Advaita Vedanta · 1897–1981
Nisargadatta on the all-pervading Self
That in whom all beings reside, and who resides in all
यस्मिन्सर्वाणि भूतान्यात्मैवाभूद्विजानतः।
That in whom reside all beings and who resides in all beings — I bow to that all-pervading Self.
What this verse points to
The relation runs both ways in the same sentence, which is what makes it more than a poetic flourish. Container and contained stop being distinguishable.
Nisargadatta typically brought such statements straight back to immediate experience, treating them as descriptions to be checked rather than positions to be adopted.
Sit with it
Look for the boundary between what you are and what you are aware of. Try to locate it exactly.
About the Nisargadatta Maharaj
A Mumbai shopkeeper who received instruction from his teacher Siddharameshwar Maharaj to attend only to the sense "I am." He taught for decades from a small room above his shop; the dialogues collected in I Am That brought his uncompromising, conversational style to a wide readership.