The Bhagavad Gita is a 2 hour conversation between Vishnu, in the personage of Lord Krishna, and a great, highly intelligent, deeply sensitive, archer named Arjuna. Arjuna poses excellent questions of Lord Krishna about what he is about to do in the heat of battle against many of his respected teachers and relatives. This conversation takes place in the middle of this battlefield prior to war.
In this discussion Lord Krishna, driven by Arjuna’s profound questions, delivers a gigantic tranche of high knowledge about enlightenment that sages are still writing commentary about today. Over the roughly 5,000 years since that monumental event, commentary on the Bhagavad Gita has become a standard of consciousness development for those who have attempted commentary on the text.
No book has ever been written before or since containing the depth and breathe of this level of knowledge. Mainly, because no one has a better understanding of enlightenment that has chosen to speak on the subject beyond Lord Vishnu. If one really wants to know all there is to know about enlightenment they will find themselves humbly at the threshold of this study, no matter what their level of consciousness experience.
I write this to shine a spotlight on this work. A work that's designed to remind us of the value in undertaking the search for our truest nature both as individuals and as a civilization.
In my opinion, for the true seeker of knowledge, the study of the Bhagavad Gita, the words of Lord Krishna, is the pinnacle of knowledge.
In the previous two blogs I identified 3 iconic sections of the Gita that I feel denotes 3 very distinct evolutions in consciousness development. Each of these states are in the field of enlightenment. So, even the mastery of the 1st level of awareness is a great achievement. It would be easy for a seeker to uncover the wisdom in chapter 2 v 45 and experience, Liberation. Yes, with a capital “L”. Being without the 3 gunas ... possessed of the Self (atmavan), resting in Atma is indeed a great attainment. The only reason I am writing more is because the knowledge that Lord Krishna reveals, doesn’t end there and internally I am compelled to honor the knowledge for some reason. The knowledge and the speaker of the knowledge, demand to be heard. As such, I find myself unfolding this cognition.
The instructions in chapter 2 v 45 takes the seeker from living life driven by the small self, an ego based reality, to living life driven by big Self, a divine based reality. For most of us that is phenomenal. However, there are layers to this reality. Initially, it’s felt as almost a bubble of awareness extending around us for maybe 10 to 20 feet in diameter but over time that bubble is sometimes known to be considerably larger with a depth of endless unfoldments within it. A strange thing happens. You begin to know your divine nature as very large but the rest of the world outside of Self is separate from your internal reality. However, one day that outside world becomes known to your infinite expanded Self as “another” infinite expanded Self. Both these infinities then look at each other and literally fall in love.
Some have described this as the divine worshipper meeting the divine worshipped, God for short. Haha. This is such a beautiful time. Your glorious grand Self finds someone or something that really knows It’s own nature, completely. It’s the best that a relationship can be. It’s the highest of relationships. But then the relationship ends. It ends in both infinities merging into one magnificent infinity. The relationship is no more.
When waking up to this some say, “Where did my God go?” We realize that the very essence of our Atma, our Self, is identical to the very essence of the Self of God. No difference. No separation. Perfect Oneness. Self has now grown to encompass everything. This state of awareness is expressed in chapter 6 v 32 of the Gita. “He who sees evenness everywhere by comparison (analogous to) their own Self... Is thought to be the highest yogi.”
In the commentary to the Bhagavad Gita by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi he speaks clearly about this transformation of consciousness. He states, “... the link of worship, of adoration and devotion, finds fulfillment in its own extinction, leaving worshipper and worshipped, together in perfect oneness...”
This is clearly a state beyond devotion. When experienced, one alternates between one’s own individualized Self and the Self of God, being unsure who is observing and performing at any given moment.
What could be greater than this? Many sages have ended it here. However, it seems consciousness isn’t finished developing. One more major discovery remains.
I have personally named this awareness the pinnacle of “white enlightenment” or “white transcendence” as opposed to “dark enlightenment” or dark transcendence”. One is the epitome of Everything - All Light - White Transcendence. The other is the epitome of Nothing-ness - No Light - Dark Transcendence. I found support for this experience in the words of Lord Krishna in chapter 13 v 12, “It is the beginningless (anadimat) highest (param) brahman, that it is said (ucyate) to be not (na) existence (sat) nor (na) non-existence (asat).”
So, the highest brahman is not existence nor non-existence. I love this. We are now looking at consciousness from the standpoint of negation. Not this. Not that. As such, providing knowledge by way of no limits.
Many have described the ultimate state by what Its not, leaving Its description as un-named. Like, the Un-created, Un-changed, Un-bounded, Attribute-less, In-finite, Im-perishable.
This opens the door to the realm of Nothing-ness as the basis or highest state, this dark transcendence phenomenon. A state absent of Everything. Even Maharishi had touched on this awareness terming it the “Fullness of Emptiness” as opposed to the “Fullness of Fullness”. He related this to the first two letters of the first verse of the first Veda, RK Veda. The first letter is “A” (Ah) meaning Full Open. The second letter is “K” (Ka) meaning Full Close. Full Open the Fullness of Fullness. Full Close the Fullness of Emptiness.
So from two impeccable sources, the words of Lord Krishna chapter 13 v 12 “not existence nor non-existence” and the first two letters of RK Veda, “A” and “K”, we see evidence of the Fullness of Fullness and the the Fullness of Emptiness.
To finish this exposition I’d like to turn back to the Bhagavad Gita chapter 13 v 18 where Lord Krishna states, “Thus the field (ksetram), knowledge and the object of knowledge have been briefly described. My devotee (madbhaktas) understanding this arrive into My state of being.”
This is so very beautiful. In this statement Lord Krishna is both describing a process of achievement and compassionately extending an invitation to be joined, somehow blending devotion and oneness. No more need be said. Simply rest in the experience. May the influence of these divine waves of knowledge penetrate deeply into your core.
copyright © jim rocca, 2020