Bhagavad Gita 7.1 — Hear How to Know the Supreme Fully and Without Doubt
श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः ।
असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ॥ ७.१ ॥
🔊 Listen to meaning of this shloka
Current voice: —
Ready
Text-to-speech is not supported by this browser.
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.
Transliteration (IAST)
Word Separation
The Sanskrit verse is separated into individual words (Padched) for easier study.
Word Meanings
| Line 1 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| mayi | in Me, upon Me |
| āsakta-manāḥ | with the mind attached, with the mind firmly absorbed |
| pārtha | O Arjuna, son of Pritha (Kunti) |
| yogam | the practice of yoga, union with the Divine |
| yuñjan | practising, engaging in |
| mad-āśhrayaḥ | taking refuge in Me, depending wholly on Me |
| Line 2 | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| asaṁśhayam | without doubt, free from uncertainty |
| samagram | fully, completely, in all My aspects |
| mām | Me, the Supreme Reality |
| yathā | in what manner, how |
| jñāsyasi | you will know, you will come to understand |
| tat | that |
| śhṛiṇu | listen, hear attentively |
| Line 1 | Line 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanskrit Word | Meaning | Sanskrit Word | Meaning |
| mayi | in Me, upon Me | asaṁśhayam | without doubt, free from uncertainty |
| āsakta-manāḥ | with the mind attached, with the mind firmly absorbed | samagram | fully, completely, in all My aspects |
| pārtha | O Arjuna, son of Pritha (Kunti) | mām | Me, the Supreme Reality |
| yogam | the practice of yoga, union with the Divine | yathā | in what manner, how |
| yuñjan | practising, engaging in | jñāsyasi | you will know, you will come to understand |
| mad-āśhrayaḥ | taking refuge in Me, depending wholly on Me | tat | that |
| śhṛiṇu | listen, hear attentively | ||
Detailed Meaning
Introduction
Chapter 6 ended with Lord Krishna declaring that the devotee who worships Him with faith, with the whole inner being absorbed in Him, is the highest of all yogis. Here, in the opening verse of Chapter 7, He builds on that declaration and begins to reveal the nature of the Supreme Reality itself, telling Arjuna how he can know Him completely and without doubt.
Essence
From Practice to Knowledge: A New Turn in the Gita
Until now, Lord Krishna has spoken mainly about how to act, how to renounce attachment, and how to discipline the mind. In this verse the focus shifts. He now begins to explain who it is that the seeker is moving towards. Yet He does not begin with theory. He begins with the condition of the seeker's mind, because the Gita holds that a person understands the Divine in proportion to the depth of their inner connection with it.
Mayy āsakta-manāḥ (with the mind attached to Me): The word āsakti usually refers to attachment to worldly objects, which the Gita warns against again and again. Here Lord Krishna uses the same word in a beautiful reversal: let the mind's natural tendency to cling be directed towards the Divine. The mind cannot live without attachment, so rather than asking it to be empty, He asks it to be anchored in something that liberates instead of binds.
Yogaṁ yuñjan (practising yoga): This devotion is not mere sentiment. It is to be joined with discipline, the steady practice of yoga in daily life. Feeling and effort go together: love without discipline becomes fleeting emotion, and discipline without love becomes dry routine.
Mad-āśrayaḥ (taking refuge in Me): The āśraya is the shelter, the support one leans upon. A person who has taken refuge in the Divine stops treating their own cleverness, status, or resources as the final protection. Effort continues, but the sense of ultimate dependence shifts from the ego to the Supreme.
Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ mām (Me, without doubt and in full): Lord Krishna promises two things: knowledge that is free from doubt (asaṁśaya) and knowledge that is complete (samagra). Partial knowledge of God often leaves a person confused, treating one aspect as the whole. Lord Krishna offers a vision that includes both His transcendent and immanent aspects, and He promises that it can be known, not merely believed.
Yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (listen, and you shall know how): The verse ends with an invitation to listen. Real understanding begins with attentive, receptive listening, and Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna as Pārtha, with affection, assuring him that what follows is meant for his benefit.
Message for Everyday Life (Where Do You Place Your Attachment?)
