Gita 05.29 – Peace comes by devotion to the all-powerful, all-loving Lord
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati (Bg 5.29)
Word-for-word:
bhoktāram — the beneficiary; yajña — of sacrifices; tapasām — and penances and austerities; sarva-loka — of all planets and the demigods thereof; mahā-īśvaram — the Supreme Lord; su-hṛdam — the benefactor; sarva — of all; bhūtānām — the living entities; jñātvā — thus knowing; mām — Me (Lord Kṛṣṇa); śāntim — relief from material pangs; ṛcchati — one achieves.
Translation:
A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.
Explanation:
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ: The enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities.
sarva-loka-maheśvaram: The Supreme Lord of all the worlds.
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ: The well-wisher and friend of all living beings.
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati: One who knows Me thus attains peace.
This is the only verse in the fifth chapter that mentions bhakti. The chapter as a whole focuses primarily on karma-yoga and explains how, when imbued with knowledge of the Absolute Truth, karma-yoga can lead to liberation—brahma-nirvāṇa. That is the central message of the chapter.
Verses 27–28 discussed aṣṭāṅga-yoga, and verse 29 now turns to bhakti-yoga. Bhakti will be elaborated extensively in chapters 7–12. This verse indirectly demonstrates how karma-yoga ultimately culminates in bhakti-yoga.
Even in a chapter on karma-yoga, Kṛṣṇa emphasizes the centrality of knowing Him. Until now, there has been no direct mention of Him in this chapter. There is reference to “tad” (tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas, Bg 5.17), and the word “brahma” appears repeatedly. But here, in this verse, the word “mām” is introduced emphatically.
Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ: Sacrifices are performed and austerities are undertaken, but they are meant for the pleasure of a particular person—and that person is Kṛṣṇa.
Different austerities are observed as part of religious practices, and Kṛṣṇa declares that He is the object of such austerities. He repeats this point in 9.24: ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca, na tu mām abhijānanti tattvenātaś cyavanti te—“I am the enjoyer and the Lord of all sacrifices. Those who do not know Me in truth fall down.”
In contrast, in the present verse under discussion, Kṛṣṇa says that one who knows Him in this way will attain peace (jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati). Many sacrifices and austerities may be performed for different gods. Earlier, Kṛṣṇa spoke of this in devān bhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ (Bg 3.11) and again in iṣṭān bhogān hi vo devā (Bg 3.12). In those verses, He explained how yajñas are to be performed and how the demigods become satisfied through them.
There are yajñas in which portions of the offerings are dedicated to the demigods, but the person for whom the sacrifice is ultimately meant is Kṛṣṇa. Only when one understands this truth can one attain peace. Otherwise, peace is not possible. Why? Because when we offer ourselves to Kṛṣṇa, we attain pure, eternal love—and that love alone satisfies the heart. When the heart is satisfied, there can be peace.
Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī — sakali ‘aśānta’
kṛṣṇa-bhakta — niṣkāma, ataeva ‘śānta’ (Cc. Madhya 19.149).
All desires apart from the desire to love and serve Kṛṣṇa can be categorized into three: bhukti, mukti, and siddhi-kāmī.
Bhukti is the aspiration of the karma-kāṇḍīs, mukti is the aspiration of the jñānīs, and siddhi is the aspiration of the yogīs. In other words, those who follow any path other than bhakti remain aśānta—restless. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta confirms this, reiterating what the Bhagavad-gītā states here: one who is devoted to Kṛṣṇa is always peaceful and truly happy.
When we consider this point, we understand that the supreme object of all sacrifices and austerities is Kṛṣṇa. One may ask why should everything be done for Kṛṣṇa? Because He is naturally supreme. He is the proprietor of everything—sarva-loka-maheśvaram.
There are various devatās who are the īśvaras of their respective lokas, but Kṛṣṇa is the maheśvara—the Lord of all lokas. The devatās may have their own planets, yet when demons attack them, they flee and go to Viṣṇu for help. At times, they may even be usurped from their thrones.
But Kṛṣṇa (Viṣṇu) is the proprietor of everything—sarva-loka-maheśvaram. Lest these statements give the impression that Kṛṣṇa is like a dictator—“I am the enjoyer, I am the owner, serve Me, bow down to Me, be My slave”—that is not Kṛṣṇa’s mood.
Kṛṣṇa is “suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām”—the well-wisher of all living beings. He is our greatest friend. The word “suhṛd” refers not to a nominal or official friend, but to a very intimate friend”—one who resides in our heart, and in whose heart we reside.
It is significant that Kṛṣṇa does not say He is the suḥṛt of His devotees alone. Rather, He declares that He is the suḥṛt of all living beings—sarva-bhūtānāṁ. In other words, He is the well-wisher of everyone, irrespective of whether they love and serve Him or not. Such is His compassion that He resides within their hearts and from there continually acts for their well-being.
He is very near to us—not only in terms of His presence but also in terms of His affection. Situated within our heart, He is the closest to us, and in His affection, no one can surpass Him. Truly, nobody can be a greater well-wisher than Kṛṣṇa.
When we understand this—jñātvā māṁ—then true peace (śāntim ṛcchati) is attained. But what does this sudden introduction of peace mean in the context of the battlefield? Arjuna is considering whether peace can be found by avoiding war, by renouncing his duty and relinquishing the kingdom. Yet Kṛṣṇa shows him another path to peace”—not through escape, but through realizing his true position.
Here, when Kṛṣṇa speaks of śānti, it is not merely outer peace in the sense of an absence of war, because outer peace is fragile. At any moment an opposing force can arise and disrupt it.
True peace comes when, in our heart, we harmonize with Kṛṣṇa—when we accept Him as our Lord and ourselves as His servants, resolved to keep serving Him in every circumstance. Please, O Lord, kindly keep us engaged in Your service.
When we act in this mood, no situation can disturb us, no external change can rob us of our peace. Whatever may happen—loss of wealth, shifts in political situation, reversals in finances, or even deterioration of health—we can still go on remembering, serving, and loving Kṛṣṇa.
And because our relationship with Kṛṣṇa does not depend on anything material, material upheavals—which can affect only the material realm—cannot touch it. Especially when we are free from attachment to material things, those upheavals cannot disturb our consciousness. Thus, no matter what happens at the material level, we can remain peaceful in our relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīla Prabhupāda referred to this verse as the peace formula, because only when there is individual peace can there be social and global peace. A peaceful society can arise only from peaceful individuals. Real peace in the world cannot be achieved merely through political agreements or military treaties. Even if such arrangements bring about a temporary cessation of hostilities or fighting, the bellicose mentality—the tendency to quarrel and fight—remains very much present.
And that underlying mentality will eventually make people fight again. But if one understands, “I am a part of Kṛṣṇa, and my greatest good lies in loving and serving Him,” and thus begins to dedicate oneself voluntarily to Kṛṣṇa’s service, then there is lasting peace. For the soul can remain connected with Kṛṣṇa forever and continue serving Him—both in this life and in the next.
Thank you.
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