Gita 13.22
Kshetra Kshetragna Vibhaga Yoga
उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः | परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुषः परः ||२२||
upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ | paramātmeti cāpy ukto dehe 'smin puruṣaḥ paraḥ ||22||
In essence: Within this body dwells the Supreme—the witness, permitter, sustainer, experiencer, great Lord, the Paramatman.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "Are you saying that my witnessing consciousness is God? That seems presumptuous."
Guru: "Not presumptuous—the Gita's direct statement. The witness in you is not separate from the Supreme Witness. Your individual sense of 'I am' is a ripple on the ocean of 'I AM' that is Maheshvara. The presumption would be to claim your limited ego is God. But recognizing that the awareness which knows your ego is divine—that is simply acknowledging reality."
Sadhak: "If God is the 'anumantā'—the permitter—does that mean He sanctions evil acts too?"
Guru: "He permits free will, which includes the freedom to choose wrongly. Permitting is not approving. A parent may permit a child to make a mistake as part of learning, without approving of the mistake. The Lord gives beings freedom; what they do with that freedom is their choice. But every choice has consequences. The anumantā witnesses and permits, then the law of karma responds."
Sadhak: "How can the same being be both witness and experiencer? The witness doesn't engage; the experiencer does."
Guru: "The paradox resolves at higher levels of understanding. At the individual level, witnessing and experiencing seem separate: 'I watch' versus 'I feel.' At the cosmic level, the Supreme contains both. He witnesses all universes like a dreamer watching dreams, yet He also experiences through every being. He is the actor in every role and the audience watching every performance. This is the mystery of divine presence: utterly transcendent, yet completely immanent."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Divine witness recognition: Upon waking, before identifying with your name and story, rest in simple awareness. This awareness—present, observing, unchanged by what it observes—is not merely yours. It is the Paramatman, the upadrashtā. Begin the day from this recognition: God sees through these eyes.
Anumantā practice: When faced with choices, pause and recognize the permission being granted. You have freedom—not freedom from consequences, but freedom to choose. This freedom is the Lord's gift as anumantā. Use it wisely, knowing that the same Lord who permits will also witness your choice and its fruits.
Bhartā gratitude: Reflect on all that sustained you today—breath, heartbeat, food, relationships. Behind all these supports is the bhartā, the ultimate sustainer. Feel gratitude not just for the supports but for the Supporter. This shifts the sense of 'my effort' to 'His grace.' Sleep knowing the sustainer never sleeps; the support continues through the night.