Eternity – In Gita Verse 2.23 The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
Krishna reveals the subjectivity of the soul in this verse, emphasising its invulnerability to all external conditions.
The Eternity of Your Being: To exist as awareness is to be aware of all the conditioning, the programming, the mind’s myriad impulses, desires, memories, and fantasies. You must recognise that you are not these things but are separate from them – you see them, but you are not them. This is your watchfulness.
Remember that your watchfulness cannot itself be watched. If you find yourself watching your watchfulness, it merely means that you have shifted your focus: your original state of watchfulness has become an object of thought, and you are now the new watcher.
Yet, you cannot escape watchfulness, as it is the essence of who you are. To be ‘yourself’ means to be this unprogrammed, unconditioned awareness. You entered the world with it, and those who are enlightened leave the world with it, remaining untouched by it throughout their lives.
Kabir, a great mystic, has eloquently expressed this in one of his transcendent poems, where he vows to return his soul as pristine as it was bestowed upon him. Kabir speaks of a watchfulness that remains untarnished, despite the polluting influences of the world.
To be watchful is all that is needed. This watchfulness shields your purity and preserves the vitality of life, the euphoria of being, along with all the innate treasures within.
Often, you become entangled in the minutiae of life, overlooking the paramount – that which you are. The discovery of the self is the greatest adventure and the holiest pilgrimage to truth. There is no need for asceticism, no need to forsake the world; you can be involved in the world, engage in your daily tasks, but embed in them a new consciousness: act with awareness. Every act, no matter how minor, when infused with consciousness, uncovers the beauty, the wealth, the magnificence, and the everlasting nature of your being.
The Timelessness of the Soul: The soul is without beginning or end; it embodies eternity and is a divine endowment. It is God that has been gifted to you, for the soul is a fragment of God itself. All that is required is an awakening in your heart to see, feel, taste, and touch this divinity. It has been waiting for you to discover it for millennia while you slumbered, as have all before you.
You must yearn to wake up; only with this fervent desire can help arrive. Your willingness is essential – if it is there, the path is simple. Yet without your cooperation, this task becomes insurmountable, for no one can awaken you but yourself.
Arjuna represents the sleeping consciousness that must be roused. Krishna’s discourse is a clarion call for this awakening. Arjuna must engage in the critical task of awakening himself. Time and again, Krishna endeavours to wake Arjuna, who must resist the urge to fall back into slumber.
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