Gita 6.31

Sadhak: "This verse seems to say that it doesn't matter what a yogi does externally—only their internal state matters. But doesn't that justify any behavior? Someone could claim they're 'established in oneness' while living selfishly or even harmfully."

Guru: "Can someone truly established in oneness act harmfully? If you genuinely see yourself in all beings, harming them would be harming yourself. The realization itself makes harmful action impossible—not because of moral rules but because of perceived reality. It's like asking, 'Can someone who knows fire is hot deliberately put their hand in it?' The knowledge prevents the action. Those who justify harmful behavior by claiming oneness reveal that their claim is merely conceptual, not experiential."

Sadhak: "But how can I know if someone—or myself—has genuinely reached this state versus just believing they have?"

Guru: "By the fruits. Genuine oneness-perception manifests as spontaneous compassion, absence of personal agenda, equal treatment of all, unshakeable peace regardless of circumstances. If someone claims oneness but displays favoritism, reacts with anger when criticized, seeks personal gain at others' expense—their claim is self-deception. And for yourself: you know if your perception of oneness is real or imagined. Imagination still leaves you feeling separate; realization doesn't."

Sadhak: "The verse says 'sarvathā vartamāno 'pi'—however they may be living. Does this mean I don't need to change my external life for spiritual progress? Can I pursue wealth, pleasure, status and still be a yogi?"

Guru: "This verse speaks of the realized state, not the path to it. For the realized yogi, external circumstances become irrelevant—they could live in a palace or a cave, in society or in solitude, and their inner state would not change. But notice: they reached this state through practice. Before realization, your external circumstances do affect your inner state. The question is not 'can I pursue wealth and still be a yogi' but 'what actually helps me progress toward the oneness Krishna describes?' Usually, simplification helps. But once oneness is established, complexity is no longer a hindrance."

Sadhak: "What does it mean to 'worship' the Divine in all beings practically? I can't go around bowing to everyone."

Guru: "Worship here means recognition, not ritual. When you look at anyone—friend, stranger, enemy—and recognize the same Consciousness looking back through their eyes, that is worship. When you treat their welfare as your own, that is worship. When you listen to someone with full presence, that is worship. The form is ordinary; the perception transforms it. You're not adding religiosity to your interactions; you're recognizing what's actually present in them."

Sadhak: "How can the Divine be in all beings equally when beings behave so differently—some kindly, some cruelly?"

Guru: "Is electricity present equally in a lamp and a toaster even though they function differently? The same energy powers different expressions. Similarly, the same Consciousness animates all beings, but conditioning, karma, evolution create different expressions. The cruel person is Consciousness covered by more layers of ignorance than the kind person, but Consciousness itself is identical. Seeing oneness doesn't mean seeing sameness of behavior; it means seeing sameness of essential nature beneath all behavioral differences."

Sadhak: "The verse ends with 'sa yogī mayi vartate'—'that yogi dwells in Me.' What exactly does dwelling in the Divine mean?"

Guru: "Consider where you dwell now. You dwell in your thoughts—you're identified with the stream of mental activity. You dwell in your desires—they define your experience. You dwell in your sense of separate self. 'Dwelling in the Divine' means your center of gravity has shifted. Instead of being located in the small self, you're located in the infinite. Your experience arises from the Divine as source, the Divine as substance, the Divine as context. It's not about going somewhere; it's about recognizing where you already are but weren't noticing."

Sadhak: "Is this state available to me, living in the modern world with job, family, responsibilities?"

Guru: "This verse specifically addresses your concern: 'sarvathā vartamāno 'pi'—however one may be living. Krishna doesn't say 'the monk in a cave dwells in Me' but 'the yogi who perceives oneness dwells in Me, whatever their external life.' Your job, family, responsibilities are not obstacles to this realization; they are the very field in which you practice seeing the One in all. The Divine is present in your workplace, your home, your relationships—waiting to be recognized. The only question is whether you're looking."