Yog of Knowledge and Action
Chapter 4, Verse 24
brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma-havir
brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam
brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ
brahma karma samādhinā
Brahman is the instrument, Brahman is the oblation; by Brahman is the oblation offered into the fire of Brahman; Brahman alone is to be reached by one who meditates on Brahman in one‘s works.
This verse is the food prayer. For the bhakta, everything is an act of sacrifice to the Lord: there is no difference between the bhakta and what he’s doing, and there is no difference between the bhakta and God. He sees Brahman, the Divine, inside of him.
He sees that it is the Divine who is doing everything.
“Brahman is the instrument.” Brahman is the act of sacrifice. Brahman is the goal, “Brahman alone is to be reached by one who meditates on Brahman.” So He says, “Go and reach that state!” That’s the only thing one has to practice to reach God-Realisation, nothing else. Such a state is Self-Realisation or God-Realisation. Place God first in everything that you do. Realise that this body is the instrument which God has given you for the soul to attain Him; realise that the mind, the oblation which is offered into the fire of Brahman, the mind which is offered into the intellect, through Bhakti, is Him. Realise that in the deepest core, through this knowledge of the Self, only Brahman abides.
“Brahman alone is to be reached by one who meditates on Brahman in one’s works.” Krishna says that the aim of meditation is to perceive the Lord everywhere, at all times – not only when you sit for meditation, or when you sit for japa saying, “I’m doing japa now. I’m with God now and after that, God is off.” No.
There is a joke which says, “God is always with people, whether people want it or not. But people are not always with God.” However, someone who is realised has already attained the state of realising that everything, wherever one goes, whatever one does, is only Him. Whatever one is doing, it is Him doing it: every step, every thought, everything. If one doesn’t self-judge oneself, one will see that it is only the Lord Himself taking every step, doing every action. It is only He who is meditating on Himself. When you look at Lord Shiva, what is He doing? He is in a state of meditation.
In the story I told you before when Narayana is meditating, He is energising all of creation within Himself. (Ch. 1, v. 28-30) This is the true state, when one realises that everything is the Lord Himself, inside this physical body; the action that one does, and what one will attain from that action, are all Narayana Himself. There is nothing which is not Narayana. When we see with the mind, we see the duality, we see the difference, we have judgement. But when we see with the eyes of knowledge in the heart, when we train our mind to look from the inside out, to see like the Great Observer sees, we will perceive that there’s only one reality. In everything around us, everywhere, there’s only One Reality – Narayana. And this should be the object of our meditation – to perceive the Divine everywhere.
When you start training yourself to see that, of course, at the beginning it will be difficult, and the mind will rebel. But if you practice this and it becomes your aim, your focus, you will be full of energy, because that’s the Self Itself.
Bhagavad Gita
