Five Things You Can’t Learn Everything About By Asking Alone

“A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogi [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. He sees everything-whether it be pebbles, stones or gold-as the same.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.8)

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ज्ञान-विज्ञान-तृप्तात्मा
कूट-स्थो विजितेन्द्रियः
युक्त इत्य् उच्यते योगी
सम-लोष्ट्राश्म-काञ्चनः

jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā
kūṭa-stho vijitendriyaḥ
yukta ity ucyate yogī
sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ

1. Becoming a radio host

The source of this topic is a discussion by a very successful radio talk show host. An audience member called in and wanted some advice on how to be a success in the very same business. A tricky question to navigate, since the host is still in the business. He would rather not share valuable information with someone who one day might turn into a competitor.

What he did share were his own experiences when starting out in the business. He tried to find people who were successful and then pester them with one question after another. One mentor finally got fed up. He admonished the aspiring star that a person can’t learn everything just by asking. At some point they have to start doing.

2. Driving a car

“When I was younger I really wanted to drive. I guess a lot of children are like that. I had my assigned seat for family trips. Right behind the driver, who was my dad. I dreamed of one day sitting in his seat, operating the car and deciding where to go.

“As I approached the legal driving age, I asked so many questions to the elders. What is that pedal for? How does turning work? What is the purpose of the mirrors? Looking back on it now, none of those questions were necessary. Everything I know today is based off personal experience. In other words, training. I had to finally try myself in order to learn anything important.”

3. Writing code

“I read books on coding. I wanted to give it a try. Honestly, it seemed a little out of my league. So much theory. Back in that time period, there weren’t advance IDEs available. In other words, it took a little effort to get even a simple working program, like one that took user input and then echoed back in the display.

“I studied a lot, to the point of being able to pass examinations. It wasn’t until I started working, though, that I really learned. All those concepts finally made sense to me. I needed practical, corresponding examples in order to see the different sides to the story.”

4. Performing surgery

“This is a little more serious, it seems. Driving a car improperly can have deleterious effects, but there are safety measures in place to mitigate disaster. Surgery can be a life or death issue. The surgeon has to be cool and calm. They cannot be flustered by the pressure. They should not be thinking of the gravity of the situation. They should focus only on what needs to be accomplished.”

“To that end, simply asking questions won’t do. I can learn the theory, but no one will trust me to perform the operation until I have some practical training. I need to give it a try myself, to see firsthand what needs to be done.”

5. Becoming a parent

Everyone has some advice to offer.

“Oh man, your life is going to change big-time. All that crying. Good luck. You’ll need it. All those things which were previously important to you no longer will be. You won’t sleep properly for at least the next eighteen years.”

In truth, no one can prepare you for the situation. It is something that has to be experienced. First-time parents surely don’t do everything right; but they hopefully learn in the process. Looking back, they can’t believe how much they didn’t know prior. Even through reading all of the books, nothing could appropriately prepare them.

…

In Vedic culture there are two Sanskrit terms applicable to this discussion: jnana and vijnana. Jnana is knowledge. The word Veda has the same meaning, and the knowledge can be about anything. In terms of meeting the highest interest of the individual, purushartha, jnana is about understanding the difference between body and spirit. My true identity is spirit soul, aham brahmasmi.

Vijnana is the practical realization of the principles learned through jnana. Of the two, vijnana is more important. Shri Krishna confirms in the Bhagavad-gita that a person is a yogi when they are satisfied by both real knowledge and the subsequent realization. This also means that as many questions as the spiritual guide will answer, I will not truly realize the Absolute Truth and the purpose of the principles of dharma until I am actively engaged myself.

For this reason one of the first recommendations is to take action. Hearing is actually enough. Shravanam can bring perfection, such as with Parikshit Maharaja and his seven days of meditation on the Hari-katha delivered by Shukadeva Gosvami.

