105 - Manifesting the Divinity Within| Swami Tattwamayananda - a podcast by Vedanta Society, San Francisco

Title: Manifesting the Divinity Within

10th chapter: 20th verse, 41st verse, verses 38-42

The 10th chapter of Bhagavad Gita is Vibhuti Yoga. The summary of this chapter is that everything is an expression of the divine. This divinity is immanent within us. We can manifest this divinity by seeing its presence in anything that is sublime, supreme, beautiful and creative.

The central thesis of the 10th chapter is in the 20th verse and 41st verse. It is important to properly understand both these verses to make sense of other verses, where Lord Krishna describes his manifestations.

In the 20th verse, Lord Krishna 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.”

In the 41st verse, Lord Krishna says: “Wherever you find some greatness, prosperity, power or excellence – know that to be a part of My splendor.” Wherever we find a unique manifestation that is sublime and beautiful, it is an expression of the divine reality.

To make this clearer, in other verses of this chapter, Lord Krishna describes his physical manifestations.

38th verse: “I am danda, the principle of punishment; I am statesmanship among those who want to conquer; I am silence among secrets; I am the knowledge of the knower.”

There are four techniques used to solve problems in state affairs. Sama (pacify with soft speech), dana (gift to someone fighting for his rights), bheda (creating division among troublemakers) and danda (punishment, which deters a person from doing wrong). Among the four methods, danda is the most important.

39th verse: “I am the seed of all beings; there is nothing in this world, moving or stationary, which can exist without Me.”

When we put seed in soil, it sprouts and grows into a plant or tree. The seed contains an unseen, subtle power that helps it grow. That unseen power is the presence of the divine reality.

“I” here refers to the all-pervading divine reality. In Vedic literature, there is an evolution of Hindu godhead from Pantheism (God is equated with external world) to Panentheism (God is the spirit within the external world) to Polytheism (God is the divine power regulating nature) to monotheism (there is only one God) to monism (non-duality).

There is nothing in this world without God’s presence within it. Highest definition of God cannot be limited to one physical form. We can start our spiritual journey with one physical form, but as we evolve with our spiritual sadhanas, we manifest the divinity within us, and see the presence of God in everything.

40th verse: “There is no end to My divine glories. I have just given you a sample of My glories.”

God is the essential totality of the whole universe. His characteristics cannot be listed numerically. Everything is an expression of the divine reality.

We can manifest this divinity in many ways. Every human endeavor can be given a spiritual dimension. 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.

Valmiki’s personal transformation and his authorship of Valmiki Ramayana is an illustration of how to manifest this divinity by doing some dedicated, unselfish work – achieving a degree of perfection in that work yet maintaining an attitude of renunciation.

When a person starts karma yoga – practicing unselfishness with duty consciousness, doing all his work as an offering to God – he has already boarded the bus that is bound to take him to his destination.

42nd verse: “What is the use of knowing all this diversity. You know this much – I exist everywhere, and I am the support of this whole creation by a portion of myself.”

Thus, ends the 10th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, which contains the essence of all scriptures.

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