are we puppets in the hands of God?
The concept of humans being like puppets in the hands of the divine, or under the influence of higher powers, is echoed in the *Bhagavad Gita* in several places. Although the text doesn't explicitly use the term "puppet," it does describe how living beings are controlled by higher forces, particularly the modes of material nature (gunas) and the divine will of God.
Here are some relevant verses:
### 1. **Bhagavad Gita 3.27**
```
प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः।
अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताऽहमिति मन्यते।।
```
**"Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ,
Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate."**
Translation:
"All activities are performed by the modes of material nature. But the soul, bewildered by false ego, thinks itself to be the doer."
This verse implies that individuals are like puppets being moved by the modes of nature (goodness, passion, and ignorance), yet due to ego, they mistakenly believe they are in control of their actions.
### 2. **Bhagavad Gita 9.10**
```
मयाध्यक्षेण प्रकृतिः सूयते सचराचरम्।
हेतुनानेन कौन्तेय जगद्विपरिवर्तते।।
```
**"Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram,
Hetunānena kaunteya jagad viparivartate."**
Translation:
"This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule, this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again."
Here, Krishna explains that He is the ultimate controller (akin to the *Sutradhara*, or puppeteer) who directs material nature, which in turn moves all beings.
### 3. **Bhagavad Gita 18.61**
```
ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया।।
```
**"Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati,
Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā."**
Translation:
"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."
This verse directly likens living beings to machines (or puppets) that are directed by the Supreme Lord, emphasizing the concept of divine control over the actions and movements of all beings.
### 4. **Bhagavad Gita 11.33**
```
तस्मात्त्वमुत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व
जित्वा शत्रून् भुङ्क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम्।
मयैवैते निहताः पूर्वमेव
निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन्।।
```
**"Tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva
Jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṁ samṛddham,
Mayāivai 'te nihatāḥ pūrva-meva
Nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin."**
Translation:
"Therefore, get up and fight! Win glory! Conquer your enemies and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasācin, are merely an instrument in My hands."
In this verse, Krishna tells Arjuna that the outcome of the battle is already determined by His will, and Arjuna is merely an instrument (like a puppet) to carry out the divine plan.
These verses together emphasize the idea that while we may believe ourselves to be independent actors, we are actually under the influence of higher powers, such as the modes of nature and the divine will of God. This reflects the metaphor of life as a drama in which God is the *Sutradhara* (the one pulling the strings).
Comments