The Universal Truth of Oneness and the unity of the whole universe explained in the Bhagavad Gita.
Harshith K Rao
M A – Vedic Studies
Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence
Abstract:
The Bhagavad Gita presents a profound vision of reality rooted in the universal truth of Oneness, where the entire cosmos—both the manifest and the unmanifest—arises from a single, indivisible source. This article explores the Gita’s exposition of unity, emphasizing that creation and creator are not separate entities but expressions of the same all‑pervading truth. Through its teachings on Brahman, Atman, and the immanence of the Divine, the Gita reveals a holistic worldview in which all forms, beings, and phenomena are interconnected within an infinite and eternal reality.
The apparent diversity of the universe—seen in nature, life, and human society—is interpreted not as fragmentation, but as variation within an underlying unity. The Gita teaches that distinctions of self and other, sacred and secular, or individual and universal arise from limited perception, while true knowledge dissolves these boundaries and reveals the seamless oneness of existence. By recognizing the same divine essence present in all beings, the text calls for a transformation of consciousness grounded in wisdom, compassion, and selfless action.
This article aims to bridge philosophical understanding with lived experience, encouraging the reconciliation of divided perspectives into a unified vision of reality. In doing so, it highlights the relevance of the Gita’s message in fostering harmony, mutual understanding, and spiritual integration in a world often marked by division. Ultimately, the Gita’s doctrine of Oneness affirms that all existence is unified within the vast, all‑encompassing truth of the One.
Keywords:
bhagavad gītā, oneness, indivisibility, advaita, Divine soul, Upaniṣads, scripture, Divine consciousness.
Introduction:
The Śrīmadbhagavad gītāis a text with a recorded history of over five thousand years. A direct message from a God-man, a messiah of a previous millennia proving the immortality of the science of the universe struck directly to the heart of Man. This text comprises a wide range of discussions between a king and a warrior, standing on the threshold of an upcoming war and a massacre of millions where it brings about the analysis of the whole universe, the law of karma, the protection of righteousness, the role of a king, a warrior, a servant, a devotee and of a true Jñani. This ancient text does not just preach about an age old tale and its glory but also expounds about the practical implications in the modern era. The knowledge of truth and wisdom unbound and emanating from the mouth of God Himself.
गीता सुगीता कर्तव्या किमन्यैः शास्त्रविस्तरैः । या स्वयं पद्मनाभस्य मुखपद्माद् विनिसृतः ॥[1]
It is important that we know why this text is relevant to us at this juncture in the world’s arena of politics, economics and science; where the normal man is heading and the implications of the directions and decisions chosen by him. This is text that speaks about the universality of the whole universe and not just a country, or a sect or group of individuals or not even a republic of states bent on individual prosperity. This is code of conduct from the heart of the creation that declares the oneness and indivisibility of the whole universe and all that is withheld therein. This article aims to connect the mentioned scripture with other sources and determine the truth of सर्वं खल्विदम् ब्रह्म[2] or taking into consideration the modern instability of nations and propagating the dictum of a one world and one family vision; it is a unity of the creation with the creator. “The brotherhood of Man and Fatherhood of God,” or in Upaniṣadic parallels वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्[3]. This begs the question how the scripture Śrīmadbhagavad gītā so diverse in its ideas and philosophy supposedly in all the myriad chapters and 700 verses it holds within can conjure the truth that is laid bare in front of us.
Several scriptures with absolutely next to zero order of chronology have expounded the same truth in different examples, allegories, tongues, pictures and ideas.
Methods and Nyāyas:
In the present study we shall take up the study of different ideas and dictats from various sources and compare them to the scripture in trial here with us. To understand the division of the knowledge in the Gītā and to give a clear picture of the representation of the data spread across the massive work it is important to take into consideration the fact that the Gītā expounds a different piece of information of the whole universe in the 18 chapters vaguely and concludes with the underlining fact of oneness like a thread that binds all the pearls together. I support the statement that the Gītā is vague only with the fact that Lord Śrī kṛṣṇa in all his omniscience is immaculate in stating the truth as is, but our minds are incapable in gauging the manifold nature of his exposition and therefore the need of addressing other commentaries on the Gītā are imperative. There are numerous commentaries and works dedicated to simplify in detail the essence of the Gītā and spread across various timelines. It is very important to note that all these authors and thinkers had no intimate relation and are separated through a huge timegap and a geographical division thereby making their version of the commentary authentic. The ideas that are mentioned in them stem from the universality of all and are the basis of the doctrine of non-dualism or advaita. This said we can now disseminate the teachings of the Gītā and other scriptures, comprehend and compare them and arrive at the final conclusion. From the commentaries of Śankarācārya to Rāmānujācārya to Madhusūdana Saraswati to Bāl Gangadhar Tilak and many more the essence has been expounded in detail and the purport of the Song Divine has spread across time and geographies.
