Be Unique – In Gita Verse 4.24 A person who is fully absorbed in Self is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual activities, in which the consummation is absolute and that which is offered is of the same spiritual nature.
In the profound teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, particularly Verse 4.24, Krishna offers insights that transcend conventional understanding. He describes a state where every action, being, and object is perceived as Brahman, the ultimate reality. Achieving this perception requires the dissolution of the ego – the ‘I’ that separates us from divine unity.
The verse suggests that complete absorption in the Self leads one to the spiritual realm. This absorption is not merely a participation in spiritual activities but an absolute realisation where the offering and the offered are of the same spiritual essence. Here, the duality of action, doer, and deed dissolves, revealing the inherent unity of all existence as Brahman.
However, this realisation remains elusive to those entrenched in ego. As long as the ‘I’ persists, the all-encompassing nature of Brahman remains obscured. An ego-centric perspective blinds one to the divine presence in all things, rendering Krishna’s teachings seemingly abstract. For those whose world revolves around the self, Brahman is but a concept, inaccessible without a shift in perception.
The ego blinds us to the truth that everything – the ritual of yagya, the method of havan, the fire, the offerings, and the performer – is Brahman. This vision emerges only when the ego is dissolved, breaking the illusion of separateness and revealing the oneness of all existence. Until this inner transformation occurs, the world appears as a collection of separate entities, each serving the self.
Krishna’s wisdom challenges us to transcend this egocentric vision. He urges us to dismantle the wall of ego, the thin yet persistent barrier separating us from our true nature. Like a pot floating in a river, the ego creates an illusion of separateness, distinguishing the water inside from the river outside. When the pot breaks, the waters merge, symbolising the union of the individual self with the universal Brahman.
This concept is beautifully illustrated by the story of a Sufi mystic who, despite developing a wound infested with worms, ceased attending mosque prayers. When questioned, he explained that bowing in prayer would harm the worms, which he saw as part of himself. He recognised that the one praying, the act of prayer, and the worms were not separate. This perception aligns with the sutra’s meaning: the expansion of one and the illusion of two.
The journey to this realisation is not through the practice of ego but through its dissolution. The experience of Brahman is not a product of effort but arises naturally when the ego is no more. It is a state where the ‘I’ disappears, leaving only the pure, undivided reality of Brahman.
Krishna’s teachings invite us to embrace nothingness, for it is in becoming nothing that we become unique. When the ‘I’ ceases to exist, we transcend comparison and limitation, entering a state of incomparable uniqueness. This is the paradox of spiritual realisation: to become everything, one must first become nothing.
Power, identity, and material definitions corrupt because they make us ‘somebody,’ confining us within the boundaries of ego. In contrast, nothingness liberates us from these confines, allowing us to merge with the divine. God is unique because God is nothing, and in our nothingness, we too become divine.
This profound transformation is exemplified by figures like Buddha and Jesus, who attained uniqueness not through worldly virtues but through the crucifixion of their egos. They transcended the part to become the whole, dying to their individual selves and resurrecting in the eternal.
Krishna’s message to Arjuna, and to us, is clear: to engage in divine action, one must first become unique by dissolving the ego. In this state, every action becomes a creative expression of divinity. The war, for Arjuna, becomes not a battle of egos but a divine duty, performed in the consciousness of oneness.
The teachings of the Bhagavad Gita invite us to embark on a journey inward, to dissolve the ego and embrace the nothingness that reveals our true, divine nature. It is a call to see beyond the illusion of separateness and recognise the unity of all existence as Brahman. Through this realisation, we attain the ultimate treasure of life: the experience of oneness with the divine.
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