Meditations on Transcendence

Verse 60: Bhagavān Bhagahā Nandī Vanamālī Halāyudhaḥ Ādityo Jyotirādityaḥ Sahiṣṇur Gatisattamaḥ ||60|| He is Bhagavān —the possessor of all opulences, and Bhagahā —the one who can withdraw them at will. Though all divine qualities and powers ( vibhūtis ) emanate from Him, He retains the freedom to reclaim them, especially at the time of pralaya or cosmic dissolution. By His inherent nature, He is Ānandī —always blissful, because He is full of bhaga , the six-fold opulences. This bhaga is intrinsic to Him and never diminishes; instead, it constantly flows back into Him, signifying no loss whatsoever. He is Nandī because He is in a perpetual state of bliss, and to access this bliss, one must associate with and serve the Ānandī —the ever-blissful Lord. This bliss is maintained by constantly remaining in service ( sewa ) to the son of Nandagopa—Śrī Krishna. The idea that this verse refers to the son of Nandagopa is supported by Bhīṣmadeva's following words in the Mahābhārata....

  Without Abhyāsa and Vairāgya, Swadharma Becomes Hollow Swadharma is not enough. One may know their path, feel it in the marrow, yet still fall short. Without abhyāsa — disciplined repetition — and vairāgya — dispassion toward results — swadharma remains inert, trapped in potential. Desire corrupts purpose. Laziness dulls talent. The world is full of the capable, unused. What transforms inner calling into outer contribution is not intention, but practice — daily, deliberate, sometimes dull. Abhyāsa is the fire. Vairāgya is the wind that keeps it clean. Together, they burn away ego, ambition, and fear. Only then does swadharma become sevā — not self-serving work, but sacred offering. Only then is the action aligned with Viśvātmā , the soul of the universe. Without these two — abhyāsa and vairāgya — even the noblest talent decays into vanity. With them, even humble work becomes divine. Discipline and detachment are the gatekeepers. All else is noise.

  Bridging the Material and the Spiritual: A Call to Higher Vision In the ever-shifting dance of matter and mind, the soul often forgets its true seat. Matter, by itself, is inert — a passing configuration of elements. The mind gives it motion, names, and attachments. But it is spirit , the eternal Self, that breathes meaning into the otherwise meaningless; it is spirit that makes matter sacred. Without this connection, all things, however vibrant, dissolve into dust. We spend lifetimes nurturing relationships, careers, roles, and identities — all intricate projections of the mind. Yet beneath these beautifully crafted illusions lies a sobering truth: none of it endures . “For the unreal there is no existence, and for the real there is no non-existence,” says Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita (2.16). To spend one’s entire āyuṣya — this limited breath of life — on what is not eternal, is the greatest sorrow in disguise. The solution is not withdrawal, but integration . We are not to ...

  To appreciate someone means to praise and acknowledge their vibhuti—divine qualities, skills, or talents—and to recognize their position or essence. Can service, as an act of devotion, appreciate an invisible presence, such as the divine? The Lord’s presence permeates all existence, yet it remains imperceptible to the physical senses. Only the soul, through spiritual elevation, can truly feel this divine presence. By raising one’s consciousness to the soul level, one can connect with and appreciate the Superself, the supreme essence of divinity. However, the full worth of the Purusha, the cosmic being, often remains unrealized by most. Full acknowledgment of His infinite nature is rarely achieved due to limited perception. So, what can be done to bridge this gap? Through sincere service, one begins to appreciate His divine qualities more deeply. Samyak seva, or complete and selfless service, leads to full appreciation of the divine. This full appreciation arises only from the com...