One statement made by Arjuna the protagonist in the Mahābhāratam and also the disciple to whom the essence of all the Upaniṣads is told to through the doctrine of the Gītā, is of wonderment and awe where after having the vision of the Divine he says,
त्वमक्षरं परमं वेदितव्यं त्वमस्य विश्वस्य परं निधानम् । त्वमव्ययः शाश्वतधर्मगोप्ता सनातनस्त्वं पुरुषो मतो मे ॥[4]
He exclaims that the Divine Lord is without end and the highest and the ruler and protector of all the forces. He is endless. This agreed upon by various commentators like Śankarācārya where he quotes नित्यशुद्धविमुक्तोऽहं निराकारोऽहमव्ययः ।[5] Where he says that the soul is blemishless and without form and is eternal. This begs the question of who is this soul that is being referred to and how is he without form as there are a plethora of forms and infinite names and qualities in this universe which we can never even fathom about.
To understand this paradox, we must first understand that the universe according to science is roughly 13.8 billion years old a widely accepted fact from data like the Planck’s mission’s analysis of the cosmic Microwave Background and supported by multiple lines of evidence, though some newer research suggests it could be older, around 26.7 billion years, prompting ongoing scientific debate. But what needs to be understood is that the universe wherever it came from and whenever it emerged into existence, has to have come from a singular source, a single point of origin and that whatever is existing in it must have come from the same substratum. It would be absurd and leading to a separate question if we all had popped up from another universe and not this one if we were to believe that we are independent of the universe and completely different from this. So, since we have established this truth that everything that is seen and known in this universe has come out from the same origin, we need to see that everything in this universe is in fact the same material albeit with different names, forms and functions. It would be blasphemous to say that water and fire are the same, and even earth and sky are the same. This would be a mistake both logically and also scientifically as the core compounds are arranged differently in each of these elements and thereby the structural variations give rise to this diversity. Then how would they all be the true and same thing? It is said वायुर्यमोऽग्निर्वरुणःशशाङ्को प्रजापतिस्त्वं प्रपितामहश्च । नमो नम्स्तेऽस्तु सहस्रकृत्वः पुनश्च भूयोऽपि नमो नम्स्ते ॥[6]
Here Arjuna exclaims that the Lord is the air, water, fire, the moon, the sole progenitor and the father of the whole creation. परं ब्रह्म परं धाम पवित्रं परमं भवान् ।[7] He further exclaims in the same tone and experiences that the Divine soul is the eternal truth. There are further claims from different Upaniṣads about this dictum that everything in this universe is nothing but that Divine soul from which emanated this vast and expansive universe.
स वेदैतत्परमं ब्रह्म धाम यत्र विश्वं निहितं भाति शुभ्रम् ॥[8] says the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad. The whole universe beginning from the smallest particle of the subatomic level to the largest and highest object in the universe is made up and is supported by this one Soul. The Aitareya Upaniṣad also says this, “एष ब्रह्मैष इन्द्र एष प्रजापतिरेते सर्वे देवा इमानि च पञ्च महाभूतानि पृथिवी वायुराकाश आपो ज्योतींषीत्येतानीमानी च क्षुद्रमिश्राणीव बीजानीतराणि चेतराणि च जारुजानि च स्वेदजानि चोद्भिज्जानि चाश्वा गावः पुरुषा हस्तिनो यत्किञ्चेदं प्राणि जङ्गमं च पतत्रि च यच्च स्थावरं सर्वं तत्प्रज्ञानेत्रं प्रज्ञाने प्रतिष्ठितं प्रज्ञानेत्रो लोकः प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठा प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म ॥”[9]
To express this idea that even the smallest of the small and the largest of the largest is the same entity the Mahānārāyaṇopaniṣad describes that Divine entity as, “अणोरणीयान् महतोमहीयान् आत्माऽस्य जन्तोर्निहितं गुहायाम् ।”[10]
The 14th chapter of the Gītā explicitly describes that everything in this universe including we mortal humans and every type of living organism is the result and offspring of that Divine consciousness,
मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम्। सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥[11]
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः । तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिः अहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥[12]
This summarises that the one, true Divine self is responsible for the creation, sustenance and the dissolution of the entire creation. He is the mother, father and the Divine parent of the entire universe and cannot be easily understood as there is no scientific method of approaching him and seeking the answers to the numerous queries and to fully reckon and fathom his transcendental form.
