
Picture a crowded train at rush hour. Tired faces, headphones, someone eating a sandwich. Tomorrow on your commute, look at one stranger and quietly remember that something sacred is riding with them.
The sacred travels with us, inside every body.