Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 - Jnana Vignana Yoga - Sloka 8

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission

The Is-ness in the Elements and Beings is Iswara - 8-9

1 Gita Sloka  every day - Chapter 7 - Jnana Vignana Yoga - Sloka 8

Rasah aham apsu kaunteya prabha asmi shashi suryoh I

Pranavah sarva vedeshu shabdha paurusham trushu II sloka ८

रसः अहं अप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभा अस्मि शशी सुर्योः ।
प्रणवः सर्व वेदेषु शब्ध पौरुषं तृषु ।। श्लोक ८

I am the sapidity in water, O son of Kunti; I am the radiance in the moon and sun; I am the syllable Om in all the vedas; sound in ether and manliness in man.

The sweetness in eatables indicates the presence of sugar in them. Similarly the innate nature of Iswara reveals itself in all the modifications He has undergone.   It is imperative for the aspirant that he recognises the presence of Iswara in the varieties of His manifestations. Jnana  of this kind is conducive to vijnana.  Pure water is tasteless, but the power  it has to reveal the taste of things is really the power of Iswara. But for the indeterminate sapidity in water  the determinate difference in taste between teh stone and a candy cannot be made out by the tongue. Fire is another element represented by the sun and the moon the light of which when perceived by the eyes bring the knowledge of colour, form and beauty in them Ether similarly functions as the vehicle of sound, the midifications of which are the various languages and the synthesis of which is the syllable OM. The truths and facts in nature coneyed through languages are the vedas. This way, Iswara reveals himself as the five elements each of which has a distinctive feature in the revealations of jnana.

It is not sufficient for man to simply assume the human form and carry on human existence. He is verily man who exhibits human excellence in all of his doings. Man fulfils himself this way and this fulfilment is for the glory of the Lord. He adores God best who fulfils himself perfectly.