Chapter 7

श्री भगवानुवाच · śrī bhagavānuvāca

मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः।असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु॥

mayyāsaktamanāḥ pārtha yogaṃ yuñjanmadāśrayaḥ |asaṃśayaṃ samagraṃ māṃ yathā jñāsyasi tacchṛṇu ||

The Blessed Lord said, "O Arjuna, hear how you shall, without doubt, know Me fully, with your mind intent on Me, practicing Yoga and taking refuge in Me."

Lord Shri Krishna said: Listen, O Arjuna! I will tell you how you can know Me in my full perfection. Practice meditation with your mind devoted to Me and take Me as your refuge.

ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः।यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते॥

jñānaṃ te'haṃ savijñānamidaṃ vakṣyāmyaśeṣataḥ |yajjñātvā neha bhūyo'nyajjñātavyamavaśiṣyate ||

I will declare to you in full this knowledge combined with realization, after knowing which nothing else remains to be known here.

I will reveal this knowledge to you and how it can be realized; once accomplished, there is nothing else worth having in this life.

मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्िचद्यतति सिद्धये।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्िचन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः॥

manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaśिcadyatati siddhaye |yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaśिcanmāṃ vetti tattvataḥ ||

Among thousands of men, one may perchance strive for perfection; even among those successful strivers, only one may perchance know Me in essence.

Among thousands of men, scarcely one strives for perfection, and even among those who gain occult powers, perhaps only one knows me in truth.

भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च।अहङ्कार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा॥

bhūmirāpo'nalo vāyuḥ khaṃ mano buddhireva ca |ahaṅkāra itīyaṃ me bhinnā prakṛtiraṣṭadhā ||

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and egoism—thus is My Nature divided eightfold.

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and personality—this is the eightfold division of My manifested nature.

अपरेयमितस्त्वन्यां प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम्।जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत्॥

apareyamitastvanyāṃ prakṛtiṃ viddhi me parām |jīvabhūtāṃ mahābāho yayedaṃ dhāryate jagat ||

O mighty-armed Arjuna, this is the inferior Prakriti; know it as distinct from My higher Prakriti, the very life-element, by which this world is upheld.

This is My inferior nature; however, O valiant one, know that distinct from this is My superior nature, which is the very life that sustains the universe.

एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय।अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा॥

etadyonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇītyupadhāraya |ahaṃ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayastathā ||

Know that these two are the womb of all beings; thus, I am the source and dissolution of the whole universe.

It is the womb of all beings; for I am He by Whom the worlds were created and shall be dissolved.

मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय।मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव॥

mattaḥ parataraṃ nānyatkiñcidasti dhanañjaya |mayi sarvamidaṃ protaṃ sūtre maṇigaṇā iva ||

There is nothing higher than Me, O Arjuna. All this is strung on Me, like clusters of gems on a string.

O Arjuna! There is nothing higher than Me; all is strung on Me like rows of pearls on a thread.

रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभास्मि शशिसूर्ययोः।प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु॥

raso'hamapsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśisūryayoḥ |praṇavaḥ sarvavedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṃ nṛṣu ||

I am the flavor in water, O Arjuna; I am the light in the moon and the sun; I am the syllable Om in all the Vedas, sound in the ether and virility in men.

O Arjuna! I am the fluidity in water, the light in the sun and moon, the mystic syllable Om in the Vedic scriptures, the sound in ether, and the virility in man.

पुण्यो गन्धः पृथिव्यां च तेजश्चास्मि विभावसौ।जीवनं सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि तपस्विषु॥

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṃ ca tejaścāsmi vibhāvasau |jīvanaṃ sarvabhūteṣu tapaścāsmi tapasviṣu ||

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

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

बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम्।बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम्॥

bījaṃ māṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ viddhi pārtha sanātanam |buddhirbuddhimatāmasmi tejastejasvināmaham ||

Know Me, O Arjuna, as the eternal seed of all beings; I am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the splendour of the splendid objects.

Know, O Arjuna, that I am the eternal seed of being; I am the intelligence of the intelligent, the splendour of the resplendent.

बलं बलवतां चाहं कामरागविवर्जितम्।धर्माविरुद्धो भूतेषु कामोऽस्मि भरतर्षभ॥

balaṃ balavatāṃ cāhaṃ kāmarāgavivarjitam |dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo'smi bharatarṣabha ||

Of the strong, I am the strength devoid of desire and attachment, and in all beings, I am the desire in accordance with Dharma, O Arjuna.

