Summary:

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 9: Krishna introduces the category of jivanmukta (liberated person) who is neither ordinary jiva nor Avatara. The one who knows in reality (tattvataḥ) that both jiva and Ishvara are of the same Intelligence sees that all forms resolve into this Intelligence. Knowledge-power takes form as individual and simultaneously as universe and unmanifest potential, all collapsing into self-evident Awareness known as “I am.” For the jivanmukta, Ishvara is no longer a separate being but this very Awareness. Like a wave recognizing its true nature as water while the ocean also says “I am water,” the “I am” on both sides refers to the same substance. The liberated wave isn't bothered by its apparent smallness, knowing that smallness belongs to form, not substance. The proper understanding is “I and Ishvara enjoy the same truth” rather than “I am the truth of Ishvara,” which creates false duality. The all-pervading nature of Awareness was only notionally placed into a non-all-pervading body-mind-intellect upadhi within time-space – this separation was notional, like an untied elephant that doesn't move beyond the rope's circumference until the notion is destroyed. Upon death when prarabdha exhausts, one remains what one always was: all-pervading Awareness.

Revision:

Chapter starts by Krishna saying he taught this knowledge to those before him, which Arjuna questions how is it possible. Krishna's body-mind is a mere messenger of the truths communicated in the Upanishads.

Jiva:

Not knowing Intelligence pervades all forms, you take yourself as individual (different from everything else), and attempt to find fullness via relationships, money, etc. – because your nature is fullness.

Thus jiva’s avidya (about their nature as already being whole and complete) – leads to karma (actions) which leads to unseen causes (adrsta phala), which generates a new body to experience them as punya-papa each life. For this reason, jvia goes through certain situations, experiences.

Amongst that, jiva is given potential to know one’s true nature.

Avatara:

Whereas Avatara doesn’t go through this avidya-karma process. Avatara intuitively understands Ishvara and one’s nature. And comes to re-establish dharma, to blow clouds contaminating truth. Avatara influences some in society, but fails to influence all (EG: Karna, Duryodhana). 

Additionally, Mahabharata shows us, even if you have the best possible teacher (like Krishna) — it still doesn’t guarantee moksha, as in Arjuna’s case – who actually went to heaven after death. Whereas Nachiketa, 11 year boy got it from Lord Yama.

When Avatara Comes?

When the minority decent people get completely overshadowed by adharma, Avatara comes by their collective prayer. The few decent people who examine things and look at things from right perspective – always remain the minority, yet maintain crucial balance in society.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 9:

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम् एवम् यः वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ।
त्यक्त्वा देहम् पुनः जन्म न एति माम् एति सः अर्जुन ॥ ४-९॥
janma karma ca me divyam evam yaḥ vetti tattvataḥ ।
tyaktvā deham punaḥ janma na eti mām eti saḥ arjuna ॥ 4-9॥

The one who knows in reality My divine birth and action in this way, Arjuna! giving up the body, that person is not born again. He attains Me.

So far Krishna has spoken of Avatara and Jiva. He introduces a third category – jiva-mukta, a wise person, who is neither a jiva nor Avatara…

“One who knows the reality”

Krishna says to Arjuna, “My Self and your Self are One. You need to see that”. In otherwords, the jiva needs to see that all forms resolve into Intelligence, that both jiva and Ishvara are of the same Intelligence.

Knowledge-power taking form of individual, and that same Knowledge-power is taking form of the universe and unmanifest potential. And that knowledge-power further collapses into Awareness which is always known to you as “I am” that's true now.

Knowing this, you are a jivanmukta, and for you, Ishvara is no longer a separate being, but the very self-evident Awareness.

Metaphor of Relationship Between Jnani (Knower of One's Truth) and the Whole (Ishvara):

When wave says “I am”, and Ocean says “I am” — the “I am” on both sides is possible only because of the same water pervading both. Because there’s nothing other then Water, the “I am” on either side can’t be referring to anything else.

Additionally, while the wave knows its truth as Water, it won’t experience itself all-pervasive (as the Ocean does), at least not until wave one day collapses. Thus liberated wave isn’t bothered by its apparent non-all-pervasiveness, by its smallness — knowing the “smallness” belongs to the form, not the substance.

Whereas, unenlightened wave is bothered because for him, “I” is good as the small wave which has to constantly compare itself against others.

An important cautionary note on how you use your language…

There's two ways to express the same truth: “I am the truth of Ishvara”, or “I and Ishvara enjoy the same truth”.

