The Universal Approach in the Gītā

[Full title: A value base concept of the Universal Approach in the Gītā]

The Śrīmadbhagavadgītā teaches us to see all human beings and all creatures as equal. While elucidating the mystery of the all-pervading supreme Soul, lord Kṛṣṇa says that the Brahman manifests himself through all the living beings and non-living objects of this universe. Therefore, a spiritually developed individual sees the Brahman in the entire creation. All the living beings and inanimate objects have been considered by a wise person as the varied manifestations of the Supreme Being. This Supreme Being is eternal, difficult to be known unmanifest, all-pervading, super-sensible, beyond the purview of the three guṇas, and also omniscient and the substratum of pure bliss. A self-realised person, therefore, sees the all pervading Brahman in the all creatures and objects of this universe.

According to the Gītā–

“ye tv akṣram anirdeśyam avyaktaṃ paryupāsate
sarvatra-gam acintyaṃ ca kūṭa-stham acalaṃ dhruvam.”^[1]

“sanniyamyendriya-grāmaṃ sarvatra sama-buddhayaḥ
te prāpnuvanti mām eva sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ.”^[2]

The Gītā says that having obtained real knowledge, the ignorance has not been deluded anyone. In the light of that knowledge one can see that all living beings are the manifestation of the Supreme Being and see the entire creation within their own Self.^[3] The person whose mind has been established in sameness and equanimity conquers the condition of birth and death. He becomes flawless like the Brahman and thus he has already been established in the Brahman. All the possibilities of bondage have been destroyed when the mind attains perfect evenness.^[4]

In the Gītā, Kṛṣṇa explains that, the person, who can see that God stays in everyone’s heart as Super Soul (paramātmā), then he can see all human beings and all creatures as equal. In other words, the Gītā teaches that all creatures are the creation of God and so all of them should be treated as equal. If one can treat every creature as the part ‘aṃsa’ of the paramātmā then he can be said to have attained the status of Godhood. The yogi (wise) follows equality because; he sees that all living entities, in all circumstances remain the servant of God. While in the material energy, the living entity serves the material senses and while in the spiritual energy, serves the Supreme Lord directly. In either case, the living entity is the servant of God. 

This vision of equality is perfect in all human-beings. In this sense, the Gītā utters—

“sarva-bhūta-stham ātmānaṃ sarva-bhūtani cātmani
īkṣate yoga-yuktātmā sarvatra sama-darśanaḥ.”^[5]

A person, who sees god everywhere, cannot treat others in a bad way. He can appreciate an intimate relationship between the lord and the devotee and as such, he can never indulge in cruel behaviour with any other person or creature. The lord even can’t keep out of the sight of the devotee and the devotee also can visualize the lord every moment.^[6]

Such a yogi, who has reached oneness and loves all living-beings, that Yogin, wherever he lives and acts, remain always in God in all circumstances.^[7] He, who sees that whatever is pleasant to himself is pleasant to all creatures, and that whatever is a painful to himself is painful to all living-beings is a perfectly realized soul. Thus, anyone who realises that what is pleasure or pain to himself is alike the pleasure or pain to all living creatures, he never causes the pain to others; he is harmless. The wise who does not do any harm to others, and devoted to right knowledge, is regarded as the highest among all Yogins. 

According to the Gītā–

“ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṃ paśyati yo'rjuna
sukhaṃ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṃ sa yogi paramo mataḥ.”^[8]

In the Śrīmadbhagavadgītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa says that ‘He’ i.e. the Supreme Soul is the source of origin and the dissolution of the whole universe. There is nothing else higher than ‘Him’. Everything rest upon ‘Him’ as pearls are strung on a thread.^[9] He has asked Arjuna to know ‘Him’ as the eternal seed of all beings; He is the intelligence of the intelligent and the bravery of the brave.

This entire universe is pervaded by the Lord. So, the Gītā says:

“gatir bhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṃ suhṛt
prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṃ nidhānaṃ bījam avyayam”^[10]

(I am the goal, the sustainers, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the dearest friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed.)^[11]

The Supreme Brahman, termed Vāsudeva in particular context, is the source of the whole world. Form ‘Him’ alone evolves the whole universe in all its changes, including existence and disappearance, actions, effects and enjoyments. The wise, who knows the Supreme Reality, remains ardently engaged in the contemplation of ‘Him’. The wise thinks that there is no being, whether moving or unmoving, who sees different from the God. Therefore, the wise behold that Brahman in every being treats them as none other than Brahman.

According to the Śrīmadbhagavadgītā, the qualifications of Lord’s dear devotees are–“one who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a master and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, whose mind and intelligence fixed in God—such a devotee is very dear to God.”^[12] Here also, the evenness has been clearly depicted.

In the Gītā, the Lord teaches one to nurture the feelings of universal brotherhood while describing the transcendental qualifications of a pure devotee, Lord Kṛṣṇa reveals this, that, a devotee must be “nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ” i.e., he must be free from the sense of ownership and egoism. He must not be guided by the feelings of ‘mine’ and ‘thine’. The bhakta of the Purusottama is one who has a universal outlook. A universal love dwells in his heart, a universal compassion flows from it like an encompassing sea. He will have friendship for all beings and hate for no living beings. He is patient, long suffering, enduring, a repository of forgiveness. A pure devotee is never disturbed in any circumstances, nor is he envious of anyone.

A true worshipper of God treats everyone as equal, loves all as the manifestation of God. He does not like to put anyone into difficulty, anxiety, fearfulness or dissatisfaction. The wise, whose heart has been filled with universalism, likes to satisfy all. He acts such a way that no one is put into anxiety or trouble. At the same time, the devotee is so devoted to the God that if anyone tries to put him into anxiety, he has not been disturbed. He is always engaged in devotional service, therefore, greed for money or material prosperity can neither entice him nor can the adverse circumstances move him a bit.

Generally, a materialistic person becomes very happy when there is something for his sense-gratification and his physical and mental pleasure, but when he sees that others have something for their sense gratification and he does not own the same, he becomes sorry and envious. When he is expecting some retaliation from an enemy, he is in a state of fear and when he cannot successfully execute something he becomes dejected. A devotee, who is never disturbed by all these allurements and disturbances, is very dear to God.^[13] Thus, the Bhagavadgītā teaches a person to be ‘sthitaprajña’ and a lover of all creatures of this world.

We often see that in human society, sometimes someone is praised and sometimes one is defamed. But a devotee or wise is always indifferent to artificial fame and infamy, distress or happiness. He is very patient. He does not speak of anything. A devotee is called silent because he speaks only of essentials. The most essential speech for a devotee is to speak for the sake of Supreme Lord. A devotee is happy in all conditions; sometimes he may get every palatable foodstuff, sometimes not, but he remains always satisfied. Nor does he care for any residential facility. He may sometimes live underneath a tree and he may sometimes live in a palatial building; but he is neither attracted to anything. He has been called fixed because he is fixed in his determination and knowledge.^[14] Thus, the god-lover possesses a soul of wide equality. He has been bound with the feelings of universal brotherhood. He behaves equally with friend and enemy, is equal to honour and insult, Pleasure and pain, praise and blame grief and happiness, heat and cold, to all that troubles with opposite affections the normal nature.^[15]

The Lord says in the Gītā that, ‘He’ is seated in everyone’s heart, and from ‘Him’ come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. It is only ‘He’, as well as the knower of the Vedas. 

In the speech of the Gītā:

“sarvasya cāhaṃ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṃ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham.”^[16]

One, who is thus transcendentally situated at once, realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful and blissful. He never laments for or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he also attains pure devotional service to God.^[17] In the material concept of life, when one works for sensegratification, there is misery; but in the absolute world, when one is engaged in pure devotional service, there is no misery.

Thus, the learned person does not make any distinction between species or castes. The Brahmana and the so-called lower cast may be different form of social point of view, or a dog, a cow, or an elephant may be different from the point of view of species, but these superficial differences are meaningless from the viewpoint of a learned

transcendentalist. It is because; a true devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa can realize that ‘His’ plenary entity as Paramatmā, is present in everyone’s heart. He believes that the Lord is equally kind to everyone because He dwells in every living being. The Lord as Paramatmā is present both in the so called out-casts and in the Brāhmaṇa. The bodies are material productions of different modes, of material nature, but the soul and the supersoul within the body are of the same spiritual quality.

