Bhagavad Gita

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13: Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhag Yogam, Verse 14:

Bhagavad Gita - krishna

(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

God’s Senses Are Distributed Throughout The Universe, God Is Aware Of Everything That Occurs In The World And Hears Everything That Is Said

सर्वत: पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् |
सर्वत: श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति || 13.14||

sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat sarvato ’kṣhi-śhiro-mukham
sarvataḥ śhrutimal loke sarvam āvṛitya tiṣhṭhati|| 13.14||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 13- Ver. 14:

The sensory functions are illuminated, but the senses are absent. Unattached, but a staunch supporter of everyone. Without attributes, but also a quality experiencer.

Explanation

Some contend that God cannot have hands, feet, eyes, hearing, or other sense organs. But, according to Shree Krishna, God possesses all of these, and to an infinite extent. We must never fall into the trap of confining God to our limited comprehension. He can do the conceivable, the impossible, and the reverse of the possible. To claim that an all-powerful God cannot have hands and feet is to impose a limitation on Him.

Our senses and limbs are divine, whereas God’s are material. While we are restricted to one set of senses, God has infinite hands and legs, eyes, and ears. While our senses are concentrated in one location, God’s senses are spread throughout the universe. As a result, God is aware of everything that occurs in the world and hears everything that is uttered. This is feasible because, like everything else in creation, His eyes and ears are everywhere.

“There is Brahman everywhere.” If millions of people worship Him at the same time, He accepts all of their requests without hesitation.

Verse & what we can learn

We will have questions and reservations upon hearing a depiction of the everlasting essence. Shri Krishna now begins to describe jneyam, the knowable that is the eternal essence, by answering three questions about its relationship with the sense organs and the action organs.

Is it possible for the everlasting essence to exist without the organs? According to Shri Krishna, the eternal essence can exist without the organs of action and perception; it is “senseless.” One of the ways the everlasting essence reveals itself is through sense and action organs. It is capable of adapting to any kind of expression, any upaadhi.

Can sense and action organs exist without the eternal essence? The answer is no, because “sarvabhrit,” the eternal essence, is the backer of all upaadhis in the form of “is-ness” or existence. The timeless essence offers “is-ness” to everything.

The three qualities or gunaas that make up the senses are sattva, rajas, and tamas. They venture out into the world in search of sense items made up of the same gunaas. The attributes are teasing each other. What role does the eternal essence have in this sensory experience?

Even these three attributes, according to Shri Krishna, are upaadhis, and so the eternal essence is “nirgunam,” or unattached to these qualities. The upaadhis of sattva, rajas, and tamas are converted into upaadhis of joy, grief, delusion, and so on when the senses play with their sense objects. Because the everlasting essence is there, the mind becomes the experiencer when it participates in this process.

Whether it’s the sense and action organs, their sense objects, or the three attributes, eternal essence is always unattached. However, when the everlasting essence takes on the organs’ conditioning or upaadhi, it appears to move and support their existence. Also, when the everlasting essence takes on the three gunaas’ upaadhis, it appears to become the experiencer. The term “as though” is crucial here, because the addition or superimposition of upaadhis is solely due to ignorance.

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 continues to tell about attributes and senses.

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

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