Look Within – Talks on the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Venkatesananda.

[Guest guest]

This knowledge immediately frees us from anxiety and fear; frees us from

self- aggrandisement and the foolish idea that I am a tremendously big

man, the most important thing in this world and everything must revolve

around me.

 

" If the whole earth is going to be like a mustard seed (just one

cell in the cosmic being), what am I? "

 

I as an individual independent personality mean nothing, absolutely

nothing.

 

But yet, I am part of this cosmic being; and since I am part of it, I am

no different from it, just as there are billion cells in this body, each

one functioning apparently independently, but in truth interdependently.

 

I can speak and yet there are millions of cells in my body very busy

digesting my tea, purifying and circulating the blood and so on, without

my knowledge.

 

Though independent, they are not totally independent of me; if I

collapse and die all of the cells are dead – they can't say

" OK we digested your food even without your asking us to – well,

you can get out, but we will stay here. "

 

They can't! When I go, the whole lot goes.

 

So, there is a certain type of semi independent inter –relationship

between the cells and what you call `you' and interdependent

relationship.

 

The cells are dependent upon you, and you are dependent upon the cells.

 

It's a sort of inter- dependent relationship where there is semi

freedom on both sides.

 

I am free, I am not worried about my digestion now as long as it

functions well, but once it starts striking work, I become intensely

aware of only my digestion.

 

So, in the same way it is possible to see that just as there are

billions of cells in this body, there are billions of cells in the

cosmic body of the God, and I am one of those cells.

 

Being one of those cells I am a soul, independent within limits; just as

the cells of my body are independent within limits (which means they

have a semi-independent status).

 

Even so, what I call soul is a cell in the body of the God.

To be continued..