Chanting, kirtanam, is another way to realize. Though hearing is also considered work, chanting is more distinct as a non-passive engagement. What should a person chant? Take the names of the Almighty. There are too many to count. Any appropriate and authorized name should be accepted, and fortunately there is the terrific formula for deliverance of the mind known as the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

This consists of different names of God, and while the process may seem too simple to yield any lasting benefit, vijnana is one of the immediate effects to the routine. That is to say if I regularly chant these holy names, in a systematic way and with some respect for the process, realization of Vedic principles will come to me. Then not only will I be able to rescue myself from the difficulties of a material existence, but I can also show others the way to transcendence.

In Closing:

To transcendence showing the way,
With holy names to say.

In routing repeating,
Ignorance of maya defeating.

The practical realization arriving,
Better than just for knowledge striving.

As yogi then fully aware,
That God here, there and everywhere.

Five Questions About The Virata-Rupa

“All the sons of Dhritarashtra along with their allied kings, and Bhishma, Drona and Karna, and all our soldiers are rushing into Your mouths, their heads smashed by Your fearful teeth. I see that some are being crushed between Your teeth as well.” (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.26-27)

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अमी च त्वां धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्राः
सर्वे सहैवावनि-पाल-सङ्घैः
भीष्मो द्रोणः सूत-पुत्रस् तथासौ
सहास्मदीयैर् अपि योध-मुख्यैः
वक्त्राणि ते त्वरमाणा विशन्ति
दंष्ट्रा-करालानि भयानकानि
केचिद् विलग्ना दशनान्तरेषु
सन्दृश्यन्ते चूर्णितैर् उत्तमाङ्गैः

amī ca tvāṁ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putrāḥ
sarve sahaivāvani-pāla-saṅghaiḥ
bhīṣmo droṇaḥ sūta-putras tathāsau
sahāsmadīyair api yodha-mukhyaiḥ
vaktrāṇi te tvaramāṇā viśanti
daṁṣṭrā-karālāni bhayānakāni
kecid vilagnā daśanāntareṣu
sandṛśyante cūrṇitair uttamāṅgaiḥ

1. Where was it shown?

It is the image of everything, but the word “rupa” indicates a form, referencing a distinct entity. It has been shown several times based on documented evidence, but likely the most famous exhibition was on the battlefield of Kurukshetra to the bow-warrior named Arjuna.

Shri Krishna, the person displaying the virata-rupa at the request of Arjuna, revealed that no one had been witness to such a vision before. There were similar experiences for mother Yashoda in Vrindavana, the foe Duryodhana prior to the Bharata War, and the crow Kakabhushundhi.

2. Why was it shown?

In Arjuna’s case, there was a direct request. He knew that Krishna is the Almighty. He believed the words spoken to him thus far in the conversation. The sage Markandeya had previously informed the Pandava brothers as to the Divine nature of their well-wishing friend and relative, that Krishna is the same Narayana, who is known as the source of men.

Arjuna made the request specifically for the doubters. Anyone who would question the authenticity of their sacred conversation in the future. We see from the popularity today of the Bhagavad-gita that Arjuna was prescient. He knew that in every era there are challengers to dharma and the source of it, so as much evidence as can be amassed passed forward to future generations is beneficial.

3. What is the image?

As mentioned above, it is the form representing everything. It is one way to understand God, at an abstract level. Take the entire collective. Even if you can’t see it, at least conceive of it. We acknowledge that there are objects and people. Take whatever can be identified and put it inside of a single image.

The virata-rupa is also three-dimensional and with a time element. Arjuna sees the warriors assembled on the battlefield rushing into Krishna’s many mouths. This is symbolic of the future and also representative of the formidable nature of time. Krishna is the same kala, and so everyone else was destined for an end. Notably absent is Krishna Himself, who is both without beginning and without end.

4. What does it indicate?

The virata-rupa is one way to understand God. A person may argue against the idea of a bluish flute-playing figure, who is ever-youthful, being the Almighty, but they cannot deny that the sum total of everything exists. Take that everything and you get one way to confirm the identity of the origin of everything. At the very least a person can worship this impersonal form.

