Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga · Verse 16

Bhagavad Gita 13.16

What seems distant is already within everything.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च ।
सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत् ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
वे परमात्मा सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके बाहरभीतर परिपूर्ण हैं और चरअचर प्राणियोंके रूपमें भी वे ही हैं एवं दूरसेदूर तथा नजदीकसेनजदीक भी वे ही हैं । वे अत्यन्त सूक्ष्म होनेसे जाननेका विषय नहीं हैं ॥
English
The supreme reality is inside and outside all beings, moving and unmoving. Because it is subtle, it cannot be known; it is far away and near at hand.

What this verse means

The supreme reality fills everything, inside and outside all beings. It is both moving and still, yet too subtle to grasp directly. It feels far away and also very near.

Context & commentary

On Kurukshetra, while Arjuna stands frozen between two armies, Krishna keeps unfolding the nature of what truly pervades existence. After describing it as beyond senses, he now says it is inside and outside all beings, moving and unmoving, near and far.

Why this verse still matters

You can sit in a crowded train and still feel utterly cut off, or sit alone and feel deeply held. This verse points to a presence that is closer than your own searching.

The takeaway

Closeness and distance are both misleading when reality is subtler than the senses.

Word-by-word translation

बहिः (outside) / अन्तः (inside) / च (and) / भूतानाम् (of beings) / अचरम् (unmoving) / चरम् (moving) / एव (indeed) / च (and) / सूक्ष्मत्वात् (because of subtlety) / तत् (that) / अविज्ञेयम् (not knowable) / दूरस्थम् (far away) / च (and) / अन्तिके (near) / च (and) / तत् (that)

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