7-verse reading plan
Bhagavad Gita for loneliness and homesickness: 7 verses
For feeling alone, whether you are in a new city or in a full house.
- 7 verses
- Gita, then the Ramayana
- About 14 min to read
- Sanskrit, English, audio
Krishna calls himself the friend of every being (5.29) and places the divine in every heart (18.61). These verses are for anyone alone in a new city, far from family, or lonely in a full house. They move from the promise that you're never lost to the one who sees you (6.30), to the list of everything Krishna says he is to us, home and friend included (9.18), and then turn outward: feeling others' joy and pain as your own, and being the friend you need. The last is from the Ramayana, two exiles who swore friendship over a fire.
The seven verses
- Verse 1See itYou are never lost to himGita 6.30
- Verse 2SteadySomeone lives in your heartGita 18.61
- Verse 3SteadyHome, shelter, friendGita 9.18
- Verse 4SteadyThe friend of all beingsGita 5.29
- Verse 5DoFeel their joy and pain as yoursGita 6.32
- Verse 6DoBe the friendGita 12.13
- Verse 7A storyTwo exiles and a fireValmiki Ramayana
You are never lost to him
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति ॥
See me in everything and everything in me, and I never lose you, nor you me.
Bhagavad Gita 6.30 · Krishna
Full translation
Who sees Me in all beings and sees all beings in Me, I am never lost to that person, and that person is never lost to Me.
जो सबमें मुझे देखता है और सबको मुझमें देखता है, उसके लिये मैं अदृश्य नहीं होता और वह मेरे लिये अदृश्य नहीं होता ॥
What it means for you
Krishna says that whoever sees him everywhere, and everything in him, is never lost to him, and he is never lost to them (na praṇaśyati). Loneliness feels like being lost to everyone. This verse names one bond that distance can't break.
Try this
Step outside for five minutes tonight and look at the sky. The same sky is over home.
Someone lives in your heart
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥
The divine lives in the heart of every being, yours included.
Bhagavad Gita 18.61 · Krishna
Full translation
O Arjuna, the Lord abides in the heart of all beings and, by His maya, causes all beings mounted on a body-machine to revolve according to their nature.
हे अर्जुन ईश्वर सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके हृदयमें रहता है और अपनी मायासे शरीररूपी यन्त्रपर आरूढ़ हुए सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंको उनके स्वभावके अनुसार भ्रमण कराता रहता है ॥
What it means for you
Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṃ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati. Krishna places the divine in the heart of every being, which means in yours, here, in this flat and this city, as much as back home or in a temple.
Try this
Sit quietly for two minutes with a hand on your chest. Just notice that you're there.
Home, shelter, friend
प्रभवः प्रलयः स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम् ॥
I am your goal, your support, your witness, your home, your shelter and your friend.
Bhagavad Gita 9.18 · Krishna
Full translation
I am the goal, the supporter, the lord, the witness, the refuge, the friend, the source, the dissolution, the resting place, the treasure, and the imperishable seed.
क्रतु मैं हूँ, यज्ञ मैं हूँ, स्वधा मैं हूँ, औषध मैं हूँ, मन्त्र मैं हूँ, घृत मैं हूँ, अग्नि मैं हूँ और हवनरूप क्रिया भी मैं हूँ । जाननेयोग्य पवित्र, ओंकार, ऋग्वेद, सामवेद और यजुर्वेद भी मैं ही हूँ । इस सम्पूर्ण जगत्का पिता, धाता, माता, पितामह, गति, भर्ता, प्रभु, साक्षी, निवास, आश्रय, सुहृद्, उत्पत्ति, प्रलय, स्थान, निधान तथा अविनाशी बीज भी मैं ही हूँ ॥
What it means for you
In one verse Krishna lists what he is to every being: goal, support, witness, home (nivāsaḥ), shelter (śaraṇam) and friend (suhṛt). If you've been missing all of those, this verse names them together.
Try this
Make your space feel like home in one small way: a lamp, a photo, or a smell from home cooking.
The friend of all beings
सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति ॥
The divine is the well-wisher of every being, you included. Knowing this, you find peace.
Bhagavad Gita 5.29 · Krishna
Full translation
Knowing me as the enjoyer of all sacrifice and austerity, the great lord of all worlds, and the friend of all beings, one attains peace.
भक्त मुझे सब यज्ञों और तपोंका भोक्ता, सम्पूर्ण लोकोंका महान् ईश्वर तथा सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंका सुहृद् स्वार्थरहित दयालु और प्रेमी जानकर शान्तिको प्राप्त हो जाता है ॥
What it means for you
Suhṛdaṃ sarva-bhūtānām: Krishna is the well-wisher of every being, and knowing this, he says, brings peace. That peace can come on a quiet evening with no calls, because someone wishes you well all the same.
Try this
Call or message someone from home today. Tell them one ordinary thing about your day.
Feel their joy and pain as yours
सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं सः योगी परमो मतः ॥
Feel others' joy and pain as if they were your own. That is the highest practice.
Bhagavad Gita 6.32 · Krishna
Full translation
O Arjuna, the yogi who sees all beings as equal through the measure of the true self, and sees pleasure and pain alike, is considered the highest yogi.
हे अर्जुन जो ध्यानयुक्त ज्ञानी महापुरुष अपने शरीरकी उपमासे सब जगह अपनेको समान देखता है और सुख अथवा दुःखको भी समान देखता है, वह परम योगी माना गया है ॥
What it means for you
The highest practice, Krishna says, is to feel others' joy and sorrow as if they were your own. Loneliness turns attention inward. This verse turns it outward, and that's often where connection starts.
Try this
Ask one colleague or neighbour a real question about their week, and listen to the answer.
Be the friend
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥
Hate no one. Be friendly and kind, free of 'mine' and ego, steady in pain and joy, and forgiving.
Bhagavad Gita 12.13 · Krishna
Full translation
One who hates no being, is friendly and compassionate, free from possessiveness and ego, equal in pleasure and pain, and forgiving.
सब प्राणियोंमें द्वेषभावसे रहित, सबका मित्र प्रेमी और दयालु, ममतारहित, अहंकाररहित, सुखदुःखकी प्राप्तिमें सम, क्षमाशील, निरन्तर सन्तुष्ट, योगी, शरीरको वशमें किये हुए, दृढ़ निश्चयवाला मेरेमें अर्पित मनबुद्धिवाला जो मेरा भक्त है, वह मेरेको प्रिय है ॥
What it means for you
Krishna describes the person dear to him as friendly and compassionate (maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca), hating no one. You can't make people reach out to you, and you can be the friendly one first. It counts even when nothing comes back right away.
Try this
Invite one person for tea, a walk or a call this week.
Two exiles and a fire
निर्दोषश्च सदोषश्च वयस्यः परमा गतिः ॥
Rich or poor, happy or sad, flawed or not, a friend is your greatest refuge.
Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kanda
Ram and Sugriva become friends
Ram had lost his home, and his wife Sita had been taken. Sugriva, driven out by his brother, had lost his home and his wife too. They met in the forest and swore friendship before a fire. Then Sugriva brought out the jewels Sita had dropped as she was carried away. Ram broke down at the sight of them, and Sugriva, who had his own grief, comforted him: in trouble, think it through steadily, and lean on your friend.
Two people in trouble can carry each other.
What it means for you
Far from home, the friends who matter are often the people who understand what you've lost.
Try this
Find one person who's also far from home and suggest meeting up.
That's all seven.
Come back to the one that stayed with you, or let Wisdom pick seven verses for your own situation.
Your situation is your own
Seven verses picked for your loneliness & homesickness.
Everyone gets the same seven on this page. Tell Wisdom what you're facing in a sentence or two, and it picks verses for you.
Week 1 is free. A few questions, about two minutes.
On iPhone, Wisdom gives you one verse each morning, read aloud. Get the app →
Common questions
What does the Bhagavad Gita say about loneliness?
Is there a Gita verse for being far from home?
What does the Gita say about friendship?
Should I read one verse a day or all seven at once?
More Gita verses on loneliness & homesickness
- Bhagavad Gita 9.29Those who turn to me with love are in me, and I in them.
- Bhagavad Gita 9.22Krishna carries what you lack and keeps what you have.