मया ततम् इदं सर्वं
जगद् अव्यक्त-मूर्तिना
मत्-स्थानि सर्व-भूतानि
न चाहं तेष्व् अवस्थितः

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.4)

5. Can I see it?

Arjuna already saw it. Vyasadeva, the great compiler of Vedic literature, witnessed it, as well. Through Vyasadeva’s grace, Sanjaya was able to see. It is Sanjaya’s conversation with Dhritarashtra passed on in the written down version of the Bhagavad-gita.

If we are fortunate, maybe one day Bhagavan will show it to us, as well. But such a vision is not needed. Others have seen it. We know that the virata exists. It is one rupa of the Almighty. It is an impersonal one at that, which means that there is no interaction beyond appreciation, awe, fear, respect and the like. The individual is spirit soul, so they are meant for a higher interaction, one which can be tasted today through the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

To Arjuna on battlefield shown,
Of all objects and places known.

Even time element to include,
Similar by others viewed.

But my witnessing not needed,
Better if in bhakti proceeded.

From personal much more to gain,
With virata not entirely the same.

Four Questions About Dhyana

“A yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogi.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.46)

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तपस्विभ्यो ऽधिको योगी
ज्ञानिभ्यो ऽपि मतो ऽधिकः
कर्मिभ्यश् चाधिको योगी
तस्माद् योगी भवार्जुन

tapasvibhyo 'dhiko yogī
jñānibhyo 'pi mato 'dhikaḥ
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna

1. What is the need for dhyana?

It is an aspect of yoga, which is the linking of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul. As Shri Krishna advises in the Bhagavad-gita, a person should strive to be a yogi. They do not need to change their occupation. A person can be a yogi anywhere, and it will be the best thing for them.

In the systematic analysis, dhyana is one aspect of yoga. There are eight legs, collectively known as ashtanga-yoga. Dhyana is concentration or meditation. Focusing the mind. Indeed difficult to do, but well worth the effort.

Dhyana has lasting benefits. Less stress. Increased focus. Progressing towards a better future destination. Union with the all-attractive one, who is blissful in every aspect of His existence.

2. What is the best time for dhyana?

The morning is most ideal, particularly when it is after waking up from the night’s sleep. Dhyana in the morning builds momentum for the rest of the day. Less risk from procrastination. No worry about meeting the day’s routine, for keeping the streak of meditation going.

The morning also matches with the qualities of Brahman, which is pure truth. The time right before sunrise is known as brahma-muhurta. This is the moment of the Absolute Truth. Spiritual activities conducted during this time carry an increased potency.

“The time early in the morning, one and a half hours before sunrise, is called brahma-muhurta. During this brahma-muhurta, spiritual activities are recommended. Spiritual activities performed early in the morning have a greater effect than in any other part of the day.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.20.46 Purport)

3. Where is the best place for dhyana?

The key is to limit distractions. I could be in a remote cave, without any outsiders to bother me, but if I am constantly peeking at a tree in the distance, the mind is not focused. At the same time, I could be in a loud room, with so many people talking, but if the mind is concentrated on the Absolute, the dhyana is perfect.

Krishna offers the recommendation to become a yogi in the oddest of settings. He is speaking to a bow-warrior on the precipice of victory in a large-scale military conflict. How will Arjuna practice dhyana whilst shooting arrows? How will he stay focused whilst dodging enemy fire?

4. Who is the best object of focus?

As described in Shrimad Bhagavatam, real meditation is on the image of Lord Vishnu, the personal God. Starting from the lotus feet and working your way up, this bears no resemblance to the modern-day concocted theory of removing everything from the mind. The focus is on a specific form, and that object of worship must be spiritual to carry the requisite positive influence.

