(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

Nobody Can See The Divine Unless He Is Anointed With The Nectar Of The Supreme Lord’s Grace

न वेदयज्ञाध्ययनैर्न दानै-
र्न च क्रियाभिर्न तपोभिरुग्रै: |
एवंरूप: शक्य अहं नृलोके
द्रष्टुं त्वदन्येन कुरुप्रवीर || 11.48||

na veda-yajñādhyayanair na dānair
na cha kriyābhir na tapobhir ugraiḥ
evaṁ-rūpaḥ śhakya ahaṁ nṛi-loke
draṣhṭuṁ tvad anyena kuru-pravīra|| 11.48||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 11- Ver. 48:

Anyone other than you, O greatest of the Kurus, cannot see me in this form in the human realm through Vedic study, rituals, charity, actions, or severe penance.

Explanation

Shree Krishna asserts that no amount of self-effort—studying Vedic scriptures, performing ritualistic ceremonies, undergoing severe austerities, abstaining from food, or performing great acts of charity—can confer a view of God’s cosmic form. Only by his divine grace is this possible.

The reasoning behind this is fairly simple. Because our physical eyes are comprised of matter, everything we see is likewise created of matter. The Supreme Lord is divine, not material. Divine eyes are required to see his divine form. When God bestows his grace on the soul, he imbues our physical eyes with his heavenly power, and only then can we see him.

One could wonder how Sanjaya was able to view the same cosmic shape that Arjuna did by divine grace. Sanjaya also received by the grace of his Guru, Veda Vyasa, who was an Avatar of God, according to the Mahabharata. Before the battle, the Veda Vyasa granted his student Sanjaya heavenly vision so that he could tell Dhritarashtra about the battle. As a result, he saw the same cosmic form as Arjuna. When Duryodhana died, however, Sanjaya was overcome by sadness and lost his divine vision.

Verse & what we can learn

Shri Krishna taught Arjuna the Gita at a time when most people confused the method with the end when it came to spiritual matters. This is something we see in our daily lives. According to Shri Krishna, moksha cannot be obtained just by studying the scriptures, conducting complex ceremonies, donating, or practicing severe penance.
All of these prescriptions aid in the purification of our minds, removing selfishness and individuality. Our mind becomes fit to accept information about the eternal essence from a skilled instructor when it is immaculate through the rigorous observance of these presuppositions. That is the only way we will come to understand Ishvara’s genuine nature and eternal essence.

Most of the time, we meet people who are enthusiastic about various forms of worship, penance, study, and so on, but who become so fixated on those practices that they lose sight of the real aim, which is emancipation. They even say that one strategy is more effective than the other.

The everlasting essence is our true nature and exists outside of the sphere of activity. Action produces temporary effects, thus nothing eternal can come from it. Nothing we make or nature has created is everlasting. Even the earth, which will outlast us all, will be destroyed at some point. As a result, Shri Krishna congratulates Arjuna, reminding him that it was only through compassion that he was successful.

To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.

There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There is also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

In the next shloka Shri Krishna asks Arjuna to be fearless.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…