Gita 10.15
Vibhuti Yoga
स्वयमेवात्मनात्मानं वेत्थ त्वं पुरुषोत्तम | भूतभावन भूतेश देवदेव जगत्पते ||१५||
svayam evātmanātmānaṁ vettha tvaṁ puruṣottama | bhūta-bhāvana bhūteśa deva-deva jagat-pate ||15||
In essence: The ultimate privacy: God alone knows God - through God - as God. Every other knower is a subset trying to comprehend the whole.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "If only God knows God, then what am I even doing? All spiritual practice seems futile if I can never actually know."
Guru: "What kind of knowing are you seeking?"
Sadhak: "To understand God - to comprehend what the Divine actually is."
Guru: "And what would you do with such comprehension once you had it?"
Sadhak: "I... I suppose I'd feel satisfied, complete, certain."
Guru: "So you seek a certain inner state - satisfaction, completeness, certainty. Does that require comprehending God's infinite nature, or experiencing God's presence?"
Sadhak: "I never thought of it that way. Experience might be enough."
Guru: "The lover doesn't need to comprehend the beloved's DNA to be fulfilled in love. The child doesn't need to understand parental psychology to feel secure in a parent's arms. You cannot comprehend God - that's what this verse says. But you can experience God, love God, rest in God. The five names Arjuna uses aren't philosophical categories he's understood; they're aspects of the Beloved he's fallen in love with. Knowledge of God is not information; it's intimacy."
Sadhak: "That's a relief, actually. The pressure to 'understand' was exhausting."
Guru: "Release that pressure. You will never understand God. You can, however, be understood BY God - and in that being-known, find everything you were seeking."
Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.
🌅 Daily Practice
Release the need to comprehend: Begin your day by consciously setting aside the project of 'figuring out God.' Say: 'Today I release the pressure to understand and instead remain open to experience.' This frees tremendous energy usually spent in mental grasping. Let your spiritual practice be about presence rather than analysis.
Five-names awareness: Throughout the day, when you encounter different aspects of life, remember Krishna's names. Creating something? Remember Bhūta-bhāvana - all creativity comes from the Source of beings. Facing authority? Remember Bhūteśa - the Lord of beings is the only ultimate authority. Feeling overwhelmed by the world? Remember Jagat-pate - the Master of the universe has it handled. Let the names become lenses for seeing.
Self-knowledge reflection: Before sleep, consider: if you alone truly know yourself (and even that is limited), how much more does God alone know God? Sit with the mystery of divine self-knowledge. Rather than trying to penetrate it, rest in the wonder of it. Pray: 'As You know Yourself, please let me know You - not through my effort, but through Your revelation.' Sleep in that prayer.