yadaadityagatam tejo jagad bhaasayate'khilam
yacchandramasi yacchaagnau tattejo viddhi maamakam // 15.12 //
That light which, residing in the sun, illumines the whole world, that which is in the moon and in the fire - know that light as Mine.
Sri Krishna says that the very light emerging from the sun which illumines the whole world is the light that is emerging from Him, the Infinite Consciousness. Not only are this but even the light coming from the moon and the fire all expressions of the Infinite Reality expressing through the moon and the fire.
The manifestations are different because the equipments are different just as the same electrical energy manifests in a bulb, in a fan and in a heater in different ways. Consciousness expressed through the sun is sun-light, through the moon is moon-light and through the fuel is fire. Yet all these manifestations are nothing but one Infinite Reality. The Infinite manifests itself in various forms in order to create conducive environment for the world to exist.
gaamaavishya cha bhootani dhaarayaamyahamojasaa
pushnaami chaushadheeh sarvaah somo bhootwaa rasaatmakah // 15.13 //
Permeating the earth I support all beings by My energy; and having become the watery moon, I nourish all herbs.
The Lord says that the capacity in the earth to sustain life and nourish it, are all His own vitality, meaning the same Consciousness expressing through the sun, the moon, the earth, the atmosphere provide nourishment to all living beings. The energy of The Lord holds the vast heaven and earth together. The sun, the moon and the fire are the sources of all energy in the world, but that which gives these phenomenal factors the capacity to give out energy from them is the Consciousness which is common to all of them. Moon is considered to be the repository of all fluids which nourish the living beings.
aham vaishwaanaro bhootwaa praaninaam dehamaashritah
praanaapaana samaayuktah pachaamyannam chaturvidham // 15.14 //
Having become the fire, Vaiswanara, I abide in the body of living beings and associated with Prana and Apana, digest the fourfold food.
The same Supreme Consciousness is that which expresses itself as warmth of life in all living beings: if there is no warmth in the body it is considered as dead. Metabolism creates heat in the body and this process continues so long as there is life. That Eternal Reality which is indicated as Life manifests as Digestive Fire (Vaishwaanara) which assimilates food. This digestive power assimilates food in four ways through masticating, swallowing, sucking and licking. The power in the digestive system is nothing but a manifestation of the Principle of Life. Prana and Apana are the physiological functions of perception and excretion that are present in all living creatures. It is The Lord that helps us to swallow the food, assimilate it and eliminate the wasteful by-products.
sarvasya chaaham hridi sannivishto
mattah smritir jnaanam apohanam cha
vedaishcha sarvairahameva vedyo
vedaantakrid vedavideva chaaham // 15.15 //
And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory, knowledge, as well as their absence. I am verily that which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am indeed the author of the Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas am I.
I am seated in the hearts of all: A peaceful joyous mind settled in tranquility capable of concentrating on the higher inspirations is what is called the heart. The Lord is self-evident during meditation in the heart of the meditator.
Memory, knowledge and their absence: From the Supreme Consciousness alone all memory, knowledge and forgetfulness come to us. A capacity to forget is an essential requisite for acquiring new knowledge because unless the imperfect knowledge is thrown out new knowledge cannot be assimilated.
To be known by all the Vedas: The Infinite Consciousness is the one common factor that has been glorified in all the Vedas and to realize this is the fulfillment of existence.
Author of Vedanta and the Knower of Vedas: Since the very essence of Vedas is that Consciousness which is the Ultimate Reality, everything else is a projection upon it. The seeker who listens to the Vedas, who reflects upon their wisdom and who finally experiences the fulfillment of his life is also considered as nothing other than Consciousness.
In short, the phenomenal powers, the material world, the matter and its functions are all the manifestations at different levels of the One Infinite Eternal Divinity. This is the very theme indicated in the Vedas as the Eternal Reality and to know it and bring it under our experience is to know the Infinite.
Till now the glories of The Lord in manifested forms have been described. In the following verses The True Nature of the Infinite is pointed out as
•The Unconditioned,
•The All Pervading and
•The Eternal
This Infinite reality is above all concepts such as Finite and the Infinite, the Perishable and the Imperishable. This section is the heart of this Chapter and is the basis for its nomenclature.