Essays on the Gita

The Theory of the Vibhuti 367is already imminent; but without the knowledge now given tohim through the Vibhuti-Yoga it would not bring with it its fullmeaning.The mystery of the world-existence is in part revealed by theGita. In part, for who shall exhaust its infinite depths or whatcreed or philosophy say that it has enlightened in a narrow spaceor shut up in a brief system all the significance of the cosmicmiracle? But so far as is essential for the Gita’s purpose, it isrevealed to us. We have the way of the origination of the worldfrom God, the immanence of the Divine in it and its immanencein the Divine, the essential unity of all existence, the relation ofthe human soul obscured in Nature to the Godhead, its awakeningto self-knowledge, its birth into a greater consciousness,its ascension into its own spiritual heights. But when this newself-vision and consciousness have been acquired in place of theoriginal ignorance, what will be the liberated man’s view of theworld around him, his attitude towards the cosmic manifestationof which he has now the central secret? He will have first theknowledge of the unity of existence and the regarding eye of thatknowledge. He will see all around him as souls and forms andpowers of the one divine Being. Henceforward that vision will bethe starting-point of all the inward and outward operations ofhis consciousness; it will be the fundamental seeing, the spiritualbasis of all his actions. He will see all things and every creatureliving, moving and acting in the One, contained in the divine andeternal Existence. But he will also see that One as the Inhabitantin all, their Self, the essential Spirit within them without whosesecret presence in their conscious nature they could not at alllive, move or act and without whose will, power, sanction orsufferance not one of their movements at any moment would bein the least degree possible. Themselves too, their soul, mind, lifeand physical mould he will see only as a result of the power, willand force of this one Self and Spirit. All will be to him a becomingof this one universal Being. Their consciousness he will see tobe derived entirely from its consciousness, their power and willto be drawn from and dependent on its power and will, theirpartial phenomenon of nature to be a resultant from its greater