I am the strength of the strong, those who are free from attachment and desire; and, O Arjuna, I am the desire for righteousness.

ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये।मत्त एवेति तान्विद्धि नत्वहं तेषु ते मयि॥

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasāstāmasāśca ye |matta eveti tānviddhi natvahaṃ teṣu te mayi ||

Whatever beings (and objects) that are pure, active, and inert, know that they proceed from Me. They are in Me, yet I am not in them.

Whatever be the nature of their life, whether it be pure, passionate, or ignorant, they are all derived from Me. They are in Me, but I am not in them.

त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत्।मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम्॥

tribhirguṇamayairbhāvairebhiḥ sarvamidaṃ jagat |mohitaṃ nābhijānāti māmebhyaḥ paramavyayam ||

Deluded by these Natures, composed of the three qualities of Nature, all this world does not know Me as distinct from them and immutable.

The inhabitants of the world, misled by the natures engendered by the Qualities, do not know that I am higher than them all and that I do not change.

दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया।मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते॥

daivī hyeṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā |māmeva ye prapadyante māyāmetāṃ taranti te ||

Verily, this divine illusion of Mine, composed of the three qualities, is difficult to cross over; those who take refuge in Me alone, can cross over this illusion.

Verily, this divine illusion of phenomenon manifesting itself in the qualities is difficult to surmount. Only they who devote themselves exclusively to Me can accomplish it.

न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः।माययापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः॥

na māṃ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ |māyayāpahṛtajñānā āsuraṃ bhāvamāśritāḥ ||

The evil-doers and the deluded, who are the lowest of men, do not seek Me; those whose knowledge is destroyed by illusion follow the ways of demons.

The sinner, the ignorant, the vile, deprived of spiritual perception by the glamour of illusion, and he who leads a godless life—none of them shall find me.

चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन।आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ॥

caturvidhā bhajante māṃ janāḥ sukṛtino'rjuna |ārto jijñāsurarthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha ||

Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna, and they are the distressed, the seekers of knowledge, the seekers of wealth, and the wise, O Lord of the Bharatas.

O Arjuna! The righteous who worship Me are grouped in stages: first, those who suffer, next those who desire knowledge, then those who thirst after truth, and lastly those who attain wisdom.

तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्ितर्विशिष्यते।प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः॥

teṣāṃ jñānī nityayukta ekabhakिtarviśiṣyate |priyo hi jñānino'tyarthamahaṃ sa ca mama priyaḥ ||

Of them, the wise who are ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excel; for I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and they are dear to Me.

Of all these, he who has gained wisdom, who meditates on Me without ceasing, devoting himself solely to Me, is the best; for I am exceedingly beloved by the wise man, and the wise man is also beloved by Me.

उदाराः सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम्।आस्थितः स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम्॥

udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tvātmaiva me matam |āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā māmevānuttamāṃ gatim ||

Indeed, all these are noble; however, I consider the wise man as My very Self; for, he is steadfast in mind and established in Me alone as the supreme goal.

Noble-minded are they all, but the wise man I hold as my own self; for he, remaining always at peace with me, makes me his ultimate goal.

बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान्मां प्रपद्यते।वासुदेवः सर्वमिति स महात्मा सुदुर्लभः॥

bahūnāṃ janmanāmante jñānavānmāṃ prapadyate |vāsudevaḥ sarvamiti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ ||

At the end of many births, the wise man comes to Me, realizing that all this is Vaasudeva (the innermost Self); such a great soul (Mahatma) is very hard to find.

After many lives, at last the wise one realizes Me as I am. It is very difficult to find a man so enlightened that he sees God everywhere.

कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः।तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया॥

kāmaistaistairhṛtajñānāḥ prapadyante'nyadevatāḥ |taṃ taṃ niyamamāsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā ||

Those whose wisdom has been taken away by this or that desire, go to other gods, following this or that rite, led by their own nature.

They in whom wisdom is obscured by one desire or another, worship the lesser powers, practicing many rites that vary according to their temperaments.

यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति।तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम्॥

yo yo yāṃ yāṃ tanuṃ bhaktaḥ śraddhayārcitumicchati |tasya tasyācalāṃ śraddhāṃ tāmeva vidadhāmyaham ||

Whatever form any devotee desires to worship with faith, I make that same faith of his firm and unflinching.

But whatever form of worship, if the devotee has faith, then I set My own seal upon their faith in that worship.

