The first task is to develop awareness of the Divinity within. The next stage is the realisation of the truth that the divinity that is within one’s self is equally present in all others. One must recognise that the veil or barrier that appears to separate him from others is born of delusion and every effort should be made to remove it. Only then will it be possible to experience the oneness of all living things. ‘Aham eva idam Sarvam’ says the Sruti. ‘I am indeed all this. The realisation dawns: ‘All this is contained in me’. And then there is the consciousness, ‘I am Divine. The Divine is me. I am Brahman. Brahman is myself. There is no distinction between Brahman and me.’

eko devaḥ sarvabhutesu guḍhaḥ sarvavyāpī sarvabhūtāntarātmā /

karmādhyakṣaḥ sarvabhūtādhivāsaḥ sākṣī cetā kevalo nirguṇaś ca //

(Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 6.11)

‘Eko devah sarva-bhutesu guudhah.’ ‘The One God is present in subtle form in all beings.’ That is the all-pervading Universal Consciousness, which is present in diverse forms. Recognition of this truth is ‘Realisation of the Cosmic Divine.’ (SSS Vol.21, p. 22)