Gita 7.18

Sadhak: "Krishna says the jnani is His 'very Self'—atmaiva. Isn't that blasphemous? How can a human be God's Self?"

Guru: "Not blasphemous—it's the ultimate teaching. The wave discovers it was always the ocean. Not that it becomes the ocean through effort, but that it was never anything else. The jnani's realization isn't 'I have become God' but 'I was never separate from God.' This is what 'atma' means—not a separate self that merges, but the recognition that there was only one Self all along."

Sadhak: "But 'me matam'—'in My opinion.' It sounds like even Krishna is uncertain, just expressing a view."

Guru: "Not uncertainty—intimacy. When you say 'in my view, my child is wonderful,' you're not expressing doubt but love. Krishna is sharing His direct experience: 'This is how I see it, from within the relationship.' It's personal testimony, not philosophical hypothesis. The Divine is saying: 'When I look at the jnani, I see Myself.'"

Sadhak: "If the jnani is Krishna's Self, what about the body? The jnani still has a human form."

Guru: "The form continues, but it's not who the jnani is. Like an actor in costume—the costume is there, but the actor knows they're not the costume. The jnani's body walks, eats, speaks—but the jnani knows themselves as the consciousness in which all forms appear, including their own body. This is 'yuktātmā'—united Self, not identified with the vehicle."

Sadhak: "'All these are noble'—so even the distressed and the wealth-seekers are noble? That's surprisingly generous."

Guru: "It is. Krishna doesn't create hierarchies of worth, only descriptions of depth. A first-grader and a PhD are both worthy students; one has simply gone further. 'Udara' means generous, magnanimous. Krishna is saying all seekers have a generosity of spirit—the willingness to turn beyond themselves toward the Divine. This itself is noble, regardless of where on the path they stand."

Sadhak: "'Anuttamam gatim'—the highest goal. But then what? If the jnani has reached the highest, is there nothing left?"

Guru: "Nothing left to seek. But existence continues—and for the liberated one, it becomes play, service, creative expression without ego. The jnani doesn't stop living; they stop efforting. They've reached the goalless goal, the destination that reveals the journey was always already home. What remains is not nothing but everything—experienced without the distortion of personal craving."

Sadhak: "I feel far from this. How do I even approach seeing myself as the Divine's Self?"

Guru: "Not by inflating ego but by investigating it. Ask: 'Who am I really? Is this body-mind what I truly am? What is aware of thoughts?' These inquiries dissolve false identification. As layers peel away, what remains is consciousness itself—pure, boundless, the very consciousness Krishna describes as His Self. You're not acquiring something new but uncovering what you've always been."

Sadhak: "But doesn't claiming 'I am God' lead to spiritual ego?"

Guru: "If the individual ego claims it, yes—that's inflation. But the jnani's statement isn't ego speaking. It's the recognition that there is no separate individual. It's not 'I (this person) am God' but 'There is only God, and what I took to be a separate self was always That.' The difference is everything. One inflates; the other dissolves. True jnanis are the humblest beings—they have no self left to defend."

Sadhak: "How would I know if I'm making progress toward jnana?"

Guru: "By the fading of seeking itself. The arta's seeking is desperate, the artharthi's is ambitious, the jijnasu's is curious. As you progress, seeking becomes quieter, less urgent. Moments of simple presence arise—not wanting anything, not going anywhere, just being. These glimpses are jnana peeking through. They deepen until they become your natural state. Then you'll know—not as information but as identity."