Everyone is attached to something: Some people are attached to their phone, their reputation, their income, or other people's opinions. The Gita does not ask us to become attachment-free by force. It asks us to examine where our mind rests most of the time, because whatever we are attached to shapes our peace and our decisions.
Practical approach: Choose a higher anchor, whether you call it God, truth, service, or your deepest values, and let your daily work flow from it. Begin each day with a few quiet moments of remembrance, and let the day's actions be offered to that anchor. Over time, small disappointments lose their power to unsettle you, because your support is no longer made of things that change.
From Practice to Knowledge: A New Turn in the Gita
Until now, Lord Krishna has spoken mainly about how to act, how to renounce attachment, and how to discipline the mind. In this verse the focus shifts. He now begins to explain who it is that the seeker is moving towards. Yet He does not begin with theory. He begins with the condition of the seeker's mind, because the Gita holds that a person understands the Divine in proportion to the depth of their inner connection with it.
Mayy āsakta-manāḥ (with the mind attached to Me): The word āsakti usually refers to attachment to worldly objects, which the Gita warns against again and again. Here Lord Krishna uses the same word in a beautiful reversal: let the mind's natural tendency to cling be directed towards the Divine. The mind cannot live without attachment, so rather than asking it to be empty, He asks it to be anchored in something that liberates instead of binds.
Yogaṁ yuñjan (practising yoga): This devotion is not mere sentiment. It is to be joined with discipline, the steady practice of yoga in daily life. Feeling and effort go together: love without discipline becomes fleeting emotion, and discipline without love becomes dry routine.
Mad-āśrayaḥ (taking refuge in Me): The āśraya is the shelter, the support one leans upon. A person who has taken refuge in the Divine stops treating their own cleverness, status, or resources as the final protection. Effort continues, but the sense of ultimate dependence shifts from the ego to the Supreme.
Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ mām (Me, without doubt and in full): Lord Krishna promises two things: knowledge that is free from doubt (asaṁśaya) and knowledge that is complete (samagra). Partial knowledge of God often leaves a person confused, treating one aspect as the whole. Lord Krishna offers a vision that includes both His transcendent and immanent aspects, and He promises that it can be known, not merely believed.
Yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (listen, and you shall know how): The verse ends with an invitation to listen. Real understanding begins with attentive, receptive listening, and Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna as Pārtha, with affection, assuring him that what follows is meant for his benefit.
Message for Everyday Life (Where Do You Place Your Attachment?)
Everyone is attached to something: Some people are attached to their phone, their reputation, their income, or other people's opinions. The Gita does not ask us to become attachment-free by force. It asks us to examine where our mind rests most of the time, because whatever we are attached to shapes our peace and our decisions.
Practical approach: Choose a higher anchor, whether you call it God, truth, service, or your deepest values, and let your daily work flow from it. Begin each day with a few quiet moments of remembrance, and let the day's actions be offered to that anchor. Over time, small disappointments lose their power to unsettle you, because your support is no longer made of things that change.
Next Topic
Lord Krishna has told Arjuna that complete, doubt-free knowledge of the Supreme comes to one whose mind is absorbed in Him and who takes refuge in Him. He now announces exactly what He is about to teach: the two aspects of knowledge, jñāna and vijñāna, and the remarkable promise that, once they are understood, nothing further remains to be known.
Hidden Messages In This Shloka
Reflect on this verse from different perspectives and see which deeper message opens up for you.
Wisdom Nuggets
A mind with one true anchor is rarely lost at sea.
Trust opens doors that analysis alone cannot.
Half-hearted seeking yields half-answers.
Certainty is born from depth, not from the volume of opinions.
To listen well is the first act of wisdom.
Letting go of control makes room for understanding.
Every deeper truth asks for a more devoted student.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is speaking in this verse and to whom?
What does 'mayyāsakta-manāḥ' (with the mind attached to Me) mean?
What is meant by 'mad-āśhrayaḥ' (taking refuge in Me)?
What is the significance of the word 'samagram' (fully)?
What is the practical message of this verse?
Explore related topics
More shlokas on the themes this verse touches: