Gita Series – 76: Bhagavad Gita Chapter -VI. Verses 31 – 32

“The yogi who worships Me by establishing his unity with Me knowing Me as the one who prevails in all the beings, abides in Me, irrespective of his way of living. Arjuna! The yogi who considers every being as his own self, looks upon the pleasure and pain of others as his own, is considered as the best among the yogis.”

Krishna gradually begins his teachings on the the advanced stages of yoga. As already discussed, yoga means, the union of self with the Self. It can also be explained as the union of individual awareness with universal consciousness or cosmic consciousness. It is all about understanding the omnipresent nature of the Lord. By persistent practice and with a focused mind, Self can be realised. When this realization happens, which normally happens in a fraction of second, the yogi undergoes complete transformation, as a result of which he discards his worldly attachments and always stands submerged in the bliss that unfolds automatically as a consequence of understanding the Self within. All these three aspects, realization, emergence of bliss and submergence in bliss happen in a sequential manner and in quick succession. When it is said that an aspirant is in a blissful state, it means that he has already experienced the previous two stages.

The way of living of such a yogi does not matter. One day he may live in a cozy place and the next day he may live in an open space. Any type of living does not affect him, as he has already chosen to ignore his body except for the purpose of encasing his soul within. He knows well that his soul will leave his body at the appointed time. He thinks beyond his body. The knowledge and experience that he has gained, makes him to differentiate between Imperishable and perishable. Having understood the Reality, he decides to concentrate on the Imperishable, the Brahman.

Realization is not complete without understanding the omnipresent and omnipotent nature of the Lord. This yogi fully understands that what exists in him also exists in all other beings as well. Typically, he is not able to differentiate between others and his own self. He has developed this attitude because he has clearly realised the Lord and His omnipresence. This attitude automatically blossoms forth, if Self realization is complete in all respects. At this stage, the yogi has become a perfect yogi without any blemishes whatsoever. This perfect yogi always worships the Brahman internally and externally, as the Brahman is omnipresent. Krishna calls this yogi as the supreme among the yogis.

Further Readings:

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter VI. 33 - 34

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter VI. 28 - 30

E-Book - Bhagavad Gita - Chapters I and II