Gita 15.10
Purushottama Yoga
उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम् | विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः ||१०||
utkrāmantaṁ sthitaṁ vāpi bhuñjānaṁ vā guṇānvitam | vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti paśyanti jñāna-cakṣuṣaḥ ||10||
In essence: The deluded do not perceive the soul departing, dwelling, or experiencing while accompanied by the gunas—but those with the eye of knowledge see.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "I have eyes—why can't I see the soul the way I see the body?"
Guru: "Physical eyes see physical objects. The soul is not physical—it is the seer itself. Can your eyes see themselves? The soul is perceived not by turning the eyes outward but by turning attention inward, by recognizing the awareness that is looking through those eyes. This is 'jñāna-cakṣus'—knowledge-vision, introspective discernment."
Sadhak: "How do the wise 'see' the soul departing at death? Do they see something leaving the body?"
Guru: "Not with physical sight, but with understanding. They know that what made the body alive was the soul's presence; what makes it dead is the soul's departure. They perceive the principle, not a visible ghost. More importantly, they see the soul in themselves—they know what they are—and therefore recognize it in others. Wisdom about the self is wisdom about all selves."
Sadhak: "Can I develop this eye of knowledge?"
Guru: "It is developing in you right now, through study, through inquiry, through moments of self-recognition. Each time you distinguish yourself from your thoughts, each time you notice awareness rather than being lost in contents, the jñāna-cakṣus strengthens. It is not a sudden acquisition but a gradual clearing of the eye that was always present but clouded by identification."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Upon waking, before looking at the world, recognize the awareness that is waking. This is using jñāna-cakṣus first thing: seeing the 'seer' before seeing objects. A moment of self-recognition at dawn sets the pattern for the day.
When encountering others, practice seeing beyond the body-personality. Not as an esoteric exercise but as recognition: 'This being, like me, is an eternal fragment dwelling in a body, experiencing through the gunas.' This shifts your relationship from personality-to-personality to soul-to-soul. You begin to 'see' what the deluded miss.
Before sleep, the body is about to become temporarily 'utkrāmantam'—departed from waking consciousness. Notice: something will persist through sleep, knowing you slept. That is the soul. Sleep is practice for perceiving what continues when the body-mind-personality 'departs' into unconsciousness. See it now, and you develop the eye of knowledge for the final departure.