The Sanskrit word for controller is niyantrak, yet Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita never uses this term to describe Himself. Instead, He prefers words such as bharta (sustainer) and bhuta-bhrt (maintainer of all beings). The distinction is significant.
The Lord does not micromanage individual lives; rather, He provides the foundational necessities of existence — air, water, sunlight, fertile land — on which all beings depend. What one makes of life is a matter of personal effort and choice.
As Krishna tells Arjuna: “Perform your prescribed duties” (3.8). Yet Krishna also makes clear that He is the Creator, the Maintainer, and the One who causes Dissolution. In Chapter 13, verse 16, He explains that though undivided, He is present in every being as if divided, sustaining them while also being the origin and the end. From this, we see that God, being the Whole, is the ultimate Controller, even though the soul exercises limited free will.
To further clarify His role in Creation, Krishna points out that He Himself is not bound by duty: “There is neither any duty for Me in the three worlds, nor is anything unattained by Me. Still, I am engaged in action” (3.22). This statement dismisses the notion of an absent God. The Creator remains active in sustaining the cosmic order. In the next verse (3.23), Krishna emphasises that His actions serve as an example for all beings; if He were ever to withdraw, chaos would ensue because humanity imitates the divine model. Thus, God “controls” not by coercion but through action and example. Another dimension of divine control is God’s all-pervasive presence.
In Chapter 13, verses 13-14, Krishna describes Himself as having countless eyes, ears, and limbs, existing both inside and outside all beings, subtle yet infinite, near and far at once. This culminates in the statement: “This entire world is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest form. All beings rest in Me, though I am not in them” (9.3).
His invisible presence ensures the functioning of Creation without direct interference in individual affairs. Krishna further explains the mechanism of cosmic order: “Under My supervision, material nature gives birth to moving and unmoving beings. Thus does the cycle of the world continue” (9.10). Nature is the instrument, but divine authority is the guiding hand. Souls, being parts of God (15.7), act according to their own conditioning, shaped by the three gunas (modes of nature). Yet the results of their actions are not in their hands: “All acts are performed by the modes of nature, but the deluded soul thinks, I am the doer” (3.27).
Therefore, human beings must turn to God if they wish to transcend material conditioning. As Krishna declares: “My divine energy, consisting of the three modes, is difficult to overcome. But those who surrender to Me cross beyond it” (7.14). Our free will allows us to act, but outcomes — our karmaphala — are governed by divine law (2.47).
The conclusion is clear: God alone is the true Controller. He creates, sustains, and dissolves; He pervades everything, upholds dharma, and ensures cosmic balance. By contrast, humans control almost nothing — not even their own bodies, subject as they are to disease, ageing, and death. Our minds betray us with anger, lust, ego, and greed. To imagine ourselves as controllers is delusion. Only by aligning with God’s will and living according to dharma can we find freedom within His perfect order.
The writer is a spiritual teacher
