The sixty-third in a series of talks by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) on the Bhagavad Gita, India’s most famous scripture: the unforgettable dialog between Sri Krishna and Arjuna about the essence of spiritual life.
In this talk, starting with Chapter 13:27, Swamiji discusses the transcendent state where one sees all as a manifestation of God, not as an idea, but as an actual experience.
Here are the Gita verses (13:27–13:32) covered in this talk:
The one who truly sees is he
Who ever sees the Supreme Lord
Existing equally in all
Beings, deathless in the dying. (27)
Since seeing the Lord equally
Existing ev’rywhere in all,
He injures not the Self by Self,
Then goes unto the Supreme Goal. (28)
The one who truly sees is he
Who sees that all actions are done
Solely by Prakriti alone,
And that the Self is actionless. (29)
He sees the sep’rate existence
Of all inherent in the One,
And their expansion from That One–
He then becomes one with Brahman. (30)
Being without beginning and
Devoid of gunas, unchanging,
This Supreme Self, though embodied,
Does not act, and is not tainted. (31)
As the all-pervading ether,
Through subtlety is not tainted,
The Self seated in the body
Is not tainted in any case. (32)
Here’s a summary of Swamiji’s talk on Seeing the Lord in All:
In this 63rd talk on the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Nirmalananda Giri explores the profound realization of seeing the Supreme Lord equally present in all beings, transcending death and the illusions of the lower self.
He explains that the divine self (Atma), an extension of God, is immortal and unchanging, existing within everyone and everything, despite the apparent demise of physical forms.
True seeing—beyond mere belief or intuition—reveals this unity and equality, freeing one from the cycle of birth and death. The talk contrasts the higher self (pure spirit) with the lower self (mind, body, and senses), emphasizing that attachment to the latter binds and harms consciousness, while perceiving all actions as performed by Prakriti (nature) under divine will leads to liberation.
The ultimate goal is attaining Brahman, the eternal, untainted supreme self, by recognizing all existence as an expansion of the One and living with the intent to return to that divine source.
Main Points:
- Divine Presence in All: The Supreme Lord exists equally in all beings as the divine self (Atma), an extension of God, finite yet divine, underscoring our inherent godlike nature.
- Immortality of the Self: The true self does not die when the body dies; realizing this immortality is key to truly seeing, as opposed to merely believing or feeling it intuitively.
- Equality in Divinity: Everything holds equal value in the absolute sense, with God omnipresent; this vision elevates one beyond superficial distinctions.
- Grieving and Detachment: Grieving the death of loved ones is natural and valid, yet one must realize death is insignificant in the eternal scope, as all pass through it without affecting the divine self.
- Higher vs. Lower Self: The higher self (pure spirit) is untouched by the lower self (body, mind, senses); attachment to the latter harms consciousness by binding it to illusion and misery.
- Seeing Beyond Ego: Pretending to see divinity without true realization is ego-driven; only a yogi who authentically perceives this truth progresses toward the supreme goal.
- Actions by Prakriti: All actions stem from Prakriti (nature) and karma, not the self; recognizing the self as a non-doer, with God as the ultimate cause, reveals the sole truth.
- Unity in Diversity: Perceiving all states of being as rooted in and expanding from the One (God) leads to attaining Brahman, the eternal supreme self beyond qualities.
- Untainted Nature of the Self: Like the all-pervading ether (akasha), the self remains untainted by the body or actions, despite dwelling within it, emphasizing its purity and transcendence.
- Repentance as Return: True repentance is not self-pity but a turning back to the divine source, rejecting the illusion of the lower self and aligning with one’s destiny as a spirit.
- The Yogi’s Journey: The yogi consciously chooses to “go home” to God, leaving the cycle of birth and death behind, with a one-way commitment to liberation.
- Living the Truth: Examples of integrity (e.g., the honest businessman) and aspiration (e.g., the hymn “After”) illustrate living in alignment with the divine, leading to fulfillment beyond death.
The talk concludes with a call to embody this yogic vision and a recommendation to read Swami Nirmalananda’s book, The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening, for practical guidance on this spiritual path.
