Seeing the friend for who he is

paraṃ brahma paraṃ dhāma pavitraṃ paramaṃ bhavānpuruṣaṃ śāśvataṃ divyamādidevamajaṃ vibhum

You are the supreme Brahman, the highest home, the purest of all. Eternal, divine, the first God, unborn and everywhere.

What it means

Now Arjuna speaks, and his words pour out as praise. He calls Krishna Brahman, the infinite reality, the highest home, the great purifier. The friend beside him is the eternal Person, unborn and present everywhere. This is not flattery. It is recognition, arriving all at once.

The story

For years Arjuna has wrestled with Krishna, eaten with him, teased him. Now, on the chariot, the titles tumble out. A friendship becomes something larger, without ever stopping being friendship.

In your life

A grown daughter reads her late father's old letters and meets a man far braver and wiser than she knew. Today, look at someone familiar and ask what you have been missing in them.