Summary:
Chapter 2, Section 2, Verse 12: Brahman pervades all spatial directions as the immortal reality. Spatial terms point to the all-pervading nature but prevent the mind from imagining Awareness as something located “in” objects. Brahman obtains AS all things, not merely within them. Every perceived object manifests the three aspects of Brahman: existence (sat) as the “is-ness” that never fades even when forms change, consciousness (cit) as the awareness that remains constant even when object-consciousness shifts, and fullness (ānanda) as the love we feel for objects because they temporarily resolve the false “I” and reconnect us to our nature of fullness. Whether in waking, dream, or deep sleep states, we are always sat-cit plus some upadhi (limiting adjunct) – like gold appearing as different ornaments while remaining essentially gold. All perceived differences between good/bad and self/other are superimpositions on the one Self that is the ‘gold' beneath all forms.
CH 2, SECTION 2, VERSE 12: Brahman is in All Directions
ब्रह्म एव इदम् अमृतम् पुरस्तात् ब्रह्म पश्चात् ब्रह्म दक्षिणतः च उत्तरेण
अधः च ऊर्ध्वम् च प्रसृतम् ब्रह्म एव इदम् विश्वम् इदम् वरिष्ठम् (२.२.१२)
brahma eva idam amṛtam purastāt brahma paścāt brahma dakṣiṇataḥ ca uttareṇa
adhaḥ ca ūrdhvam ca prasṛtam brahma eva idam viśvam idam variṣṭham (2.2.12)
All this in front is the immortal Brahman alone. Brahman alone is behind. Brahman alone is on the right as well as on the left. Brahman spreads out below and above also. This world is this exalted Brahman alone.
“Brahman is in all directions”
Brahman is right in front of you, behind, on the right/left, below or above.
Spatial terms are used to point to the all-pervading. If I say, ‘Brahman is everywhere,’ your mind might picture it. But here it says, Brahman isn’t just ‘in’ things — but obtains AS the things. Thus this verse prevents your mind from imagining Awareness.
“This world is Brahman alone”
Inquiry 1:
When we say “I love the flower,” this implies three aspects of Brahman:
- Existence (Sat): The flower is. Its ‘is-ness’ – the fact that it exists – is Brahman. The flower may wilt, but existence itself never fades.
- Consciousness (cit): Flower-consciousness. While the flower-consciousness will go – consciousness of absence of flower, never goes.
- Fullness (ānanda): You love the flower (or whatever the object of your liking is), because when it's near you, it temporarily resolves the desirer, the wanter, the subject. In that moment, the false “I” (ego) who wants and desires is resolved. And what obtains is fullness (which is your nature). Even in the statement “I hate the scorpion”, you hate it because it disturbs your mind, and you love an undisturbed mind, because when the mind is undisturbed, it reflects the nature of Self, which is fullness – and fullness (ānanda) manifests at level of body-mind in what we call “happiness” or “joy” . Therefore, you love everything not for the objects sake, but because the object has the power to temporarily reconnect you to Self.
Inquiry 2:
Since everything is sat-cit, including you, it means you are always sat-cit “plus” something (upadhi):
- In waking and dream states: sat-cit plus a mind and objects.
- In deep sleep: sat-cit plus an unmanifest mind
This ‘plus something’ is like gold molded into ornaments. The gold is always gold, whether it’s a ring or a necklace. Similarly, Brahman is the ‘gold’ beneath all forms. The names and shapes – the ‘ornaments’ – are temporary superimpositions.
Takeaway: Whenever you perceive differences – good/bad, self/other – remember – it’s all Self. The goal isn’t to ‘see Self’ somewhere else, but to recognize it here, as the ‘is-ness’ of everything.
NEXT VERSE: Systematically shows how body-mind-world reduces to Intelligence, which depends on Consciousness.
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Recorded 11 July, 2025