102 - Greatness is an Expression of the Divine | Swami Tattwamayananda - a podcast by Vedanta Society, San Francisco

10th chapter: 20th verse, 41st verse, verses 21-24

The central thesis of the 10th chapter is in the 20th verse. It says: “O Arjuna, I am present in the heart of all beings as the indweller– residing there I regulate and function everything. I am the beginning; I am the middle; and I am the end of all beings.”

By “I”, Lord Krishna means the divine spirit that is present everywhere. As we evolve in spiritual life, our idea of God evolves. In the beginning, we think of a creator God, confined to a place of worship and a book. As we evolve, we associate spirituality outside of this idea of God – beyond the place of worship or a book. At the highest level, every spiritual activity is given a spiritual orientation – the line of demarcation between secular and spiritual disappears.

There is a mantra in Rigveda which means: “Let every thought become a meditation, let every word become a mantra, let every action become an act of worship, let every travel become a pilgrimage, let every movement become a circumambulation around the deity, and let the whole life become an offering to God.”

In the Bhagavata Purana, there is a dialogue between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The one who sees the presence of God in all beings, and who sees the presence of all beings in God.“ He also states that the lowest level of devotee is one who confines his idea of God to a place of worship or a book.

Swami Vivekananda said: “It is good to be born in a church. But it is terrible to die there.” We have to begin somewhere. But we should not end our spiritual life there.

41st verse: It is important to properly understand the 20th and the 41st verse to make sense of verse 21 onwards in the 10th chapter, where Lord Krishna describes his manifestations. In the 41st verse he says: “Wherever you find some greatness, prosperity, power or excellence – know that to be a part of My splendor.”

In whatever profession one may be, if that person reaches a level of human excellence – that perfection is a spark of the divinity within him. When the scholarship of a scholar is combined with sattvic nature such as humility, or the power of a person is combined with wisdom and maturity – then it becomes an expression of the divine.

21st to 24th verse: In these verses, Lord Krishna describes his manifestations – “Among Adityas, I am Vishnu; among vedas, I am sama veda; among deities, I am Indra; among senses, I am mind; among beings, I am intelligence; among priests, I am Brihaspati, and so on.” What he means is - the divine reality is present in all beings; wherever we find a unique manifestation that is sublime and beautiful, it is an expression of the divine reality.

Among Vedas, sama veda is considered the most musical. Among the senses, the mind is the most crucial because to cognize anything both senses and mind have to come together. Lord Krishna cites these as examples of excellence, and therefore a manifestation of His divinity. They only provide a general idea of His divine nature – ultimately, these vibhutis have to be experienced.

In ancient times, every king had a priest so that they could practice being a Rajarshi. Rajarshi is a person who has the dual qualities of a king (Rajatvam) and a saint (Rishitvam). As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers. Brihaspati is mentioned in the 24th verse – he was the great teacher of the devas.

Our pursuit of material prosperity (artha and kama) should be guided by the regulating power of ethics and morality (dharma).

Abraham Lincoln said: “If you want to know the true character of a man, give him power.” How he uses the power will reveal his character.

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