Gita 06.30 – The perception of Krishna everywhere takes one beyond the reach of illusion
yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra
sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi
sa ca me na praṇaśyati (Bg 6.30)
Word-for-word:
yaḥ — whoever; mām — Me; paśyati — sees; sarvatra — everywhere; sarvam — everything; ca — and; mayi — in Me; paśyati — sees; tasya — for him; aham — I; na — not; praṇaśyāmi — am lost; saḥ — he; ca — also; me — to Me; na — nor; praṇaśyati — is lost.
Translation:
For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.
Explanation:
yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra: One who sees Me in everything
sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati: and sees everything in Me,
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi: for such a person, I am never lost
sa ca me na praṇaśyati: and he is never lost to Me.
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa speaks of a very intimate relationship between Himself and His devotees, highlighting how they are deeply and inseparably connected. He begins by saying yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra—one who sees Me everywhere. How can someone see Kṛṣṇa everywhere? This vision arises not merely from philosophical insight but also from deep devotion.
A beautiful example of loving Kṛṣṇa at the highest level is seen in the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. On the night of the rāsa dance, when they found Kṛṣṇa—who is all-attractive—waiting for them, they joyfully went out to be with Him. But suddenly, Kṛṣṇa disappeared from their sight. Overwhelmed with separation, they searched for Him everywhere. As they saw Tulasī plants, lotuses, deer, and other natural features of Vṛndāvana, each sight evoked intense remembrance of Kṛṣṇa in their hearts.
They began to re-enact His various pastimes, taking on different roles, and through these enactments their remembrance of Kṛṣṇa deepened even further. This shows how, at the height of devotion, every aspect of the world becomes a stimulus for remembering and seeing Kṛṣṇa.
In this way, Kṛṣṇa was manifesting His all-attractiveness in a manner that completely captivated everyone at a purely transcendental level, fully absorbing their consciousness in Him. This represents one level of yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra—where the yogī is so deeply absorbed in Kṛṣṇa that he sees nothing but Kṛṣṇa everywhere.
Then there is sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati—the person sees everything in Me. What does this mean? To see Kṛṣṇa everywhere and to see everything in Kṛṣṇa, at the highest level, signifies a deep personal relationship with Him, marked by direct vision and intimate reciprocation. At another level, it refers to the devotee’s ability to see everything and be reminded of Kṛṣṇa through all that they encounter.
Śrīla Prabhupāda once saw a flatbed truck and immediately thought that it could be used to place the Deities of Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā and hold an improvised Ratha-yātrā on the truck. Whatever a devotee sees, he remembers Kṛṣṇa through it. This is the wonder, the speciality, and the beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s all-attractiveness. A devotee sees everything in connection with Kṛṣṇa—everything is meant for His service and presents an opportunity to connect with Him through devotional remembrance and engagement in devotional activities.
Hence, the phrase “sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati”—‘one who sees everything in Me’—means that everything is Kṛṣṇa’s energy, everything exists within Him, and everything is meant for His service. Whatever exists is either Kṛṣṇa’s para (superior) or apara (inferior) prakṛti.
Then Kṛṣṇa says “tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi”—“I am never lost to such a person.”
Kṛṣṇa has earlier used the word “praṇaśyati” in Bg 2.62–63, where He explains the 8-step pathway to downfall of the conditioned soul: dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ…buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati—when one continually contemplates sense objects, the intelligence becomes destroyed, and the soul falls into material bondage.
Kṛṣṇa again uses the same word in Bg 9.31: kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati—“O son of Kunti, no devotee of Mine is ever lost.”
Out of these two usages, the first indicates that if one contemplates sense objects, there is a downward slide leading to fall and destruction. In contrast, in Bg 9.31, Kṛṣṇa assures that His devotees are never lost or destroyed. Here, in 6.30, He gives a similar assurance of reciprocity: tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi sa ca me na praṇaśyati—“I am never lost to them, nor are they lost to Me.” This conveys that the relationship between Kṛṣṇa and the devotee is eternal, never disrupted or destroyed.
In the impersonal conception of liberation, enlightenment is often understood as the continuous perception of spiritual reality. However, when one appreciates the personal nature of Kṛṣṇa, realization means perceiving Him directly—at a one-to-one level—as the all-attractive Supreme Person. Recognizing Kṛṣṇa as the eternal Lord, the Supreme Person whom we desire to serve eternally, this realization protects the devotee from falling prey to Kṛṣṇa’s illusory energy.
In the Catuṣloki of the Bhāgavatam it is said:
ṛte ’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta
na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ (SB 2.9.34)
This verse explains that when we perceive something as valuable but fail to see its connection with Kṛṣṇa, that perception is essentially māyā. To see objects, experiences, or achievements as meaningful without recognizing their relationship with Kṛṣṇa is the very essence of illusion.
This conception of māyā can be overcome by developing intimate loving devotion to Kṛṣṇa. When we understand that Kṛṣṇa is our all-attractive Lord, the Supreme Person whom we are meant to serve, and when we wholeheartedly devote ourselves to His service, we transcend material existence even while living in the material world physically.
Enlightenment is fundamentally a matter of relationship. As long as this relationship with Kṛṣṇa is maintained, the state of enlightenment remains steady—a fixed state from which one does not fall. This offers the assurance that it is possible to attain a level of enlightenment from which one will not return to illusion.
As sadhakas, we often fear that even if we emerge from illusion, we might fall back into it. Is it possible, then, to reach a stage where we remain beyond illusion permanently? The answer is yes. This state can be attained and sustained when we cultivate the constant perception of Kṛṣṇa—seeing Him in everything and seeing everything in Him.
Seeing Him in everything can refer to how the Kṣirodākṣayi Viṣṇu is present within all beings. Seeing Him everywhere can also refer to how everything exists within Mahā-Viṣṇu. That represents one level of perception, which was discussed in the previous verse, 6.29.
Verse 6.30, however, points to a higher level of realization—where we see everything in a personal, loving connection with Kṛṣṇa, which is why He uses “mām” here. When we perceive everything as an arena for reciprocating love with Kṛṣṇa, that vision brings everlasting ecstasy.
Thank you.
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