स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते।लभते च ततः कामान्मयैव विहितान् हि तान्॥

sa tayā śraddhayā yuktastasyārādhanamīhate |labhate ca tataḥ kāmānmayaiva vihitān hi tān ||

Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that form and obtains his desired outcome, which is ordained by Me alone.

If he worships one form alone with real faith, then his desires shall be fulfilled through that alone; for thus I have ordained.

अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम्।देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि॥

antavattu phalaṃ teṣāṃ tadbhavatyalpamedhasām |devāndevayajo yānti madbhaktā yānti māmapi ||

Verily, the reward (fruit) that accrues to those men of small intelligence is finite. The worshippers of the gods go to them, whereas My devotees come to Me.

The fruit that comes to people of limited insight is, after all, finite. Those who worship the Lower Powers attain them; but those who worship Me come to Me alone.

अव्यक्तं व्यक्ितमापन्नं मन्यन्ते मामबुद्धयः।परं भावमजानन्तो ममाव्ययमनुत्तमम्॥

avyaktaṃ vyakिtamāpannaṃ manyante māmabuddhayaḥ |paraṃ bhāvamajānanto mamāvyayamanuttamam ||

The foolish think of Me, the Unmanifest, as having manifestation, not knowing My higher, immutable, and most excellent nature.

The ignorant think of Me, who am the Unmanifested Spirit, as if I were in human form. They do not understand that My Superior Nature is unchanging and most excellent.

नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः।मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम्॥

nāhaṃ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyāsamāvṛtaḥ |mūḍho'yaṃ nābhijānāti loko māmajamavyayam ||

I am not manifest to all, veiled as I am by the Yoga-Maya. This deluded world does not know Me, who am unborn and imperishable.

I am not visible to all, for I am enveloped by the illusion of the Phenomenon. This deluded world does not know Me as the Unborn and Imperishable.

वेदाहं समतीतानि वर्तमानानि चार्जुन।भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन॥

vedāhaṃ samatītāni vartamānāni cārjuna |bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni māṃ tu veda na kaścana ||

I know, O Arjuna, the beings of the past, the present, and the future; however, no one knows Me.

I know, O Arjuna, all beings in the past, the present, and the future; but they do not know Me.

इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन द्वन्द्वमोहेन भारत।सर्वभूतानि संमोहं सर्गे यान्ति परन्तप॥

icchādveṣasamutthena dvandvamohena bhārata |sarvabhūtāni saṃmohaṃ sarge yānti parantapa ||

O Bharata, all beings are subject to delusion at birth due to the delusion of the pairs of opposites arising from desire and aversion, O Parantapa.

O brave Arjuna! Man lives in a fantastical world, deceived by the glamour of opposing sensations, infatuated by desire and aversion.

येषां त्वन्तगतं पापं जनानां पुण्यकर्मणाम्।ते द्वन्द्वमोहनिर्मुक्ता भजन्ते मां दृढव्रताः॥

yeṣāṃ tvantagataṃ pāpaṃ janānāṃ puṇyakarmaṇām |te dvandvamohanirmuktā bhajante māṃ dṛḍhavratāḥ ||

But those men of virtuous deeds, whose sins have come to an end and who are freed from the delusion of the pairs of opposites, worship Me steadfastly, with their vows.

But those who act righteously, in whom sin has been destroyed, who are free from the infatuation of conflicting emotions, they worship Me with a firm resolve.

जरामरणमोक्षाय मामाश्रित्य यतन्ति ये।ते ब्रह्म तद्विदुः कृत्स्नमध्यात्मं कर्म चाखिलम्॥

jarāmaraṇamokṣāya māmāśritya yatanti ye |te brahma tadviduḥ kṛtsnamadhyātmaṃ karma cākhilam ||

Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in Me, realize in full that Brahman, the whole knowledge of the Self, and all action.

Those who make Me their refuge, striving for liberation from decay and death, realize the Supreme Spirit, which is their own real Self, and in which all action finds its consummation.

साधिभूताधिदैवं मां साधियज्ञं च ये विदुः।प्रयाणकालेऽपि च मां ते विदुर्युक्तचेतसः॥

sādhibhūtādhidaivaṃ māṃ sādhiyajñaṃ ca ye viduḥ |prayāṇakāle'pi ca māṃ te viduryuktacetasaḥ ||

Those who know Me with the Adhibhuta (pertaining to the elements), Adhidaiva (pertaining to the gods), and the Adhiyajna (pertaining to the sacrifice) know Me even at the time of death, remaining steadfast in mind.

Those who see Me in the life of the world, in the universal sacrifice, and as pure Divinity, keeping their minds steady, they live in Me even in the hour of death's approach.