102 - Greatness is an Expression of the Divine | Swami Tattwamayananda

10th chapter: 20th verse, 41st verse, verses 21-24<br /><br />The central thesis of the 10th chapter is in the 20th verse. It says: “O Arjuna, I am present in the heart of all beings as the indweller– residing there I regulate and function everything. I am the beginning; I am the middle; and I am the end of all beings.”<br /><br />By “I”, Lord Krishna means the divine spirit that is present everywhere. As we evolve in spiritual life, our idea of God evolves. In the beginning, we think of a creator God, confined to a place of worship and a book. As we evolve, we associate spirituality outside of this idea of God – beyond the place of worship or a book. At the highest level, every spiritual activity is given a spiritual orientation – the line of demarcation between secular and spiritual disappears.<br /><br />There is a mantra in Rigveda which means: “Let every thought become a meditation, let every word become a mantra, let every action become an act of worship, let every travel become a pilgrimage, let every movement become a circumambulation around the deity, and let the whole life become an offering to God.”<br /><br />In the Bhagavata Purana, there is a dialogue between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The one who sees the presence of God in all beings, and who sees the presence of all beings in God.“ He also states that the lowest level of devotee is one who confines his idea of God to a place of worship or a book.<br /><br />Swami Vivekananda said: “It is good to be born in a church. But it is terrible to die there.” We have to begin somewhere. But we should not end our spiritual life there.<br /><br />41st verse: It is important to properly understand the 20th and the 41st verse to make sense of verse 21 onwards in the 10th chapter, where Lord Krishna describes his manifestations. In the 41st verse he says: “Wherever you find some greatness, prosperity, power or excellence – know that to be a par