Gita 9.5
Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga
न च मत्स्थानि भूतानि पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् । भूतभृन्न च भूतस्थो ममात्मा भूतभावनः ॥
na ca mat-sthāni bhūtāni paśya me yogam aiśvaram | bhūta-bhṛn na ca bhūta-stho mamātmā bhūta-bhāvanaḥ ||
In essence: Behold the supreme paradox: I sustain all beings yet remain untouched by them - the ocean holds the wave but is not held by it.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "But this contradicts what Krishna just said! First everything is in Him, now nothing is in Him. Which is true?"
Guru: "Both are true - that's exactly the point. Tell me, when you dream at night, where do all the dream objects exist?"
Sadhak: "In my mind, I suppose. In my consciousness during sleep."
Guru: "Good. And yet, does any dream object actually occupy space in your mind? Can you find a dream mountain taking up room in your brain?"
Sadhak: "No... the dream objects feel real but they don't have actual substance. They appear in consciousness but consciousness isn't 'full' of them."
Guru: "Exactly. The dream world exists IN you, yet doesn't really rest in you. You contain it without being a container. You sustain it without being affected by it. This is a small taste of what Krishna describes."
Sadhak: "But in the dream I'm affected! If there's a dream tiger, I feel fear."
Guru: "The dream-you feels fear. But the sleeper lying in bed - is that person actually in danger? When you wake up, did the tiger ever touch the real you?"
Sadhak: "No. The sleeper was always safe, always untouched. Only the dream character was affected."
Guru: "Now you glimpse the divine yoga. Krishna as Brahman is like the sleeper - the entire universe is His dream. He 'sustains' it all, gives it apparent reality, yet is never actually touched by any of it. And here's the secret - you too are that sleeper, not the dream character you take yourself to be."
Sadhak: "If I'm the untouched witness, why do I feel so bound and suffering?"
Guru: "Because you're identified with the dream character instead of resting as the dreamer. That's the only 'bondage' - a case of mistaken identity. Krishna shows His divine yoga so you might recognize your own."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Upon waking, before engaging with the day, spend a few moments noticing the transition from dream to waking. Reflect: 'I was just sustaining an entire dream world - people, places, events - yet none of it was actually IN me. The same consciousness now sustains this waking world. Today I practice remembering: I contain all experiences without being a container; I sustain all that arises without being affected.' Let this set the tone for a day of engaged detachment.
When caught up in strong emotions or stressful situations, pause and apply the paradox to yourself: 'This experience is appearing in my awareness. Yet where exactly is it? Can I find where awareness ends and the experience begins? Like Krishna, I am bhūta-bhṛt (sustaining this moment) yet not bhūta-stha (not actually lodged in or damaged by it).' This isn't denial of experience but recognition of your true relationship to it.
Before sleep, review the day's experiences without judgment: all the thoughts, encounters, successes, failures. Then recognize: 'All of this appeared in awareness. None of it could exist apart from consciousness. Yet consciousness itself - what I truly am - remains exactly as it was before any experience arose. Tomorrow's experiences will be the same.' Fall asleep contemplating the divine yoga: presence that holds all while being held by nothing.