May 17 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 6; Verses 6.29-6.30 (Day 138) Adhyatma Yoga, Yoga of Meditation

 May 17– Day 138

Verse 6.29-6.30

सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि ।

ईक्षते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्र समदर्शनः ॥ ६-२९॥ 

sarva-bhūta-stham ātmānaṁ sarva-bhūtāni chātmani
īkṣhate yoga-yuktātmā sarvatra sama-darśhanaḥ (29) 

ஸர்வபூ⁴த¹ஸ்த²மாத்¹மானம் ஸர்வபூ⁴தா¹னி சா¹த்¹மனி |
ஈக்ஷதே¹ யோக³யுக்¹தா¹த்¹மா ஸர்வத்¹ர ஸமத¹ர்ஶன: ||29|| 

29. With the mind harmonized by Yoga he sees the Self abiding in all beings and all beings in the Self; he sees the same everywhere. 

Commentary: The Yogi beholds through the eye of intuition (Jnana-Chakshus or Divya-Chakshus) oneness or unity of the Self everywhere.  This is a sublime and magnanimous vision indeed.  He feels, ‘All indeed is Brahman’.  He beholds that all beings are one with Brahman and that the Self and Brahman are identical. 

यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र सर्वं च मयि पश्यति ।

तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति ॥ ६-३०॥ 

yo māṁ paśhyati sarvatra sarvaṁ cha mayi paśhyati
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśhyāmi sa cha me na praṇaśhyati  (30) 

யோ மாம் ப¹ஶ்யதி¹ ஸர்வத்¹ர ஸர்வம் ச¹ மயி ப¹ஶ்யதி¹ |
த¹ஸ்யாஹம் ந ப்¹ரணஶ்யாமி ஸ ச¹ மே ந ப்¹ரணஶ்யதி¹ ||30|| 

30. He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, he does not become separated from Me nor do I become separated from him. 

COMMENTARY: In this verse the Lord describes here the effect of the vision of the unity of the Self or oneness.

He who sees Me, the Self of all, in all beings, and everything (from Brahma the Creator down to the blade of grass) in Me, I am not lost to him, nor is he lost to Me.  I and the sage or seer of unity of the Self become identical or one and the same.  I never leave his presence nor does he leave My presence.  I never lose hold of him nor does he lose hold of Me.  I dwell in him and he dwells in Me. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda: 

Meditation (as described in verses 11 to 14 above) is only a part – though a vital, indispensable spirit-awakening part – of yoga, but should never be regarded as all that yoga means. God is omnipresent. God-realisation must, therefore, definitely mean realising his omnipresence, not only within oneself or within one’s own sanctuary, but in and ultimately as all.

When we come into contact with the objects and personalities in this world, the mind immediately reacts in the customary way furnishing them with names, forms and assumed attributes (like good and evil, ugly and beautiful, pleasant and unpleasant).

Language is a screen. We use words to cover up what we do not want to see. We indulge in this name-calling because we do not know the truth and do not care to know the truth. However, it is possible to reach the realisation that ignorance has created these names and the simultaneous illusion that ‘I know’, whereas in fact, we do not know anything. One who is able to enter into that spirit gets the grace and enlightenment.

Therefore, the yoga student is asked to meditate and first establish inner contact. Once this is done, it is easier to overlook the name and form of the objects and personalities and perceive the divine essence in all.

Meditation alone without this dynamic practice of the omnipresence of God is of very little use. Meditation itself is not possible if our daily life denies his omnipresence. We can make no progress if we start the car and do not make a move!

It is the one infinite being that shines through all this diversity as all this. To see this is, in fact, meditation. Then there is neither withdrawal from nor involvement in the world. Saṁsāra (the perennial stream) flows on neither calling for your involvement nor demanding your withdrawal. To see this is to see God; to see God is to be God! 

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