Gita 13.16

Kshetra Kshetragna Vibhaga Yoga

बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च | सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत् ||१६||

bahir antaś ca bhūtānām acaraṁ caram eva ca | sūkṣmatvāt tad avijñeyaṁ dūra-sthaṁ cāntike ca tat ||16||

In essence: Brahman is both inside and outside all beings, both still and moving; too subtle to be known by the mind, yet both infinitely far and intimately near.

A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply

Sadhak-Guru Dialogue

Sadhak: "Guru ji, how can Brahman be both moving and unmoving simultaneously?"

Guru: "Consider the screen in a movie theater. On it, action occurs—cars crash, people run, worlds explode. But has the screen moved? All movement appears on the unmoving ground. Brahman is the ultimate screen—all cosmic motion plays on IT while IT remains still."

Sadhak: "And far yet near?"

Guru: "Far in the sense that the mind cannot reach it. You cannot travel to Brahman—every destination is already in Brahman. Near because there's nowhere to go: your own awareness IS Brahman. The farthest journey ends where you already are."

Sadhak: "If it's so near, why don't I experience it?"

Guru: "You DO experience it—you experience nothing else! Every experience is Brahman experiencing. But you don't RECOGNIZE it because you're looking for something exotic when it's utterly ordinary—the awareness reading these words right now."

Sadhak: "Too subtle to comprehend—is it then beyond all knowledge?"

Guru: "Beyond conceptual knowledge, yes. The mind grasps objects; Brahman is the ultimate subject. But it's known directly as oneself. The eye cannot see itself, but it doesn't need to—it IS the seeing. Similarly, Brahman cannot be known as an object but is known as the knower."

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🌅 Daily Practice

🌅 Morning

Recognize: 'Brahman is not somewhere to reach. It is here, now, as the very awareness in which this moment arises.' Stop seeking outside.

☀️ Daytime

Notice the paradox in experience: things move, yet something in you remains still, witnessing all movement. Abide as that stillness while life moves through.

🌙 Evening

Contemplate: 'The subtlest presence is the most obvious when I stop looking for something exotic. My own being, this simple awareness—this is what all the teachings point to.'

Common Questions

If Brahman is unknowable (avijneya), why does Krishna say 'knowing which one attains immortality'?

There are two kinds of knowing: objective (grasping something) and subjective (being something). Brahman cannot be grasped as an object but can be 'known' by recognizing it as your own nature. This recognition is liberating knowledge, though it transcends subject-object knowledge.

What's the point of saying it's outside and inside when it's everywhere?

To dissolve the illusion of boundaries. We think 'I' am here and 'world' is there. Inside/outside implies a boundary. Brahman being both dissolves that boundary—there is no inside separate from outside. The sense of enclosed selfhood is the illusion to be transcended.

Is Brahman's subtlety why scientific instruments can't detect it?

Yes—but not because it's small or hidden. Instruments detect objects; Brahman is not an object. You cannot photograph consciousness because the camera sees by consciousness. Similarly, no instrument can detect that which makes all instruments function. Subtlety here means 'beyond objectification.'

← Verse 13.15 Verse 13.17 →