106 - The Cycle of Existence is Within the Divine | Swami Tattwamayananda - a podcast by Vedanta Society, San Francisco

11th chapter: verses 1-5

In the 10th chapter, the main message is that everything is an expression of the divine. When we see a golden ornament, the essence of it is gold. When we see a pot made of mud, its essence is mud. Similarly, the divine is the essence of everything. 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 11th chapter communicates the same essence in a different manner. We should be able to see the different ornaments when we see gold, and we should be able to see pots when we see mud.

The manifestations described in the 10th chapter are meant to increase devotion. When we realize the various manifestations of God, we should also know that the Lord transcends time, space and causation. He is present everywhere and in everything. He is not just immanent – He is also transcendental.

Our idea of events is limited to time and space. If we can transcend these, we can see the entire existence in one dimension, with no demarcation between past, present and future. We will see various beings coming and going – birth, existence, death, rebirth – all happening simultaneously.

In the 11th chapter, Arjuna experiences the vision of the universal form of the divine.

1st verse: Arjuna says: “You have taught me this supreme, spiritual truth. With this discerning wisdom of spirituality, you have removed my delusion and ignorance.”

Gita is a discussion in the field of action. Gita starts with Arjuna’s predicament towards a duty that he is expected to do, but that is unpleasant to him. After Lord Krishna’s instructions, the same Arjuna says in the 73rd verse of the 18th chapter: “By your grace, all my doubts are gone. I shall act according to your instructions.”

How did Arjuna learn this wisdom? At first, Lord Krishna taught him philosophy, the knowledge of Atman – that did not work. Then Lord Krishna taught him the path of devotion. Arjuna’s doubts still remained. Finally, Lord Krishna shows him the vision of His universal form – then Arjuna is freed from all doubts.

When we face an adversity in life, such as death, a well-wisher may give us good counsel. But it is not sufficient – we may feel that we are being told what we already know. Imagine, however, that we are given a vision of how every minute, beings are born, beings are dying, they make money, they lose money – then our doubts will be dispelled. This is what happened to Arjuna when he saw the divine form.

In the 77th verse of the 18th chapter, Sanjaya says: “I still remember the wonderful form of Lord Krishna. Remembering it, I feel great joy and contentment.”

2nd verse: “I have heard from many sources that you are the origin and dissolution of all beings – from you everything originates. They exist and dissolve in you. And they re-emerge from you.”

3rd verse: “You have declared yourself to be present in everything. You are the divine reality that manifests in many ways. I want to see that supreme divine form of yours. Then only I will get peace of mind.”

4th verse: “If you think I am deserving of seeing this vision, then O’ Lord of Yogis, please show me that divine form.”

Later in the chapter, Lord Krishna shows his divine form. This cosmic divine form transcends our concept of time and space. He shows that all the different creatures, animals, suns, moons, stars, galaxies, human beings, celestial beings – they all originate, exist, dissolve and re-emerge within that cosmic divine form.

5th verse: Lord Krishna says: “You can see by hundreds and thousands my different forms of celestial, human, non-human beings of various colors and shapes – everything that you consider as existence. They emerge in infinite numbers and dimensions. They exist, they dissolve, and they re-emerge. This cycle continues all within Me.”

Later in the chapter, Lord Krishna gives Arjuna the power to see his divine form. He must have put Arjuna in a state similar to samadhi, where one transcends time, space and causation. Sri Ramakrishna put Swami Vivekananda in a similar state through his touch – upon that touch, names and forms started disappearing. Such an experience is not possible at the physical level, - it can only be experienced at the spiritual level.

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