Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 12, Verse 4
संनियम्येन्द्रियग्रामं सर्वत्र समबुद्धयः।ते प्राप्नुवन्ति मामेव सर्वभूतहिते रताः।।
sanniyamyendriya-grāmaṁ sarvatra sama-buddhayaḥ te prāpnuvanti mām eva sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ
also searched as "Sanniyamyendriyagramam sarvatra samabuddhayah"
Translation
Having subdued all the senses, being even-minded, and engaged in the welfare of all beings, they too come to Me only.
Vāṇi's rendering
Senses reined, even-minded toward everything, glad in the good of all beings — they also reach me.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संनियम्यsanniyamya | having fully reined in (joined to the next word by sandhi) |
| इन्द्रियग्रामम्indriya-grāmaṁ | the whole crowd of the senses |
| सर्वत्रsarvatra | everywhere, in every case |
| समबुद्धयःsama-buddhayaḥ | those whose understanding stays even |
| तेte | they |
| प्राप्नुवन्तिprāpnuvanti | they reach, they arrive at |
| माम्mām | me |
| एवeva | indeed, none other |
| सर्वभूतहितेsarva-bhūta-hite | in the welfare of all beings |
| रताःratāḥ | delighting, gladly taken up with |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 Verse 4 mean?
It closes the door Krishna opened in the previous verse. Those who worship the unmanifest also reach him — provided the senses are reined, the mind stays even everywhere, and they take gladness in the welfare of all beings. The formless path is granted, and its cost is named in the same breath.
Sanniyamyendriyagramam sarvatra samabuddhayah - what is this verse about?
About the price of the pathless path. Sanniyamya is not loose watchfulness; it is holding the whole crowd of the senses in one grip. Sama-buddhayaḥ is evenness with no exceptions carved out. And then, unexpectedly, ratāḥ — delight, taken in the good of every living thing.
Why does Krishna say the worshippers of the formless also reach him?
Because he is not building a fence. Arjuna asked which way is better, and Krishna answers honestly: both arrive. What differs is the difficulty. The next verses will say the unmanifest way is harder. Here he simply refuses to disqualify anyone who has actually done what this verse asks.
How can working for others' welfare be part of a meditative path?
Because sameness toward everything cannot be practised in isolation. If your evenness collapses the moment a person needs something from you, it was preference wearing calm clothes. Krishna makes concern for all beings a condition, not a bonus. The test of your inwardness is how you treat whoever walks in.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
"They also" — the small phrase does the work. Arjuna has asked which is better, the formless or the near; Krishna has just described those who worship the unnameable, and here he says yes, they arrive too. But look at the toll on the ticket. Senses reined, not merely watched. Evenness toward everything, not a chosen few. And the strange third condition: glad in the good of all beings. The most abstract path still ends in tenderness toward what breathes. If your practice is making you thinner in company, colder toward the person in the next room, it is not the height Krishna is describing.