Gita 06.29 – By seeing sameness in the material, yogi penetrates to the supreme spiritual substance
sarva-bhūta-stham ātmānaṁ
sarva-bhūtāni cātmani
īkṣate yoga-yuktātmā
sarvatra sama-darśanaḥ (Bg 6.29)
Word-for-word:
sarva-bhūta-stham — situated in all beings; ātmānam — the Supersoul; sarva — all; bhūtāni — entities; ca — also; ātmani — in the Self; īkṣate — does see; yoga-yukta-ātmā — one who is dovetailed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; sarvatra — everywhere; sama-darśanaḥ — seeing equally.
Translation:
A true yogī observes Me in all beings and also sees every being in Me. Indeed, the self-realized person sees Me, the same Supreme Lord, everywhere.
Explanation:
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa speaks about the vision acquired by a serious practitioner of yoga who has now ascended to the summit of yoga. Such a person has risen from the level of being a seeker to that of a seer. Kṛṣṇa states:
sarva-bhūta-stham ātmānaṁ: In all living beings, the yogī perceives that same Supreme Being, the Supersoul, situated within each of them.
sarva-bhūtāni cātmani: The yogī also sees all living beings situated in that one Supreme Being.
īkṣate yoga-yuktātmā: One who is properly situated in yoga sees in this way.
sarvatra sama-darśanaḥ: Such a yogī sees everything with equal vision.
In this world, when we look at things, we encounter immense variety. We perceive differences in colors, shapes, forms, tastes, smells, and other sensory experiences. Captivated by this variety, we begin to think that some new form will make us happy, and so we keep pursuing new forms, not considering that true happiness may lie elsewhere altogether.
What we often fail to recognize is that the variety of forms we see in this world are simply permutations and combinations of the three modes of material nature. Just as the numerous illusions we see on a TV screen or in a movie theatre are nothing more than combinations of three primary colors, the objects we chase in this world are not substantial in themselves. There are no real objects on the screen—only perceptions that create the illusion of pleasure.
In material existence, however, sense objects do exist. For instance, if we see a ripe, delicious mango, the mango is certainly there. However, the variety of objects creates anticipation—the hope that we will derive immense pleasure from them. In reality, the pleasure they offer is quite limited, but we fail to recognize this and continue chasing newer and newer objects. If one object fails to give us satisfaction, we simply move on to the next, and then the next.
In this way, our perception remains trapped in illusion. To transcend this illusion, we need to cultivate sarvatra sama-darśanaḥ—equal vision everywhere. By developing this vision of oneness, we realize that although there is a bewildering variety of forms around us, none of these forms are truly substantial or capable of giving lasting happiness. We need to go beyond these external forms.
When the yogi attains this understanding and learns to see all the diverse forms with equal vision, their perception pierces through the illusion of variety and focuses on the underlying spiritual reality. Through detachment, one develops a perception of sameness at the material level, and this vision then penetrates beyond the material to the underlying spiritual substance. This penetration occurs first through intellectual perception and later through direct spiritual realization.
The soul, too, has eyes, and through progressive yoga practice, these spiritual eyes gradually awaken. When the soul begins to see with its own eyes, perception is no longer merely a conceptual understanding shaped by a particular school of thought. Instead, it becomes a direct realization of the underlying nature of truth, made possible through the process of purification.
The underlying nature of truth referred to here is that there is one supreme being who is present within all living beings and in whom all living beings are situated (sarva-bhūta-stham ātmānaṁ sarva-bhūtāni cātmani).
This is the inconceivable nature of the Lord: He is within everything, and everything is within Him. How is this possible? It can be understood by recognizing that God has multiple manifestations. In His form as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the Supersoul, He resides within the hearts of all living beings. In His form as Mahā-Viṣṇu, from whom all existences emanate, all the universes rest within Him.
This vision is what the yogī acquires through progressive purification. The previous verses described how the yogī perceives spiritual truth. Merely perceiving that there is a spiritual reality beyond the material, that this spiritual reality is sat-cit-ānanda, and that one belongs to that reality—that one is sat-cit-ānanda—already brings happiness.
However, going beyond this generic perception of spiritual reality to the realization of the specific supreme spiritual reality—the Supreme Controller, the Supreme Lord—brings a far greater level of ecstasy. Kṛṣṇa is speaking about that perception here. Verses 27 and 28 refer to the perception of spiritual reality at the Brahman level. Verse 29 speaks of the perception of spiritual reality at the Paramātmā level, and verse 30 describes the perception of spiritual reality at the Bhagavān level. Verse 31 then states that the perceptions described in verses 29 and 30 are the same.
In this way, Kṛṣṇa explains that the progressive levels of realization do not imply that one perception is wrong and another is right; rather, they are all one. It is Kṛṣṇa who resides in the hearts of all beings, and it is Kṛṣṇa who stands before Arjuna in His personal manifestation. At this stage, Kṛṣṇa describes how the yogi, approaching the summit of perfection, perceives and experiences the mystical vision that God is within everything, and everything exists within God.
Thank you.
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