Five Ways To Know That God Is Always With Me

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.61)

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ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानां
हृद्-देशे ऽर्जुन तिष्ठति
भ्रामयन् सर्व-भूतानि
यन्त्रारूढानि मायया

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

We come across a verse from a text considered sacred by the followers of that particular religion. It references the presence of the Almighty corresponding to the individual. This verse says that God is always with the individual. The “always” part is important to know, since we tend to feel isolated, alone, and without hope.

After all, friends and family can turn against us. Parents become envious of their own children, who are still in the innocence of youth. A friend is there, standing beside us, for only as long as we continue to provide what they ask for. The place of employment has profit at the foundation. There is a dual-sided exploitation taking place. The employers ask much of the employees, and the employees try their best to maximize the financial benefit from the arrangement.

It can feel like we have no one who is truly looking out for us, who has our best interests in mind, who is not petty, vindictive, or mean. But there is indeed confirmation from the Vedic tradition, with specific references in shastra that attest to the truth of an unbreaking companionship of someone whose association is the most valuable.

1. The two birds on the tree

This image is described to us in the Upanishads. We picture two birds sitting on a tree. One bird takes action. They make choices. They indulge or abstain. They enjoy or renounce. The Sanskrit words in this regard are bhoga and tyaga. Sometimes bhoga leads to the opposite of the intended result. The outcome is pain and misery. Sometimes tyaga is the source of pleasure, in intentionally avoiding harmful behavior.

Whether positive or negative, whether auspicious or inauspicious, whether in guna or dosha, only that bird is involved. It makes choices and then suffers or enjoys the consequences. This sequence of action and reaction can continue across many lifetimes.

गुणदोषकृतं जन्तुस्स्वकर्म फलहेतुकम्।
अव्यग्रस्तदवाप्नोति सर्वं प्रेत्य शुभाशुभम्

guṇadoṣakṛtaṃ jantussvakarma phalahetukam
avyagrastadavāpnoti sarvaṃ pretya śubhāśubham

“Driven by a virtuous or evil purpose, each living entity performs some work, which has consequences associated with it. After death, the same person steadily reaps all those auspicious and inauspicious results.” (Hanuman speaking to Tara, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 21.2)

The second bird is on the same tree, but completely removed from the situation. They are not involved in the action and reaction. They do not indulge, and neither are they necessarily refraining. Their role is to simply witness, at least for as long as the first bird is occupied with their interests.

The first bird represents us. We are always enamored by the external, in this world of maya. The second bird is the Supreme Lord. These two birds are always together, in birth after birth. This means that God is always with me.

2. Never was there a time

न त्व् एवाहं जातु नासं
न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः
न चैव न भविष्यामः
सर्वे वयम् अतः परम्

na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ
na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ
sarve vayam ataḥ param

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.12)

The historical situation of the Bhagavad-gita conversation sort of brings to life this concept of the two birds. Krishna is the witnessing bird and Arjuna the one making choices. Krishna is always with Arjuna, and the distinction with Bhagavad-gita is that the indulging bird turns in the direction of the witnessing bird. This is how the cycle of misery and despair can finally end.

Krishna explains that there was never a time that a person did not exist. This applies to Krishna. This applies to Arjuna. The principle also applies to the many warriors assembled on the battlefield. It is a universal principle. Everyone always exists. In every instance of an existence, if analyzing through freezing a particular point in time, the Supreme Lord is always there with the individual.

3. He can remember

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि
जन्मानि तव चार्जुन
तान्य् अहं वेद सर्वाणि
न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
bahūni me vyatītāni
janmāni tava cārjuna
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi
na tvaṁ vettha parantapa

“The Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.5)

Arjuna has lived in the past, but he cannot remember. This is our predicament, as well. We don’t remember the previous experiences of sitting on the tree, of enjoying and suffering. We can barely remember the same from this lifetime, from the period of childhood.

There is no cause for concern, however. Krishna can remember. This is His special position. He is all-pervading and also all-knowing. His knowledge is neither acquired nor safeguarded from future loss. It is always there.

4. He is seated in the heart

सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो
मत्तः स्मृतिर् ज्ञानम् अपोहनं च
वेदैश् च सर्वैर् अहम् एव वेद्यो
वेदान्त-कृद् वेद-विद् एव चाहम्

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.15)

We cannot get more direct evidence than this. Krishna plainly states that He is in the heart. This means that He is indeed always with me. Since He continues to exist, Krishna remains in that position of well-wishing friend. We are something like seated on a machine. We think that we are effecting outcomes, but it is actually the higher force the entire time. That same force is responsible for our remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness.

5. He is the knower in all bodies

If you ask me how I am feeling today, I will tell you that something is off. I have this headache which refuses to go away. There is something about the local weather which does not suit me. I am having a difficult time falling asleep at night. I know that the condition is bad based on a comparison to a previous condition.

I can only make that comparison if I remember the previous condition. Because right now I am not doing well, but I have memory of doing well. I can provide these answers because I am the knower inside of my body. I am the animating force within. The body does not know on its own. There must be a knower.

क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम

kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ
yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama

“O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in all bodies, and to understand this body and its owner is called knowledge. That is My opinion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.3)

I know that Krishna is always with me because He is the knower in all bodies. He can answer the questions for me. He knows how I am feeling. He knows how you are feeling. He knows where I was one hundred years ago. He also knows where I will be in the future. Hopefully, through devotion to Him, unflinching and energetic in the manner of Arjuna at Kurukshetra, I will always stay with Him.

In Closing:

Now seeing the way,
With promise to always stay.

Like the second bird in tree,
My enjoying and suffering to see.

In that direction to turn,
For way out to earn.

My companion never leaving alone,
Inside of all bodies known.