Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 30 (BG 6.30) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

It was stated earlier that through contact with Brahman, the yogi attains supreme bliss. By contact with Brahman is meant the unity of the individual soul and Brahman, which is the subject matter expounded in the Upanishads. The Blessed Lord Himself is making this knowledge clear here. The person established in self-knowledge experiences the soul everywhere. "One who sees Me in all beings and all beings in Me" — as in other passages, the word "I" here signifies the soul, not Krishna the son of Devaki. In light of this interpretation, whoever reads this verse together with the preceding one will understand the profound meaning of that celebrated declaration from the Isha Upanishad: "He is never separated from Me." The experience of the soul, which transcends intellect, does not occur while remaining separate from it; rather, the individual realizes that he himself is of the nature of the soul (I am Shiva). Just as the dreamer, upon waking, becomes the waking person and can never know the waking person as separate from himself, so too — "nor am I ever separated from him." Those bound to dualistic views cannot accept this non-dual nature due to their firm attachment to the sense of individual existence and identification with the body. The declaration of the divine nature of the individual soul here is stated with such clarity that it cannot be made more explicit. The Blessed Lord Krishna does not wish in any way to keep this truth obscure or hidden — that when the yogi abandons identification with non-self limitations, he becomes the very form of the Supreme Self. It may be startling for some, yet it remains the truth. Those who hesitate to accept it may continue to maintain their sense of individual existence. However, the tradition of gurus in India and experienced saints throughout the world have confirmed this very truth: the soul dwelling in the heart of one person is the same soul present everywhere in all names and forms. In our present condition, we have become estranged from our own Self. Ego is a traitor that has exiled itself from the kingdom of the soul. Upon attainment of the Self, ego dissolves completely into it. When the dreamer awakens, he cannot remain separate from the waking person. The Lord says here that the seeker and I are never separated from one another. In truth, if we understand that through forgetfulness of the Self, the Supreme appears to have taken on the form of the individual, then it becomes clear that through self-knowledge, the individual can again attain the form of the Supreme. Just as an actor playing a beggar on stage does not actually become a beggar and, when the play ends, removes the beggar's costume and returns to his true form, so too is the individual's becoming Brahman through self-knowledge. This bold declaration of Vedanta is not difficult to understand, yet ordinary ignorant people are bewildered by it and, due to their limitations, cannot accept this truth. They lack the courage and faith to take upon themselves the responsibility of living a divine life. In this verse, the Lord's statement leaves not the slightest doubt regarding the nature of the ultimate truth as concluded in the Upanishads. Restating the right vision mentioned in the previous verse, He says: