CHAPTER 7

Verse 1

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu

Śrī Bhagavān said: O Pārtha, now hear how you will know Me in full by practising bhakti-yoga with your mind attached to Me, taking full shelter of Me alone and being free from all doubt.

Verse 2

jñānaṁ te ’haṁ sa-vijñānam
idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ
yaj jñātvā neha bhūyo ’nyaj
jñātavyam avaśiṣyate

I shall speak this knowledge to you in full, which is enriched with realization. When you understand this, nothing further in this world will remain to be known.

Verse 3

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

Among thousands of men, one may endeavour for perfection. And among those who attain perfection, it is rare for even one to know My svarūpa in truth.

Verse 4

bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

My external material energy has eight divisions: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego.

Verse 5

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat

O mighty-armed Arjuna, you should know that My external energy, which consists of eight divisions, is inferior. There is another potency of Mine known as the jīva, which is superior and which accepts this material world for the purpose of enjoying the fruits of his action.

Verse 6

etad-yonīni bhūtāni
sarvāṇīty upadhāraya
ahaṁ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ
prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā

Know that all created beings have been born from these two natures of Mine. I alone am the sole cause of the creation and destruction of the entire material manifestation.

Verse 7

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañ-jaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

O conqueror of riches, Dhanañjaya, there is nothing superior to Me. This whole creation is dependent on Me, like jewels strung on a thread.

Verse 8

raso ’ham apsu kaunteya
prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ
praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu
śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu

O son of Kuntī, I am the taste in water, the radiance of the moon and the sun, and the syllable oṁ in all Vedic mantras. I am the sound in ether and the ability in man.

Verse 9

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca
tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau
jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu

I am the pure fragrance of the earth, the heat in fire, the life in all beings and the austerity of the ascetics.

Verse 10

bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
viddhi pārtha sanātanam
buddhir buddhimatām asmi
tejas tejasvinām aham

O Pārtha, know Me to be the eternal cause of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of the powerful.

Verse 11

balaṁ balavatāṁ cāhaṁ
kāma-rāga-vivarjitam
dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu
kāmo ’smi bharatarṣabha

O best of the Bharata dynasty, I am the strength of the strong, free from attachment and desire. In all beings, I am sexual union in accordance with religious principles, for the purpose of procreation alone.

Verse 12

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā
rājasās tāmasāś ca ye
matta eveti tān viddhi
na tv ahaṁ teṣu te mayi

Know that all states of existence – goodness (sāttvika), passion (rājasika) and ignorance (tāmasika) – are manifested by the modes of My material nature. I am not subject to these modes, for they are all under the control of My energy.

Verse 13

tribhir guṇa-mayair bhāvair
ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat
mohitaṁ nābhijānāti
mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam

Deluded by these three states of existence (the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance), the whole world does not know Me, who am beyond the modes and imperishable.

Verse 14

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te

This external energy of Mine, which consists of the three modes and which bewilders the living entities, is certainly very difficult to overcome, but those who take exclusive shelter of Me can easily transcend this māyā.

Verse 15

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

Those contaminated by fruitive action and fools who are devoid of discrimination, who are the lowest among human beings, whose knowledge has been completely covered by māyā, and who have a demoniac nature, do not surrender unto Me.

Verse 16

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ su-kṛtino ’rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

O best of the Bharata dynasty, there are four types of pious men who perform worship of Me: the distressed (ārta), the inquisitive (jijñāsu), the seeker of wealth (arthārthī) and the man of wisdom (jñānī).

Verse 17

teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta
eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate
priyo hi jñānino ’tyartham
ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ

The jñānī, My exclusive devotee who is eternally and exclusively attached to Me, is the best of these, because I am very dear to him and he is very dear to Me.

Verse 18

udārāḥ sarva evaite
jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam
āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā
mām evānuttamāṁ gatim

These are all certainly great souls, but still, I consider the jñānī to be as dear to Me as My own self. His thoughts always dwelling in Me, he stalwartly takes shelter of Me as his supreme destination.

Verse 19

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

After many births, the jñānī who is endowed with the knowledge that everything, both conscious and inert, is related to Vāsudeva fully takes shelter of Me. Such a great soul is extremely rare.

Verse 20

Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, such as the desire for wealth, try to eliminate their distress by following the rules of worship of a particular demigod who can fulfil their desires. Thus being controlled by their own nature, they worship such demigods.

Verse 21

yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ
śraddhayārcitum icchati
tasya tasyācalāṁ śraddhāṁ
tām eva vidadhāmy aham

Whichever demigod the fruitive devotee wants to faithfully worship, I, as the indwelling witness of everything, make his faith in that particular demigod unflinching.

Verse 22

sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas
tasyārādhanam īhate
labhate ca tataḥ kāmān
mayaiva vihitān hi tān

Endowed with such faith, he attempts to worship that particular demigod and thus attains the fulfilment of his desires, which in actuality is granted by Me alone.

Verse 23

antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ
tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām
devān deva-yajo yānti
mad-bhaktā yānti mām api

However, the fruit attained by such men of meagre intelligence is perishable. The worshippers of demigods achieve the planets of the demigods, whereas My devotees achieve Me.

Verses 24

avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannaṁ
manyante mām abuddhayaḥ
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mamāvyayam anuttamam

The unintelligent consider that I, who am unmanifest and beyond mundane existence, take birth like an ordinary human being. They do not know the supreme, excellent, immutable and transcendental nature of My form, birth, pastimes and qualities.

Verses 25

nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya
yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti
loko mām ajam avyayam

I am not manifest to all. To the foolish I am veiled by My yogamāyā potency; therefore, they do not know My unborn and imperishable svarūpa.

Verse 26

O Arjuna, I know all the moving and non-moving beings of the past, present and future, but Me, no one knows.

Verse 27

icchā-dveṣa-samutthena
dvandva-mohena bhārata
sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ
sarge yānti paran-tapa

O scion of Bharata, O Parantapa, at the time of creation, all living entities enter into complete illusion, bewildered by the dualities of happiness and distress, which are born of desire and hate.

Verse 28

Verse 29

jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya
mām āśritya yatanti ye
te brahma tad viduḥ kṛtsnam
adhyātmaṁ karma cākhilam

Those who strive for liberation from old age and death by taking refuge of Me attain knowledge of brahma, awareness of the pure constitutional nature of the living entity, and an understanding of the principle of fruitive action, which is the cause of their bondage to the material world.

Verse 30

Those who know Me as the presiding deity, or governing principle, of the gross material elements (adhibhūta), the demigods (adhidaiva) and sacrifice (adhiyajña), and whose minds are attached to Me, remember Me even at the time of death.

“Iti Srimad Bhagavad Gitasu Upanishatsu Brahma Vidyayaam Yogashastre, Sri Krsna Arjuna Samvāde Vijñāna Yoga Nāma Saptamodhyāyaha”