Gita 13.33
Kshetra Kshetragna Vibhaga Yoga
यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते | सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते ||३३||
yathā sarva-gataṁ saukṣmyād ākāśaṁ nopalipyate | sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate ||33||
In essence: Just as all-pervading space remains untainted due to its subtlety, so the Self in the body remains untainted.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "But I feel pain when the body is hurt. Doesn't that show the Self is affected?"
Guru: "Pain is a signal in the nervous system—a modification of prakriti. The mind registers it and the ego claims it: 'I am in pain.' But the witness of pain—the awareness that knows pain is happening—isn't itself painful. Next time you experience pain, look for the awareness that knows the pain. That awareness is untroubled. The trouble is in what it's observing, not in the observer."
Sadhak: "The space analogy is helpful, but space seems truly nothing. Is the Self also nothing?"
Guru: "Space seems like nothing from a gross perspective—it can't be touched or measured. But space is the most fundamental element; without space, nothing could exist. Similarly, the Self seems like nothing to the object-seeking mind—you can't grasp it, measure it, locate it. But without the Self, no experience would be possible. The Self is not nothing; it's the no-thing that makes everything possible."
Sadhak: "If space isn't affected by fire or garbage, and the Self isn't affected by body or karma, why do I experience karma as mine?"
Guru: "Because of misidentification. Space doesn't claim the fire as 'my burning.' But the jiva, identified with the body-mind, claims karma as 'my karma.' The claiming is the problem, not the karma itself. When identification ends, karma continues to mature for the body-mind, but the Self knows: 'This is happening to the body, not to me.' The space never stopped being clear; it was always clear. You were always free."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Space meditation: Sit quietly and sense the space in the room—not objects, but the space holding objects. Now sense the space inside your body—the space in chest, belly, head. Recognize: this space is untouched by body conditions. Now sense awareness as even subtler than this space—untouched by mental conditions too.
Subtlety practice: When something 'affects' you—an irritation, an attraction—ask: 'Is awareness affected, or is a thought affected?' The thought may be irritated; awareness remains clear. Practice resting as the subtle awareness rather than the affected thought-stream.
Untainted review: Before sleep, recall challenging moments from the day. For each, recognize: 'The body-mind experienced this. The space-like awareness witnessed it unchanged.' Let this recognition release the residue of the day. You—as awareness—were never contaminated. Sleep clean.