No Achievement – In Gita Verse 15.17 Besides these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Supreme Soul, the imperishable Lord Himself, who has entered the three worlds and is maintaining them.
In the boundless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, Verse 15.17, the transcendental reality is laid bare before us – a presence beyond the transient duality of known and knower, the Supreme Soul, the inextinguishable Lord who sustains the cosmos.
Krishna’s divine utterance resonates with the understanding that while we exist within the confinements of time, we, in essence, are of eternity. Eternity pierces through the tapestry of time, granting us a glimpse of our true, immortal nature. Our bodies, subject to the cycle of birth and death, are mere vessels. Our consciousness, on the other hand, is deathless. Yet, it remains untouched and unrecognised by so many, lost in the shadows of ignorance.
The art of meditation is about bringing this consciousness to light, awakening us to the conscious recognition of consciousness itself – the awakening to witnessing.
Witnessing, as I have shared in my Bhagavad Gita Verse 2.20 blog, is an interplay between the subject and object. Different from mere awareness, witnessing is a dynamic process – a bridge that connects our routine actions with a heightened state of consciousness. To witness is to become a spectator of your own mind, your own body, and the entire cosmic play that unfolds.
Still, Krishna gently guides us beyond this act of witnessing to a realm where neither subject nor object resides. In this domain, the soul and body dissolve into the imperishable Lord who orchestrates the symphony of existence.
The leap from ordinary, unconscious action to pure awareness is indeed vast, but it is bridged by the act of witnessing. By becoming conscious of our actions, thoughts, and emotions, we set the stage for a profound transformation. We transition from mere consciousness – a quality of the mind entangled with duality – to awareness, the totality where the mind itself becomes encompassed within that greater expanse of consciousness.
Awareness is not merely a function of the mind; it is the transcendence of the mind. In awareness, the dualistic nature of the mind is transcended. The concept of ‘conscious’ and ‘unconscious’ falls away, leaving a pure, non-dual state – the state of no-mind.
The relationship between consciousness and witnessing is intricate. While witnessing arises from consciousness, it is consciousness that is the tool by which we ascend to witnessing. Through the cultivation of consciousness – the vigilant awareness of our routines and surroundings – we step onto the path of witnessing. And through this act of vigilant witnessing, awareness comes into being.
As one delves deeper into the nature of consciousness, it becomes clear that consciousness is a preparatory state, a precursor to witnessing. Witnessing then unfolds as a path to awareness. Thus, we have three stages: consciousness, witnessing, and awareness, with most of us residing at the stage of unconscious activity.
Krishna reveals the sublime truth: through consciousness, we ascend to witnessing; through witnessing, we soar into the realm of awareness; and through awareness, we come to the realisation of ‘no achievement’. Here, ‘no achievement’ is not a lack but the ultimate attainment – the realisation that all has always been achieved. For in awareness, the very concept of achievement dissolves, and we are left with the simple, profound essence of Being.
In the sanctuary of awareness, the role of the witness dissipates. There remains no doer, no centricity of ego, and what persists is consciousness devoid of subject – a vast expanse without a centre.
Such is the nature of awareness: a consciousness that exists without anchor, without intent, flowing unhindered – the ‘no source’ consciousness.
Thus, we transition from the unaware existence of Prakriti, the material, towards the luminous realm of awareness. And in this divine progress, the divide narrows between matter and the divine, revealing the omnipresent truth that the distinction is ever one of consciousness.
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