BG 7: Knowledge of the Absolute

BG 7: Knowledge of the Absolute

1

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha

yogaḿ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ

asaḿśayaḿ samagraḿ māḿ

yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu

TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Pṛthā, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.

2

jñānaḿ te 'haḿ sa-vijñānam

idaḿ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ

yaj jñātvā neha bhūyo 'nyaj

jñātavyam avaśiṣyate

TRANSLATION
I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge, both phenomenal and numinous. This being known, nothing further shall remain for you to know.

3

manuṣyāṇāḿ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāḿ

kaścin māḿ vetti tattvataḥ

TRANSLATION
Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

4

bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ

khaḿ mano buddhir eva ca

ahańkāra itīyaḿ me

bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

TRANSLATION
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego — all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.

5

apareyam itas tv anyāḿ

prakṛtiḿ viddhi me parām

jīva-bhūtāḿ mahā-bāho

yayedaḿ dhāryate jagat

TRANSLATION
Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.

6

etad-yonīni bhūtāni

sarvāṇīty upadhāraya

ahaḿ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ

prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā

TRANSLATION
All created beings have their source in these two natures. Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both the origin and the dissolution.

7

mattaḥ parataraḿ nānyat

kiñcid asti dhanañjaya

mayi sarvam idaḿ protaḿ

sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

TRANSLATION
O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.

8

raso 'ham apsu kaunteya

prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ

praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu

śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaḿ nṛṣu

TRANSLATION
O son of Kuntī, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable oḿ in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.

9

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāḿ ca

tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau

jīvanaḿ sarva-bhūteṣu

tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu

TRANSLATION
I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.

10

bījaḿ māḿ sarva-bhūtānāḿ

viddhi pārtha sanātanam

buddhir buddhimatām asmi

tejas tejasvinām aham

TRANSLATION
O son of Pṛthā, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men.

11

balaḿ balavatāḿ cāhaḿ

kāma-rāga-vivarjitam

dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu

kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha

TRANSLATION
I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O lord of the Bhāratas [Arjuna].

12

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā

rājasās tāmasāś ca ye

matta eveti tān viddhi

na tv ahaḿ teṣu te mayi

TRANSLATION
Know that all states of being — be they of goodness, passion or ignorance — are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the contrary, are within Me.

13

tribhir guṇa-mayair bhāvair

ebhiḥ sarvam idaḿ jagat

mohitaḿ nābhijānāti

mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam

TRANSLATION
Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible.

14

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāḿ taranti te

TRANSLATION
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

15

na māḿ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuraḿ bhāvam āśritāḥ

TRANSLATION
Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me.

16

catur-vidhā bhajante māḿ

janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna

ārto jijñāsur arthārthī

jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

TRANSLATION
O best among the Bhāratas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me — the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.

17

teṣāḿ jñānī nitya-yukta

eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate

priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham

ahaḿ sa ca mama priyaḥ

TRANSLATION
Of these, the one who is in full knowledge and who is always engaged in pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me.

18

udārāḥ sarva evaite

jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam

āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā

mām evānuttamāḿ gatim

TRANSLATION
All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider to be just like My own self. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he is sure to attain Me, the highest and most perfect goal.

19

bahūnāḿ janmanām ante

jñānavān māḿ prapadyate

vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti

sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

TRANSLATION
After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.

20

kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ

prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ

taḿ taḿ niyamam āsthāya

prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā

TRANSLATION
Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.

21

yo yo yāḿ yāḿ tanuḿ bhaktaḥ

śraddhayārcitum icchati

tasya tasyācalāḿ śraddhāḿ

tām eva vidadhāmy aham

TRANSLATION
I am in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that particular deity.

22

sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas

tasyārādhanam īhate

labhate ca tataḥ kāmān

mayaiva vihitān hi tān

TRANSLATION
Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.

23

antavat tu phalaḿ teṣāḿ

tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām

devān deva-yajo yānti

mad-bhaktā yānti mām api

TRANSLATION
Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.

24

avyaktaḿ vyaktim āpannaḿ

manyante mām abuddhayaḥ

paraḿ bhāvam ajānanto

mamāvyayam anuttamam

TRANSLATION
Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is imperishable and supreme.

25

nāhaḿ prakāśaḥ sarvasya

yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ

mūḍho 'yaḿ nābhijānāti

loko mām ajam avyayam

TRANSLATION
I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.

26

vedāhaḿ samatītāni

vartamānāni cārjuna

bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni

māḿ tu veda na kaścana

TRANSLATION
O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.

27

icchā-dveṣa-samutthena

dvandva-mohena bhārata

sarva-bhūtāni sammohaḿ

sarge yānti parantapa

TRANSLATION
O scion of Bharata, O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate.

28

yeṣāḿ tv anta-gataḿ pāpaḿ

janānāḿ puṇya-karmaṇām

te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā

bhajante māḿ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

TRANSLATION
Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.

29

jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya

mām āśritya yatanti ye

te brahma tad viduḥ kṛtsnam

adhyātmaḿ karma cākhilam

TRANSLATION
Intelligent persons who are endeavoring for liberation from old age and death take refuge in Me in devotional service. They are actually Brahman because they entirely know everything about transcendental activities.

30

sādhibhūtādhidaivaḿ māḿ

sādhiyajñaḿ ca ye viduḥ

prayāṇa-kāle 'pi ca māḿ

te vidur yukta-cetasaḥ

TRANSLATION
Those in full consciousness of Me, who know Me, the Supreme Lord, to be the governing principle of the material manifestation, of the demigods, and of all methods of sacrifice, can understand and know Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even at the time of death.