Thus, the Bhagavadgītā establishes equality among all, a perfect equality to all things and all persons. So, the Gītā says:

“vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāh sama-darśinaḥ.”^[18]

Thus, the Gītā puts-fourth the oppositions of the unity of consciousness amongst all the living-being, non-living objects and various ingredients of nature, spread throughout this visible creation. It is said in the Upaniṣads that there was only one indivisible entity before the process of creation. Once he contemplated to indulge in sports and became many; rather ‘He’ manifests Himself into the creatures of many species, the trees and crippers, birds and bees, clay and stone, mountains and rivers and the like. The Īśopaniṣad says that all the creatures and objects of this created world is pervaded by the Supreme deity.^[19]

The Kathopaniṣad says that the air enters as the life–breath into the bodies of innumerable creatures of the universe and acmes different forms depending on the sizes and forms of the respective creatures; thus, the one and indivisible Supreme-being, having entered the bodies of innumerable individuals have manifests himself in the sizes and forms of such individuals, side by side, maintaining his unmanifests and untransformed indivisible, stature, eternal existence.

vāyuryathaiko bhuvanaṃ praviṣṭo rūpaṃ rūpaṃ pratirūpo vabhūva
ekastathā sarvabhūtāntarātmā rūpaṃ rūpaṃ pratirūpo bahiśca.^[20]

The same philosophy of a high order has been illustrated in various Upanisadic texts. Since, the Gītā is indeed the essence of the Upaniṣads, the former illustrates the same idea in an intelligible manner in the various chapters, this idea constitutes the central thing of the book and has been a perennial foundation of universal amity and brotherhood. This provides the guiding principles for elevating for human lives upto the level of super-consciousness.

Thus, the Bhagavadgītā aims at teaching the aspirant how to establish equanimity both in one’s internal life and in activities in the external world, to help him develop tranquillity within, and to explain the art and science of doing actions skilfully and selflessly.

The universal approach, as upheld in the Gītā, is tremendously useful for all saner allurements of the human race in their mission of spreading the message of love and unity amongst various sections of people and inspire them to rise above the narrow sentiments of language, religion, castes, region, country, social-system as well as economic and administrative set-ups. Therefore, we think that the Gītā can play a very vital, significant and meaningful role in the divine mission of creating an atmosphere of peace, amity, mutual co-operation and goodwill amongst all human beings, thereby rendering this planet (i.e. the earth) a better place to live in.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Śrīmadbhagavadgītā, chapter XII, 3

[2]:

ibid, chapter XII, 4

[3]:

ibid, chapter IV, 35 —yaj jñātvā na punar moham evaṃ yāsyasi pāṇḍava yena bhūtāny aśeṣāṇi —drakṣyasy ātmany atho mayi

[4]:

ibid, chapter V,19 —ihaiva tair jitaḥḥ sargo yeṣām sāmye sthitaṃ manaḥ nirdoṣam hi samaṃ brahma tasmād brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ.

[5]:

Ibid, chapter VI, 29

[6]:

Śrīmadbhagavadgītā,chapter VI,30—
yo mām paśyati sarvatra sarvaṃ ca mayi paśyati
tasyāhaṃ na praṇaśyāmi sa ca me na praṇaśyati.

[7]:

Ibid, chapter,VI.31 —sarva-bhūta-sthitaṃ yo māṃ bhajaty ekatvam āsthitaḥ sarvathā vartamāno’pi sa yogī mayi vartate.

[8]:

Ibid, chapter,VI.32

[9]:

Śrīmadbhagavadgītā,chapter VII.7 —mattaḥ parataraṃ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya mayi sarvam idaṃ protaṃ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

[10]:

Ibid, chapter IX.18

[11]:

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is, page 423

[12]:

Gītā,chapter XII.13-14—
adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca
nirmamo nirahankāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣamī.
santuṣṭaḥ satataṃ yogī yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ.

[13]:

Śrīmadbhagavadgītā, chapter XII.15 —yasmān-nodvijate loko lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ.

[14]:

Swami Prabhupada’s “Bhagavad Gītā-As It Is”, P.633

[15]:

Śrīmadbhagavadgītā, chapter XII, Verses 18-19 samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkhheṣu samaḥ saṅga-vivarjitaḥ. tulya-nindā-stutir maunī santuṣṭo yena kenacit aniketaḥ sthira-matir —bhaktimān me priyo naraḥ

[16]:

ibid, chapter XV,15

[17]:

ibid,chapter XVIII.54 —brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā —na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṃ labhate parām.

[18]:

Ibid, chapter V.18

[19]:

Īśopanisad, 1—īsā vāsyamidaṃ sarvaṃ yatkiñca jagatyām jagat

[20]:

Kathopanisad, 2.2.10.