Meaning
Supreme God Krishna spoke
Know this, Arjuna: God resides in the hearts of all beings, operating their bodily mechanisms from within through His Māyā, the Cosmic Power of Delusion, leading them to wander. (18:61)
Sanskrit
श्रीभगवान् उवाच
ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया॥
Word-by-word
ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानाम् हृत्-देशे, अर्जुन, तिष्ठति;
भ्रामयन् सर्व-भूतानि यन्त्र-आरूढानि मायया।
Commentary
Previously, too, in verse 15:15, God affirmed His presence within the hearts of all living beings. It's also acknowledged that His cosmic hypnotic power—Māyā—creates Ignorance, causing beings to wander through the cycle of birth and death across numerous species. The Bhagavad-Gitā explains how this hypnotic spell can be dispelled, ending this cycle of wandering. One method to overcome Māyā is to pursue God alone, and none else (7:14).