Bhagavad Gita Commentary–Seventy-five–by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

The All-pervading Reality

“The light that lives in the sun, lighting all the world, the light of the moon, the light that is in fire: know that light to be mine.”
(Bhagavad Gita 15:12)

Light

In Chapter Thirty of his autobiography Paramhansa Yogananda has written the following:

“Among the trillion mysteries of the cosmos, the most phenomenal is light. Unlike sound-waves, whose transmission requires air or other material media, light-waves pass freely through the vacuum of interstellar space. Even the hypothetical ether, held as the interplanetary medium of light in the undulatory theory, can be discarded on the Einsteinian grounds that the geometrical properties of space render the theory of ether unnecessary. Under either hypothesis, light remains the most subtle, the freest from material dependence, of any natural manifestation.…

“‘Fiat lux! And there was light.’ God’s first command to His ordered creation (Genesis 1:3) brought into being the only atomic reality: light. On the beams of this immaterial medium occur all divine manifestations. Devotees of every age testify to the appearance of God as flame and light. ‘The King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto.’ (I Timothy 6:15-16)

“A yogi who through perfect meditation has merged his consciousness with the Creator perceives the cosmical essence as light; to him there is no difference between the light rays composing water and the light rays composing land. Free from matter-consciousness, free from the three dimensions of space and the fourth dimension of time, a master transfers his body of light with equal ease over the light rays of earth, water, fire, or air. Long concentration on the liberating spiritual eye has enabled the yogi to destroy all delusions concerning matter and its gravitational weight; thenceforth he sees the universe as an essentially undifferentiated mass of light.”

Everything is light, for everything is God, who is Light (I John 1:15).

Power

“My energy enters the earth, sustaining all that lives: I become the moon, given of water and sap, to feed the plants and the trees.” (Bhagavad Gita 15:13)

The word used here is ojas, which means: vitality, vigor, luster, splendor, and energy, including spiritual energy. It is the power which accomplishes all things in the cosmos. It is even the power within the light of the moon, the power that governs the growth of plants. It is not just Divine Power, it is Divinity Itself, for God is also Power.

Fire

Flame of life in all, I consume the many foods, turning them into strength that upholds the body. (Bhagavad Gita 15:14)

God is Vaishvanara, Cosmic Fire, which includes all forms of manifested fire, including digestive fire in the bodies of sentient beings. Fire is the most precious external element that human beings possess. In our technological age we cannot image how essential fire is, and how necessary it used to be to preserve fire. The scratch of a match, the flick of a gas-powered lighter, or a turn of a knob produces this vital thing. Now the only time we even see fire is when we cook or make fire for our amusement. It has become as disregarded and taken for granted as God, whose manifestation it is.

In ancient times fire was worshipped or honored as a gift of God and an extension of God’s being. This was true even in early Christianity. Even now in India fire is saluted when kindled for either cooking or light, and devout Hindus in the cities salute the electric light when it is first turned on in the evening.

The all-encompassing Being

What a profound consciousness to see God in all things at all times. To understand that “in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Act 17:28).

To underline this Krishna says: “I am in all hearts, I give and take away knowledge and memory: I am all that the Vedas tell, I am the teacher, the knower of Vedanta.” (Bhagavad Gita 15:15)

Brahman is in our hearts as the inmost Indweller, the source of our consciousness and life. Since everything comes to us from God, so also does their departure. Knowledge (understanding) and memory of experience from which reason arises, as well as knowledge and memory of our self-nature, come and go, originating in and returning to God. For he is the eternal Antaryamin: indweller, inner guide, inner ruler, the “witness” who dwells within every living being.

What is found as subject in the writings and discourses of the wise–that is Brahman. For there is none other of which to speak. He originates Wisdom, teaches Wisdom, and is the Knower of the end of Wisdom: his own Self, Brahman.

The immortal

“There are two kinds of personality in this world, the mortal and the immortal. The personality of all creatures is mortal. The personality of God is said to be immortal. It is the same for ever.” (Bhagavad Gita 15:16) Sivananda: “Two Purushas there are in this world, the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are the perishable, and the Kutashtha is called the imperishable.”

It is not the spirit that is perishable, but its wrappings, the various sheaths or bodies. Yet, the spirit is “perishable” in its experience of those bodies until it awakens to its true nature. In this verse Brahman is called “Kutashtha,” which means changeless, immutable, and “dweller in the height (or on the summit).” Unlike Brahman, we “dwell” in the “bottom lands” and undergo suffering and change.

“But there is one other than these; the Impersonal Being who is called the supreme Atman. He is the unchanging Lord who pervades and supports the three worlds.” (Bhagavad Gita 15:17)

Brahman has two aspects–transcendental and immanent. The previous verse is speaking of the immanent, the personal Ishwara aspect of God. The perishable purushas live within Ishwara and can communicate with him. But our association with the personal God is meant to end when we ourselves become transcendental and can pass from all “worlds” into that Absolute beyond all relativity.

“And since I, the Atman, transcend the mortal and even the immortal, I am known in this world and in the Vedas as the supreme Reality.” (Bhagavad Gita 15:18) The impersonality of Brahman can seem barren, even antiseptic, to us who are so used to the realm of Ishwara, so Krishna then says:

“He who is free from delusion, and knows me as the supreme Reality, knows all that can be known. Therefore he adores me with his whole heart.” (Bhagavad Gita 15:19) When we truly know Brahman in Its transcendent aspect the response is intense devotion–wholehearted worship. Sri Ramana Maharshi is a perfect example of this. Through uncompromisingly non-dual in his ways and words, he was deeply devotional, often shedding tears of love when hearing the lives and words of saint-devotees of God. How important it is for us to have this perspective as well is seen by Krishna’s closing words in this chapter:

“This is the most sacred of all the truths I have taught you. He who has realized it becomes truly wise. The purpose of his life is fulfilled.” (Bhagavad Gita 15:20)

Read the Bhagavad Gita online: The English text of the Gita posted on this Web Site is arranged according to the meter of the original Sanskrit text so it can be sung–as it is done every morning in our ashram and in most of the ashrams of India.