13th Chapter: Verses 26, 27, 28, 29

26th verse: “There is one supreme divine reality present in everything and everywhere. Everything in this world is nothing but a combination of this divine spark and external elements.

27th verse: “Who is the wise person? The one who sees that there is one unchanging supreme reality in everything in this world, both perishable and imperishable.”

When we evolve spiritually, we do not limit the presence of God to the temple. Everywhere, we feel the omnipresence of the divine. It is not a matter of philosophy – it is a matter of inner experience.

Spirituality in its highest form is to see the divine everywhere. Its practical application is explained in some verses in the Bhagavata Purana – they emphasize spiritual humanism, and that existence is one from a spiritual perspective. When we understand this, we won’t harm anyone and won’t pollute nature.

The verses from Bhagavata Purana are below:

“I am present in everything that has come into existence. Anyone who neglects this truth and thinks that I am only present in a book or a place of worship, his worship is fake worship.”

“I have built a temple for myself in the hearts of those who are pious, humble and pure, those who are humanistic and have compassion, those who understand that the divine is present everywhere.”

“Those who perform elaborate rituals but who do not understand that I am present in everything that has come into existence, who look down upon other beings – their worship is not completely fruitful."

28th verse: “The one who sees the same, unchanging, eternal reality present everywhere and in everything - such a person cannot harm anyone and attains the highest level of spiritual evolution.”

Ahimsa (non-violence) is the most tangible sign of spirituality. It does not just mean doing anything violent. It means not thinking, speaking, and contemplating anything violent. Being established in Ahimsa is only possible when we see others as non-distinct from ourselves. Ahimsa is one of the ten spiritual disciplines emphasized in yamas and niyamas.

You can be a good human being without affirming your faith in God. Swami Vivekananda said: “Live life in a way that even if you do not accept God, God will accept you.”

29th verse: “A spiritual person realizes that all actions of the mind and body (thoughts, words and deeds) take place at the superficial or material level. Our true nature is Atman, which is unchanging and actionless. This Atman when joined with samskaras makes us do things.”

A true spiritual person performs every action as a noble action. A noble action has two characteristics: First, it is done with full concentration, sanctity, and sacredness. Second, the person does not expect anything in return – he does everything as an act of worship.

There is a practical relevance of this teaching. The problems that we face in our lives are due to our false identification with the impermanent psycho-physical mechanism. The moment we understand that we are higher than this psycho-physical mechanism, that our true nature is Atman, we can approach life with wisdom and level-headedness.

In modern times, even successful people may suffer from anxiety. Material success alone does not give us happiness. Gita tells us: “you work hard, achieve what you want. But remember, all these things are impermanent.” This gives us a unique kind of level-headedness.

Mahatma Gandhi led a life of action, but he was not attached to results. When we are non-attached and work for the good of humanity, our duty is no longer a burden. At the same time, it helps us grow spiritually.