Arjuna can practice dhyana while fighting a war because his effort is a sacrifice for the pleasure of Krishna, who is non-different from Vishnu. This is like visiting a temple and paying respect. It is like composing beautiful poetry in praise of the one whose gunas are endless. It is like singing devotional songs such as the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Meditation on void is not real dhyana. The process is not genuine unless Vishnu or one of His non-different forms is included. Krishna passes down the eightfold mysticism to begin with, so it would make sense that He is an expert on its parameters and procedures.

In Closing:

Dhyana in yoga where to concentrate,
Not just sitting for blood to circulate.

On Vishnu’s form starting at feet,
Until smile on face to greet.

But can be practiced anywhere ready,
Like Arjuna on battlefield steady.

Because this life for His pleasure meant,
Best time in Lord’s association spent.

Three Questions To Ask The Reincarnation Skeptic

“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.20)

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न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्
नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतो ऽयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ‘yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

“It just seems too far-fetched. It’s comforting, for sure. To know that I have lived before. That everything will be okay moving forward. That death is not the end. In some ways, it is the beginning of something new.

“But there is just no tangible proof to reincarnation. No one remembers where they were prior to this birth. How, then, can we believe the existence will continue moving forward?”

1. What happened to my childhood form?

I remember living through it. At the time, I wasn’t aware how tiny it was in comparison to the adults. It was just how I lived. I didn’t know that my voice was drastically different from everyone else’s. You’re a kid; you don’t know much.

Looking back on it now, childhood seems completely foreign. A different life altogether. I lived through it, but that childhood body is gone. My parents cannot pick me up and rock me to sleep. I won’t fit into that car seat.

2. Can I ever be truly young again?

There is diet and exercise; I will grant you that. I don’t have to look like a blob. I can alter the shape of the body to some degree. I can’t really change skin color. The eyes are shaped the way they are. I can certainly influence to the limits of good health, though.

Then there are the advancements of science and medicine. Apply some cream over wrinkles and you look ten years younger. Makeup, plastic surgery, you name it and there is an option.

But this doesn’t actually make you young again. That youthful form is gone, forever. I can’t eat the way that I used to. I never cared about calorie count or eating late at night. Now I have to watch everything. I am not the same person, though I technically am.

3. Am I not the same person today?

It would be foolish to say that identity has changed along with the body. In fact, I have been the same individual from the very beginning. That tiny dot on a sonogram shown in the doctor’s office. That little football-shaped being emerging from my mother’s womb.

I don’t remember those experiences, but it was still me. This concept of changing bodies is rather easy to understand. Shri Krishna demystifies the topic of reincarnation by transferring the same concept to the before and after-lives.

That is to say the body is always changing, while the individual remains the constant. The body changes completely at the time of death. The individual inside departs for something new.

Birth is accepting the full change. A new lifetime. A different kind of body, but the same person on the inside. These are the basics of reincarnation, or what is better described as transmigration of the soul.

As the soul travels through these different bodies, there is also a superior kind of soul accompanying for the ride. He travels with me wherever I go. I am never truly alone. He is identical to the Supreme Lord. This means that God is always with me.

Neither should I lament for the destruction of the body nor should I think that everything is hopeless. There is the chance to influence the next kind of birth. Connect with the Supersoul, Paramatma, and be in yoga. The yogi fully conscious of Krishna no longer has to suffer rebirth. They return to a spiritual body and the distinction between spirit and matter no longer applies to them.

In Closing:

No longer to apply,
From that position high.

Distinction of body and spirit where,
Because connection to Krishna there.

So reincarnation easy to understand,
Soul different from leg and hand,

Which already changed so much,
In future to repeat as such.

Dishonesty Is Rarely Exclusive To One Area

“If we learn how to love Krishna, then it is very easy to immediately and simultaneously love every living being. It is like pouring water on the root of a tree or supplying food to one’s stomach.” (Shrila Prabhupada, The Nectar of Devotion, Preface)

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“I think one of the major distinctions with bhakti-yoga practice, the science of self-realization, sanatana-dharma, whatever term you want to use, is the dismissal of general charity work or philanthropy.

