An awesome expression of the realization of SarvAtmabhAva (Universal Selfhood) in the Bh.Gita
V Subrahmanian
5.7 Endowed with yoga, [i.e. devoted to the performance of the nitya and naimittika duties.] pure in mind, controlled in body, a conqueror of the organs, the Self of the selves of all beings - he does not become tainted even while performing actions. [The construction of the sentence is this: When this person resorts to nitya and naimittika rites and duties as a means to the achievement of full Illumination, and thus becomes fully enlightened, then, even when he acts through the apparent functions of the mind, organs, etc., he does not become afflected.]
The expression the Self of the selves of all beings is the translation for the word in the verse: सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा. Shankara's commentary for that word is: सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा सर्वेषां ब्रह्मादीनां स्तम्बपर्यन्तानां भूतानाम् आत्मभूतः आत्मा प्रत्यक्चेतनो यस्य सः सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा सम्यग्दर्शीत्यर्थः |
Translation: sarva-bhutatma-bhutatma, the Self of the selves of all beings - one whose Self (atma), the inmost consciousness, has become the selves (atma) of all beings (sarva-bhuta) beginning from Brahma to a clump of grass-, i.e., fully illumined.
Shankara has cited twice a verse from the Mahabharata 12.239.23 having this expression:
This is cited in the Bhashya for the Gaudapada karika 4.95:
‘सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्य समैकार्थं प्रपश्यतः ।
देवा अपि मार्गे मुह्यन्त्यपदस्य पदैषिणः ।
शकुनीनामिवाकाशे गतिर्नैवोपलभ्यते’ इत्यादिस्मरणात् ॥
The other citation is in the Brahma sutra bhashya 4.2.14:
"As it is not possible to sketch the flight of birds in the sky, so even the gods get puzzled in trying to trace the course of one who has become identified with the Self of all beings, who is a source of bliss to all, and who has no goal to reach" (Mbh. Sa. 239. 23-24).
We have the Bh/gi.13.2 very clearly teaching that identification:
क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत।
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम।।13.2।।
English Translation By Swami Gambirananda
13.3 And, O scion of the Bharata dynasty, under-stand Me to be the 'Knower of the field' in all the fields. In My opinion, that is Knowledge which is the knowledge of the field and the knower of the field.
The teaching is: Brahman is the Consciousness, Knower, in every body.
The Gita 5.7 teaches about that Jnani who has realized himself to be non-different from the 'Knower of the field' in all the fields'. This is none other than the Advaitic JivAtma-ParamAtma abheda/aikyam.
The Gita again confirms such an identity elsewhere too:
ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।
समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ॥ ५४ ॥ 18.54
English Translation By Swami Gambirananda
18.54 One who has become Brahman and has attained the blissful Self does not grieve or desire. Becoming the same towards all beings, he attains supreme devotion to Me.
One more from the Bh.Gita 18.19:
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति ।
गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥ १९ ॥
English Translation By Swami Gambirananda
18.54 One who has become Brahman and has attained the blissful Self does not grieve or desire. Becoming the same towards all beings, he attains supreme devotion to Me.
Above all, the expression of SarvAtmabhAva (Universal Selfhood) is very pronounced in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 where occurs the ''Aham Brahma asmi'':
ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्तदात्मानमेवावेत् । अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति । तस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवत्तद्यो यो देवानां प्रत्यबुध्यत स एव तदभवत्तथर्षीणां तथा मनुष्याणाम् ..
This self was indeed Brahman in the beginning. It knew itself only as "I am Brahman." Therefore it became all. And whoever among the gods had this enlightenment, also became That Brahman. It is the same with the seers (rishis), the same with men.
The Ishavasya Upanishad too says the Jnani is the Self of everything in creation:
यस्तु सर्वाणि भूतानि आत्मन्येवानुपश्यति ।
सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं ततो न विजुगुप्सते ॥ ६ ॥
यस्मिन्सर्वाणि भूतानि आत्मैवाभूद्विजानतः ।
तत्र को मोहः कः शोक एकत्वमनुपश्यतः ॥ ७ ॥
6. The wise man beholds all beings in the Self and the Self in all beings; for that reason he does not hate anyone.
7 To the seer, all things have verily become the Self: what delusion, what sorrow, can there be for him who beholds that oneness?
The Bh.Gita too has this thought:
सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि ।
ईक्षते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्र समदर्शनः ॥ २९ ॥ 6.29
English Translation By Swami Gambirananda
6.29 One who has his mind Self-absorbed through Yoga, and who has the vision of sameness every-where, see this Self existing in everything, and every-thing in his Self.
The above Upanishadic passage, which has the Mahavakya, Aham Brahma Asmi, clinches the Advaitic meaning for the Bh.gi. expression 'sarvabhUtAtma-bhUtAtma.' There are two 'bhUtAtmA' words in this compound. The first one means: That Atma, the Self,of all jivas. The second means: the one who has become That (Self-of-all). The Upanishad straightaway says that the Jnani is the one who has realized his identity with Brahman which is the Self of All. Thus the Jnani is that Self which is the Self of everything in creation. One can also see that all these passages shown above sourced from the Upanishads, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavadgita on the topic effortlessly mean the Advaitic realization of SarvAtmabhAva, (Universal Selfhood), without any need for tortuous interpretation.
Om Tat Sat
Raghav Kumar
सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्य समैकार्थं प्रपश्यतः ।
देवा अपि मार्गे मुह्यन्त्यपदस्य पदैषिणः ।
शकुनीनामिवाकाशे गतिर्नैवोपलभ्यते’ इत्यादिस्मरणात् ॥
"As it is not possible to sketch the flight of birds in the sky, so even the gods get puzzled in trying to trace the course of one who has become identified with the Self of all beings, who is a source of bliss to all, and who has no goal to reach" (Mbh. Sa. 239. 23-24).
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V Subrahmanian
One more from the Bh.Gita 18.19:
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति ।
गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥ १९ ॥
Actually this verse was intended, and please read the same in the place of the above:
ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति।
समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम्।।18.54।।
18.54 One who has become Brahman and has attained the blissful Self does not grieve or desire. Becoming the same towards all beings, he attains supreme devotion to Me.
regards
subbu