196. Oneness is Liberation
K rishna says, “The purush (spirit) within this body is said to be the witness ( drishta ), the consenter ( anumanta ), the supporter ( bharta ), the enjoyer ( bhokta ), the great Lord ( Maheswar ) and also the Supreme Soul ( Paramatma )” (13.23). Space is the best example to understand this subtle truth. It’s called by different names depending on the character it attains like a room, a house, a pot etc. Essentially, there is one space, and the rest are its manifestations. Krishna assures, “Those who understand the truth about purush (spirit) , prakriti (nature), and the interaction of the gunas (three modes or characteristics) born out of nature will be liberated regardless of their present condition” (13.24). Things happen in prakriti because of gunas and the purush experiences them as pain and pleasure. This realisation is nothing but liberation from the misery of swinging between the polarities of pain and pleasure. Secondly, this liberation occurs the very moment we r...