Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 The Yoga of Knowledge and Realization

Shloka 1 Hear How to Know the Supreme Fully and Without Doubt śhrī bhagavān uvācha | mayyāsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśhrayaḥ | asaṁśhayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tach chhṛiṇu || 7.1 || The Supreme Lord said: O Arjuna, with your mind firmly attached to Me and taking refuge in Me alone, practise yoga. Listen now to how you can know Me completely and without any doubt. → Shloka 2 The Complete Knowledge After Which Nothing Remains to Be Known jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣhyāmy aśheṣhataḥ | yaj jñātvā neha bhūyo 'nyaj jñātavyam avaśhiṣhyate || 7.2 || I shall explain to you completely this knowledge together with its realization, knowing which nothing more remains to be known in this world. → Shloka 3 Rare Is the Seeker Who Truly Knows the Supreme manuṣhyāṇāṁ sahasreṣhu kaśhchid yatati siddhaye | yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaśhchin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ || 7.3 || Among thousands of human beings, hardly one strives for perfection, and even among those who strive and attain success, hardly one knows Me in truth. → Shloka 4 The Eightfold Division of the Divine Material Nature bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva cha | ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛitir aṣhṭadhā || 7.4 || Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and ego: thus My material nature is divided eightfold. → Shloka 5 The Higher Nature: The Living Principle That Sustains the World apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛitiṁ viddhi me parām | jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat || 7.5 || This is My lower nature. But besides it, O mighty-armed Arjuna, know My other, higher nature, which is the life element, the living beings, and by which this world is sustained. → Shloka 6 The Supreme as the Origin and Dissolution of the Entire World etad-yonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇīty upadhāraya | ahaṁ kṛitsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā || 7.6 || Understand that all beings have these two natures as their source. I am the origin of the entire universe, and also its dissolution. → Shloka 7 Everything Is Strung on the Supreme Like Pearls on a Thread mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñchid asti dhanañjaya | mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva || 7.7 || O Arjuna, there is nothing whatsoever higher than Me. Everything in this world is strung on Me, like rows of gems on a thread. → Shloka 8 The Divine as the Essence in Water, Light, Sound and Human Strength raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śhaśhi-sūryayoḥ | praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣhu śhabdaḥ khe pauruṣhaṁ nṛiṣhu || 7.8 || O son of Kunti, I am the taste in water, the radiance of the moon and the sun, the sacred syllable Om in all the Vedas, the sound in space, and the human capability in human beings. → Shloka 9 The Divine as Fragrance, Fire, Life and Austerity puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛithivyāṁ cha tejaśh chāsmi vibhāvasau | jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣhu tapaśh chāsmi tapasviṣhu || 7.9 || I am the pure fragrance in the earth and the brilliance in fire. I am the life in all beings, and the austerity in those who practice austerity. → Shloka 10 The Eternal Seed of All Beings, the Intelligence of the Intelligent bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ viddhi pārtha sanātanam | buddhir buddhimatām asmi tejas tejasvinām aham || 7.10 || O Arjuna, know Me to be the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the splendor of the splendid. → Shloka 11 Strength Free from Attachment and Desire Aligned with Righteousness balaṁ balavatāṁ chāhaṁ kāma-rāga-vivarjitam | dharmāviruddho bhūteṣhu kāmo 'smi bharatarṣhabha || 7.11 || Of the strong, I am the strength that is free from desire and attachment. O best of the Bharatas, in all beings I am the desire that is not contrary to righteousness. → Shloka 12 All States of Being Arise from the Supreme, Yet He Is Not Bound by Them ye chaiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās tāmasāśh cha ye | matta eveti tān viddhi na tv ahaṁ teṣhu te mayi || 7.12 || Whatever states of being there are, whether of goodness, passion or ignorance, know that they all proceed from Me alone. Yet I am not in them; they are in Me. → Shloka 13 The World Deluded by the Three Modes Fails to Know the Imperishable Supreme tribhir guṇa-mayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat | mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam || 7.13 || Deluded by these three modes of nature, the whole world does not recognize Me, who am beyond them and imperishable. → Shloka 14 The Divine Illusory Energy Is Hard to Cross, but Surrender Leads Beyond It daivī hy eṣhā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā | mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te || 7.14 || This divine illusory energy of Mine, made of the three modes of nature, is very difficult to overcome. But those who surrender to Me alone cross over it. → Shloka 15 Why Some Do Not Surrender to the Supreme na māṁ duṣhkṛitino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ | māyayāpahṛita-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśhritāḥ || 7.15 || The evildoers, the deluded, the lowest of human beings, whose knowledge has been taken away by illusion and who have adopted a demoniac nature, do not surrender to Me. → Shloka 16 Four Kinds of Virtuous People Who Worship the Supreme chatur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛitino 'rjuna | ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī cha bharatarṣhabha || 7.16 || O Arjuna, four kinds of virtuous people worship Me: the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of worldly gain, and the wise. → Shloka 17 The Wise Devotee of Single-Minded Devotion Is the Best teṣhāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśhiṣhyate | priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṁ sa cha mama priyaḥ || 7.17 || Among them, the wise one, ever steadfast and devoted to the One alone, is the best. I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and the wise one is dear to Me. → Shloka 18 The Wise Devotee Is Regarded as My Very Self udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam | āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā mām evānuttamāṁ gatim || 7.18 || All these devotees are noble, but I regard the wise one as My very Self. With a mind steadfastly united with Me, he is established in Me alone, the supreme goal. → Shloka 19 After Many Births, the Rare Great Soul Realizes That Vasudeva Is All bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate | vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ || 7.19 || At the end of many births, the person of wisdom surrenders to Me, realizing that Vasudeva is everything. Such a great soul is very rare. → Shloka 20 Desire-Driven Worship of Other Deities kāmais tais tair hṛita-jñānāḥ prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ | taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛityā niyatāḥ svayā || 7.20 || Those whose wisdom has been carried away by various desires resort to other deities, following various rules of worship, guided by their own nature. → Shloka 21 The Supreme Makes the Faith of Every Devotee Steady yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ śhraddhayārchitum ichchhati | tasya tasyāchalāṁ śhraddhāṁ tām eva vidadhāmy aham || 7.21 || Whatever form a devotee wishes to worship with faith, I make that faith of his steady and unwavering. → Shloka 22 All Desired Results Are Granted by the Supreme Alone sa tayā śhraddhayā yuktas tasyārādhanam īhate | labhate cha tataḥ kāmān mayaiva vihitān hi tān || 7.22 || Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that deity and obtains from it his desires, which are in truth granted by Me alone. → Shloka 23 Perishable Results of Limited Understanding versus Attaining the Supreme antavat tu phalaṁ teṣhāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām | devān deva-yajo yānti mad-bhaktā yānti mām api || 7.23 || But the fruit gained by those of small understanding is perishable. The worshippers of the deities go to the deities, but My devotees come to Me. → Shloka 24 Mistaking the Unmanifest Supreme for an Ordinary Manifest Being avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannaṁ manyante mām abuddhayaḥ | paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mamāvyayam anuttamam || 7.24 || The unintelligent think that I, the unmanifest, have assumed a manifest form. They do not know My higher, imperishable and supreme nature. → Shloka 25 Veiled by His Divine Power, the Unborn Supreme Is Unknown to the Deluded nāhaṁ prakāśhaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛitaḥ | mūḍho 'yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam || 7.25 || I am not revealed to everyone, being veiled by My divine power of yoga-māyā. This deluded world does not know Me, who am unborn and imperishable. → Shloka 26 The Supreme Knows All Beings, but No One Knows Him vedāhaṁ samatītāni vartamānāni chārjuna | bhaviṣhyāṇi cha bhūtāni māṁ tu veda na kaśhchana || 7.26 || O Arjuna, I know all beings of the past, the present and the future, but no one knows Me. → Shloka 27 Desire and Aversion Bewilder All Beings from Birth ichchhā-dveṣha-samutthena dvandva-mohena bhārata | sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ sarge yānti parantapa || 7.27 || O descendant of Bharata, all beings in creation fall into delusion at birth, deluded by the dualities that arise from desire and aversion, O conqueror of enemies. → Shloka 28 Freed from Duality, the Virtuous Worship with Firm Resolve yeṣhāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām | te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛiḍha-vratāḥ || 7.28 || But those virtuous people whose sins have come to an end are freed from the delusion of dualities, and they worship Me with firm resolve. → Shloka 29 Taking Refuge in the Supreme Leads to Knowledge of Brahman, the Self and Action jarā-maraṇa-mokṣhāya mām āśhritya yatanti ye | te brahma tad viduḥ kṛitsnam adhyātmaṁ karma chākhilam || 7.29 || Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in Me, know that Brahman completely, as well as the Self and all action. → Shloka 30 Those Who Know the Supreme in All His Aspects Remember Him Even at Death sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyajñaṁ cha ye viduḥ | prayāṇa-kāle 'pi cha māṁ te vidur yukta-chetasaḥ || 7.30 || Those who know Me as the governing principle of the material world, of the divine beings and of sacrifice also know Me at the time of death, their minds steadfastly united with Me. →