“Let me explain further. It is not that helping your fellow man is frowned upon. Charity is one kind of sacrifice, yajna. A person should not be attached to what they have. They should not be overly concerned with material life.

“It is in that area where general welfare work loses importance. It is tied to material life. Bhakti-yoga is for advancing the cause of spirit. An eternal engagement matching an eternally existing being.

“Naturally, there is concern as to what will happen to others. Who will take up the cause if I should abandon it? How will society function without the proper attention paid to the needy?

“The response is that bhakti-yoga is like watering the root. If you satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then all other responsibilities are taken care of automatically. You water the roots of the tree and the branches and leaves automatically get nourished. In the reverse situation the same proper distribution does not apply.

“Could you explain further, though? I don’t see how someone becoming a devotee of Shri Krishna will equate with meeting the highest interests for society at large. It obviously helps the individual within the engagement, but is not there an accompanying callousness to the suffering of others?”

One way to understand is to study the practice of dishonesty. The tendency to cheat is one of the defects of the human being. We know that we shouldn’t take an unfair advantage, but sometimes we can’t help it.

A person is identified as a cheater in the broader sense when they violate some law of society or the standard practices set forth in etiquette. Robbing a bank. Telling a lie to a police officer conducting a criminal investigation. Forging documents. Giving the wrong explanation to someone in need so that they will fail in their task.

A tendency to notice is that dishonesty is rarely practiced exclusively. If I cheat on my taxes, it probably means that I cheat in other areas. A prime example is the Rakshasa community described in Vedic literature. As man-eating ogres, they did not have an auspicious start. They were sinful by nature.

Not only would they eat human flesh, but they would employ deceptive measures to achieve their goals. Take a false form utilizing the kama-rupa-siddhi. Display false images on the battlefield to dispirit the opponents. Tell lies about the future so that someone will be scared into submitting to a plan that they are otherwise totally against.

Applying the same principle but on the inverse situation, we see how bhakti-yoga practice helps everyone. As Krishna is the Supreme Absolute Truth, devotional service represents the most honest practice. It strips away the dualities of material life, so that which remains is the individual spirit soul connecting with the Supreme Soul. The ideal example of this yoga is the thoughtful and concentrated repetition of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

The honest devotee will likely be honest in other areas. Their good qualities will carry over. Helping the fallen will be the natural inclination. No one will have to remind them to be charitable. At the same time, they will be most liberal in sharing the highest wisdom, the secret to happiness lasting beyond the present lifetime. They will help those struggling in the vast ocean of nescience to find an eternal, blissful life that can begin immediately.

In Closing:

Cheating here and cheating there,
Not exclusive to situation where.

Because bad qualities abound,
When lack of dharma found.

On inverse to devotion apply,
How always with honesty to try.

So that in best way with others dealing,
And real truth of existence revealing.

Three Deceptive Measures Employed By The Rakshasas

“The sage Agastya is of such a purified nature that in his hermitage a liar cannot live, nor a deceitful person, nor a wicked person, nor one that is committed to sinful activity.” (Lord Rama speaking to Lakshmana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 11.90)

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नात्र जीवेन्मृषावादी क्रूरो वा यदि वा शठः।
नृशंसः कामवृत्तो वा मुनिरेष तथाविधः।।

nātra jīvenmṛṣāvādī krūro vā yadi vā śaṭhaḥ।
nṛśaṃsaḥ kāmavṛtto vā munireṣa tathāvidhaḥ।।

There is a sound philosophical and logical backing. Faith is surely involved, but it is not everything. The proponent is not asking anyone to take a huge risk for a payoff that cannot be seen. In other words, someone does not have to wait until the afterlife to enjoy the benefits of a switch to the devotional culture.

It is indeed a simple change in direction. Instead of seeking the pleasure of the senses, prioritizing personal interest [svartha], work for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That will account for paramartha, the future and higher interest, but also satisfy any personal responsibilities at the same time.

