A core teaching · devotional in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“Undivided devotion reaches the one presence that holds all beings.”
O Arjuna, the supreme person is reached through undivided devotion. All beings dwell within that being, and this entire world is pervaded by that being.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyperson · that · supreme · O Partha · through devotion · is attainable · indeed · undivided · whose · situated within · beings · by whom · all · this · pervaded
The supreme person is reached through single-pointed devotion. That presence holds all beings within it and fills the whole world.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Akshara Brahma Yoga" (The Imperishable Absolute).
Verse 22 sits in Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita — Akshara Brahma Yoga, "The Imperishable Absolute". The chapter has 28 verses in total.
You sit in your car after a painful phone call, knowing you must answer honestly. The courage comes easier when you remember the person you face is not separate from the whole web of life.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts devotion from private feeling to direct recognition of shared presence in all beings.
What this verse means
The supreme person is reached through single-pointed devotion. That presence holds all beings within it and fills the whole world.
Context & commentary
Arjuna stands shaken on the battlefield, and Krishna has just described the imperishable highest reality. Now he adds the heart of the path: that supreme person is not reached by divided effort, but by undivided devotion, because every being already rests within that presence.
Why this verse still matters
You sit in your car after a painful phone call, knowing you must answer honestly. The courage comes easier when you remember the person you face is not separate from the whole web of life.
“You are not reaching something distant; you are turning toward the presence already holding everything together.”