Illustration for Bhagavad Gita chapter 8 verse 9
Chapter 8 · Akshara Brahma Yoga

Beyond Imagination · Meditating on the Vast

कविं पुराणमनुशासितारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः । सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥

kaviṁ purāṇam anuśāsitāram aṇor aṇīyāṁsam anusmared yaḥ sarvasya dhātāram acintya-rūpam āditya-varṇaṁ tamasaḥ parastāt

Meaning

"One who meditates on the omniscient, ancient ruler, subtler than the subtlest, the sustainer of all, inconceivable in form, radiant like the sun, and beyond all darkness."

Explanation

This verse asks you to hold together things that seem contradictory — infinitely subtle yet the ruler of everything, beyond thought yet radiant like the sun. Meditation here isn't about picturing something small and neat; it's about reaching toward something vast.

Today's Life Lesson

In a quiet moment today, let your mind reach toward something larger than you can fully picture — that reaching is itself the practice.

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