Gita 9.11
Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga
अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाश्रितम् । परं भावमजानन्तो मम भूतमहेश्वरम् ॥
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam | paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mama bhūta-maheśvaram ||
In essence: To see only the form and miss the infinite behind it - this is the folly that keeps us spiritually blind.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "This sounds harsh - calling people 'fools' for not recognizing divinity. How would ordinary people know?"
Guru: "Do you think the word 'mūḍha' is harsh? Or is it simply accurate?"
Sadhak: "It seems judgmental. Not everyone has access to spiritual teachings."
Guru: "Krishna is not condemning anyone to punishment. He is describing a condition - like a doctor naming a disease. The mūḍha state is universal ignorance, not moral failure. Would you prefer a teaching that pretends everyone is already enlightened?"
Sadhak: "No, but... recognizing divinity in human form is genuinely difficult. Even Arjuna needed the cosmic vision."
Guru: "Exactly. And that's why Krishna is teaching - to transform the mūḍha state into wisdom. But tell me, what prevents recognition? What creates the inability to see?"
Sadhak: "The senses show only the physical. How can eyes see what is beyond form?"
Guru: "Ah! So the problem is relying exclusively on sensory data. The eyes show form; but what perceives through those eyes? Can that perceiving itself recognize its own nature in another?"
Sadhak: "You mean... the consciousness in me is the same as the consciousness in Krishna?"
Guru: "Now you are no longer mūḍha! The recognition happens when consciousness recognizes itself, not when eyes see a body. This is why devotion, meditation, and self-inquiry help - they shift attention from object to subject."
Sadhak: "So every person I meet is also God in human form?"
Guru: "Can it be otherwise? If Krishna is bhūta-maheśvara - the Lord of ALL beings - where would any being exist outside that lordship? The question is only: do you perceive this, or do you see only the human form?"
Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.
🌅 Daily Practice
Begin with the intention to look beyond form today. As you encounter people - family, colleagues, strangers - silently practice: 'Behind this form is the same consciousness that I call Divine.' This is not about pretending everyone's behavior is divine, but recognizing the shared essence beneath all appearances.
When you feel irritated or dismissive toward someone, pause and notice: 'Am I seeing only their form, only their personality, only their mistakes? What am I missing by this limited vision?' This is the practice of counter-acting the mūḍha tendency in real-time. You don't have to approve of behavior to recognize being.
Reflect on your own form in a mirror or simply in awareness. See how you typically identify with body, personality, history - all 'form.' Then ask: 'What is the para bhāva - the transcendental nature - that I am beyond all these forms?' Rest in the recognition that the same blindness that misses Krishna's divine nature also misses your own. Seeing yourself truly enables seeing others truly.