Former way has danger of forcing you to create duality between self and the whole. It’s like liberated wave saying “I, the wave, am the truth of the Ocean”. That statement implies (a) “I” is outside the Ocean, (b) Ocean doesn’t enjoy the same content as “I”.

Statements like “I am the truth of Ishvara” are the very reasons why we have students eventually asking, “If I'm the truth of Ishvara, then why should I pray to Ishvara?”.

That question shows shows identity is still in the wave that sees itself separate from the Ocean.

Whereas the enlightened wave recognizes, as long as my temporary-wave-form is vertical, it entirely depends on Ocean. Meaning the jnani-wave respects differences in forms (ie: other wave-forms, Ocean form) — but also cognitively recognizes my own wave-form, other wave-forms and the Ocean-form has no existence without the water.

What does this mean for you?

1. 1. Duality (dvaita) is no longer a source of anxiety, contradiction and suffering for you. You come to appreciate differences, people's ways — and are able to remain composed because you see things as mere expressions of Intelligence, rather then independently existing things.
   2. You enjoy a certain calmness and unceasing self-reassurance – not dependent on external things. 
   3. Ishvara (Ocean) is no longer a big daddy for you (wave).

Conclusion:

• 1. Krishna doesn’t want you to remain eternally a small being worshipping Him, the big being (Ishvara). But to recognize your nature and Ishvara’s nature (what he calls “Me”) are not-Two. Otherwise, when you lose sight of big picture, then small things become big. That’s why child sporadically turns to mother to regain perspective, then re-engages with worldly toys. This pattern of dependence continues into adulthood (on God, relationships, success, children) – on everything except on Self. Eventually, one's fallback is neither on Ishvara “out there”, but my self-evident Awareness, which is the real God.
  2. We know word “Me” can’t be referring to Krishna’s body-mind, nor some abode, because he said in CH2.16, “What is real (sat) doesn’t change, never starts in time, which is Awareness. What changes/starts is mithyā”.

“That person is not born again. He attains Me; saḥ mām eti”

Your all-pervading nature was notionally placed into a non-all-pervading-entity within time-space. The separation was notional. Just like an untied elephant doesn’t move outside the rope’s circumference, until master destroys that notion in the elephants mind.

Similarly, coming to see your awareness (Atma) is the universal awareness (Brahman), you appreciate your BMI as something that’ll end once prarabdha exhausts. Then you remain exactly what you always were and are now, all-pervading Awareness, without body-mind-intellect upadhi.

3 Parallels Between Science and Vedanta:

1) Science speaks of infinity or “infinite possibilities” (similar to Vedanta’s Ishvara teaching)

• 1. Science: Imagine having numbers going forward into infinity. That means no matter what random combination of numbers you search, the search will pull it up.
  2. Vedanta: This world of infinite forms (equated to numbers) are expressions of Ishvara’s infinite possibilities. We only see a fraction of those possibilities now based on the interplay of past causes and present actions.

2) Science shows everything is not as it seems (similar to Vedanta’s mithya teaching):

• 1. Science: At our everyday level, solid walls appear impenetrable and objects occupy only one location at a time. But at the quantum level, what appears solid is mostly empty space, and particles can exist in multiple locations simultaneously. When scientists investigate what the universe is “made of” – going from objects to atoms to particles to quarks – they never find a concrete “building block.” Everything keeps dissolving into something more subtle, until at the quantum level, there’s nothing tangible left to observe – only concepts/mathematics.
  2. Vedanta: The world of separate, solid objects that we perceive (forms with names) is mithya – not how reality truly is. Just as the solid wall dissolves into mostly empty space at the quantum level, the apparently separate forms dissolve into one underlying Awareness when investigated deeply. What seems like many distinct things is actually one reality appearing as many – like one gold appearing as ring, necklace, and bracelet.

3) Science speaks of everything arising from singularity (similar to Vedanta’s one reality from which all comes):

• 1. Science: Scientists agree the entire universe emerged from singularity – a point before creation that cannot be identified as any specific object. They can’t observe it as there was noone there, but they can infer as something (universe) can’t come from nothing. 
  2. Vedanta: Everything comes from one reality (Brahman/awareness) which is not a specific object and therefore not available for observation as “a thing.” This awareness is the source from which all has come, by which all is sustained, and into which all returns. The key difference: Vedanta goes further to say that awareness is not separate from you – it IS your true nature. You are not a tiny being that emerged from it; you ARE it – infact everything is it.

NEXT VERSE: How does one “become” a jivanmukta? By changing perspectives that keep making you create enemies through condemnation/labelling/lust… thus never seeing Ishvara in forms.

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Course was based on Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.

Recorded 14 Dec, 2025