Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 18: Freedom through Renunciation
Bhagavad Gita 18.61
ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥
īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ hṛddeśe'rjuna tiṣṭhati | bhrāmayansarvabhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā ||
The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, Arjuna, and by his power he makes all beings turn, as though they were mounted on a machine.
Modern context
The Lord dwells in the heart of every being and turns them all, as if mounted on a machine. The image is of a great wheel or puppet stage. It can sound fatalistic, but it is meant as a source of trust. Behind all the turning of the world, there is a presence in the heart that guides it. We are not alone in the machinery of life.