A Being Energy – In Gita Verse 14.19 When one properly sees that in all activities no other performer is at work than these modes of nature and he knows the Supreme Lord, who is transcendental to all these modes, he attains My spiritual nature.
The Mirror of Consciousness: Reflections on Being and Awareness
In the profound wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna reveals the nature of awareness – it is not what we commonly perceive. What we consider ‘awareness’ is often mere mechanical functionality, a series of learned behaviours. We wake, we work, and we sleep with the precision of a programmed robot, mindlessly executing the conditioned responses of our existence.
Humanity has, in a sense, become robotic, relegating the essence of living to a slumbering mind that pilots our days. Krishna’s quest is to awaken us to the consciousness that lies beneath, to distinguish between a consciousness that merely functions and a pure consciousness that simply is – a reflective mirror unaffected by the images it portrays.
The mirror metaphor is immensely potent. It serves as a reminder that consciousness, our innermost being, is an impartial witness. You have been a child, then an adolescent, and now you approach the sunset of life. Your body and mind have transformed, but through it all, a constant element remains untouched – your consciousness. Whether reflecting the joy of youth or the somber wisdom of age, the mirror of consciousness is unaltered. It retains no image, adheres to no identity.
This pure consciousness stands behind all, observing, witnessing without engagement or attachment. Life unfolds as an intricate drama – a play where you assume simultaneous roles: the actor, the director, the film, the screen, the projector, and the audience. Yet beyond these layers, behind the multiplicity of roles lies the singular reality, the serenity of the witness.
Once this witness within is realised, communion is found, and an accord with our true self is established. We then understand what Buddha conveys when he says consciousness is akin to a mirror – unalterable, non-participative, serene in its purity.
A mirror remains untainted regardless of what it reflects. A mountain of dung may sit in front of it, its image captured perfectly, but the essence of the mirror is unchanged. Remove the reflection, and the unblemished surface remains, unaffected, pure from the start. Thus, according to Buddha, what is reflected is transitory; our missteps and passions are fleeting shadows, never marring the intrinsic purity of our consciousness.
The emphasis, therefore, is not on conduct, but on recognising and maintaining this reflective purity of consciousness. It is embodied by what the poet Basho expresses: “Sitting silently, doing nothing, the spring comes and the grass grows by itself.” In Basho’s silence, there is profound clarity – actions and events unfold without his compulsion; he is the observer, the silent witness amid changing seasons.
This recognition of a consciousness that does not act but merely is, a being energy that persists as an unshakable presence, is the essence of true awareness. Krishna exhorts that the material world thrives on utility, yet our consciousness eludes utility’s grasp. It cannot be traded or employed; it is beyond the realm of functionality – it simply exists, monumental and majestic.
For those who come to realise this ‘mirror-like consciousness,’ who see beyond the transient modes of nature, Krishna promises the supreme attainment – union with His spiritual nature. It is an invitation to step beyond the veil of utility into a realm of pure being, a state of divine communion with the eternal essence of life itself.
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