These are responsibilities we risk skipping out on. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada compares bhakti-yoga to watering the root of a tree. That is the proper way for the leaves and branches to get nourishment. One direction, one place, with automatic distribution in the outcome.

Since bhakti-yoga is directed towards the person who is the embodiment of dharma, all good qualities naturally emerge. I do not have to endeavor separately to be honest, trustworthy, compassionate, or clean. On the flip side, turning away from Bhagavan means there is vulnerability to every bad quality.

The ideal example of study in this regard is the Rakshasa community described in Vedic literature. Man-eating ogres, they were inclined towards adharma since birth. Their use of deceptive measures was not exclusive to one area.

1. Display a false form

In one section of the Ramayana, Shri Rama tells a story to His younger brother Lakshmana. The subject matter is Agastya Rishi, who is a venerable saint. Also known as the jar-born one, Agastya is not influenced by the mode of darkness, no matter how strong its presence around him. The sinners cannot even stand to come near the sage’s ashrama.

Rama tells the story about two Rakshasa brothers, Vatapi and Ilvala. They had a regular game they would play. One brother would take the false form of a goat. Though grim-visaged by nature, Rakshasas were expert in displaying forms. Any one they chose, employing what is known as the kama-rupa-siddhi.

The brother transformed into a goat would then be sacrificed and fed to unsuspecting guests. The brahmanas would think they were consuming the remnants of yajna; thus holy food, but actually the Rakshasa was still alive.

While within the stomach of the brahmana, the other brother who organized the feast would call out to the consumed goat. That Rakshasa would then burst out of the stomach of the brahmana, killing him. Who would be so degraded to think of such a game? Why trick people in this way?

Vatapi and Ilvala tried the same on Agastya Rishi one time. This would be the last instance. The goat indeed became dead in Agastya’s stomach. When the angry brother then rushed to get revenge, Agastya burned him to ashes with a single glance.

2. Speak false words

Another story from the Ramayana, there is the instance of Ravana’s visit to the hermitage in the Dandaka forest. The purpose was to take the wife of Shri Rama, Sita Devi. Ravana was an especially gifted Rakshasa. He had ten heads and twenty arms. He was the king of Lanka and feared throughout the world.

Despite being so powerful, he didn’t dare show his real form to Sita. He took that of a parivrajaka renunciant. This is something like a religious person who intentionally travels from place to place, begging for a living and also sharing the highest wisdom.

Sita Devi was friendly at first. This is her natural inclination, to be welcoming, especially to the brahmana community. The kindness was rewarded with physical force on the other side. Ravana could not maintain his false guise for long. He finally showed the dreaded ten-headed form and took Sita away by force, as she wanted nothing to do with him.

3. Display false images

Something like an apparition, Rakshasas can put on false displays of events. From the Ramayana and Shrimad Bhagavatam, we find instances of Rakshasas trying to dispirit their combatants. They would show the leader of the other side being killed.

In those cases the leaders were Krishna and Rama, who are different incarnations of the Supreme Lord. Thus it is impossible to actually fool either one of them. The atheists have this tendency, prevalent in modern times with the communist nations. Remove the faith in God in the public so that they will have no choice but to worship the state instead.

Even with these deceptive measures, those on the side of dharma get protection. Ravana would not win in the end. His false images would not deceive those who could see the actual Truth in front of them. Vatapi and Ilvala finally met their match.

In addition to the all-around good qualities emerging from bhakti-yoga practice, the devotion also invites the protection of the Supreme Lord. He is the strongest light to dissipate any degree of darkness, large or small.

In Closing:

Darkness to any degree,
Not against light to see.

Where the image dissipating,
Splendor of dharma irradiating.

Such with Agastya the Rakshasas against,
Who on deceitful game bent.

Or on battlefield dispiriting try,
But saints on Rama’s protection rely.

Three Reflections On The Avyakta-Murtina Reference In The Bhagavad-gita

“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.4)

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मया ततम् इदं सर्वं
जगद् अव्यक्त-मूर्तिना
मत्-स्थानि सर्व-भूतानि
न चाहं तेष्व् अवस्थितः

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

The master presenter. The leader of artistic minds. Capable of mixing different settings to create the greatest contrast. Giving one principle and then revealing a contradicting one moments thereafter. Resolving even the illogical through His brilliance. Offering the best achievement, the perfection of life, purusha-artha, through connection with Him.

That connection is known as yoga, and assimilating the direct words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna, is something like a meditative process. There are layers, wherein new understandings and meanings get uncovered the more a person becomes immersed in service to Bhagavan.

In one verse the Sanskrit term used is “avyakta-murtina.” The first word is actually a negation of another. Take the actual object or condition and then do a reverse. As darkness is the absence of light, so avyakta references that which is always there.

1. A way to show a difference between God and the living entities

A sober-minded person would never lump the Vedic tradition into the category of faith or ordinary religion. This is because of the deep philosophical foundation to the culture. Sure, there is the formal acknowledgment of God. Be a supposedly religious person in order to influence a better future. Sacrifice today for a better tomorrow.

At the same time, the more questions a person has, the more answers there are. For instance, what is the relationship between myself and God? How do I relate to other individuals struggling with the same doubts? Am I superior to the animals? What exactly is a living thing?

Shri Krishna explains that through the avyakta-murtina, He goes through the entire creation. God is in every sphere. Not a blade of grass moves without His sanction. He is never absent from any space. This entire collective also includes the living beings. In this way, everything is in Him.

At the same time, He is distinct. God is not one of the components to my existence. I have my hands, my legs, my arms, my face, etc. Those are parts of the body, and I am actually spirit soul. Still, I am limited to a specific area. I have nothing to do with your existence. You are independent from my way of living, also.

2. An intentional invocation to explain a superior concept

Avyakta-murtina is an intentional reference. Upon first consulting Vedic literature, there may be the confusion of equivalence. Since the spirit souls are equal, even amongst the animal community, perhaps I am the same as God. Maybe Divinity is actually the entire collection of spiritual beings, which are something like fragments. The Sanskrit word is amsha.

ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः।
मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति।।

mamaivāṃśo jīvaloke jīvabhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ।
manaḥṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛtisthāni karṣati।।

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.7)

By referring to the avyakta-murtina, Krishna explains that this is one of His features. That murti, or distinguishable object, which cannot be seen, avyakta. We know that it exists, though. No one will deny that there is a universe. They may not believe in an intelligent designer or a single identity as the source, but they cannot successfully argue against the existence of everything.

This abstract representation of the full is one way to understand God. He is the avyakta-murtina, but at the same time He is separate from it. If Krishna were the same to everyone, which would include the disciple Arjuna, who is the recipient of these words in the Bhagavad-gita, then He would specifically state that we are the avyakta-murtina. We would be the same as Him, except we just don’t realize it. That, in fact, is never stated, because it is not true.

3. There is a vyakta-murtina

As there is a murti which is unseen, there is also one that can be seen. Otherwise, the unseen would be the basis of the negation instead of the other way around. The vyakta-murtina is Krishna Himself. This is God the person. This is the original. In a single verse which describes the impersonal form, the Supreme Lord confirms that He is indeed a person.

The arguments of the impersonalists get refuted by two lines of Sanskrit, without a direct reference against them. The vyakta-murtina is thus also the ideal object of worship. If a person simply reads Bhagavad-gita with the intent of connecting with God, by thinking of Him delivering those words to Arjuna, they have succeeded in life.

In Closing:

Avyakta-murtina to use,
Words intentionally to choose.

So that anchor to another,
Meaning superior is the other.

A distinguishable feature where,
But pervading here and everywhere.

That Krishna as God the person to see,
Origin of spirit and matter is He.