The leading question in this discussion is that how the Divine soul and the individual soul are one and the same?
To know and understand if the individual soul and the Divine Soul are one and the same it is stated in the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā, another scripture that deals with the knowledge of the universal truth of non duality and thought to be precursor of the Bhagavad Gītā tells us that “एको द्रष्टाऽसि सर्वस्य मुक्तप्रायोऽसि सर्वदा । अयमेव हि ते बन्धो द्रष्टारं पश्यसीतरम् ॥”[13] which explains that there is only one soul and that is everything and indivisible. Throughout the Upaniṣads, the different Gītās and the vibrant plethora of scriptures this is the soul truth that flows through all. It is stated in the MāṇḍūkyaUpaniṣad that “नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् । अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणं अचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥”[14]
Swami Sri Dayananda Saraswati also says in his composition “असङ्गम् अचिन्त्यम् अस्वप्नम् समं सदा सर्वभूतेषुगूढं शान्तं शिवं निर्विकल्पं परेशं परमात्मानम् ।”[15] That Divine soul is one with the whole creation and is without any dualities.
To conclude the article and the statement, the fact and the truth that everything is verily Divine, the one and the same and no different in the original sense even though the forms and names with their qualities may vary and differ the Bhagavad Gītā says, “यस्मात्क्षरमतीतोऽहम् अक्षरादपि चोत्तमः । अतोऽस्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथितः पुरुषोत्तमः ॥”[16]
So, thus concluding this fact that everything is verily one and the same and not different in the base, substrate sense and everything is strung by that same invisible, indivisible thread as Lord Śrī kṛṣṇa says, “सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ॥”[17]
In conclusion, the whole universe in fact and in substance is verily one and the same and is indivisible. The smallest of the small and the largest of the large is essentially one soul, one power, one energy, one, single, intelligent energy.
References
Advaita Sharada. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Aitareya/devanagari
Advaita Sharada. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Gita/devanagari
Advaita Sharada. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Chandogya/devanagari
Advaita Sharada. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Mandukya/devanagari
Advaita Sharada. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Mundaka/devanagari
Ramanujacharya. (1899-1903(multi volume edition)). Sribhashyam. Mysore: The Mysore Governament Sanskrit Series.
Shlokam. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://shlokam.org/text/brahma-jnanavali-mala-FX7C.htm
Tilak, B. G. (1915). Srimad Bhagavad Gita Rahasya. Kesari Press.
Varaha Purana. (n.d.). Gita Press. Gorakpur, India.
Vimalananda, S. (1968). Mahanarayanopanishad. Mylapore: The President sri ramakrishana Math – Mylapore, Madras.
Wisdom Library. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/ashtavakra-gita-sanskrit/d/doc345802.html
[1] Gita Mahatmya, Verse 4, Varaha Purana
[2] Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14.1
[3] Maha Upanishad 6.71
[4] Bhagavat Gita 11.18
[5] Brahmaj̄ñānāvalimālā, Verse 5
[6] Bhagavat Gita 11.39
[7] Bhagavat Gita 10.12
[8] Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.1
[9] Aitareya Upanishad 3.1.3
[10] Mahanārāyaṇa Upaniṣad 11.3
[11] Bhagavat Gita 14.3
[12] Bhagavat Gita 14.4
[13] AṣṭāvakraGītā : 1.7
[14] Mandukya Upanishad, Verse 7
[15] Swami Dayananda Saraswati Composition
[16] Bhagavad Gītā : 15.18
[17] Bhagavad Gita 7.7