The Supreme Lord said: O Partha, with mind attached to Me, practicing yoga, taking refuge in Me—hear how you shall know Me completely and without doubt.
Commentary:
Krishna promises to reveal knowledge that will give complete, doubt-free understanding of him. The prerequisites are: attachment of mind to him, practice of yoga, and taking him as refuge. With these conditions met, full knowledge becomes possible.
Learning:
To know anything deeply, you need focus, practice, and commitment. Half-hearted inquiry yields partial understanding. When you're truly attached to knowing, when you practice diligently, and when you rely on the source of knowledge, complete understanding comes.
I shall teach you in full this knowledge along with its realization, knowing which nothing more remains to be known in this world.
Commentary:
Krishna will impart both theoretical knowledge (jnana) and direct realization (vijnana). This complete knowledge leaves nothing else to be known—it is the pinnacle of wisdom. All other knowledge is partial; this is complete.
Learning:
The highest knowledge encompasses both understanding and direct experience. Theoretical knowledge alone is incomplete; realization without understanding is blind. Seek both together, and you'll reach the point where further seeking ends.
Among thousands of people, hardly one strives for perfection. Among those who strive and succeed, hardly one knows Me in truth.
Commentary:
This verse reveals the rarity of genuine spiritual attainment. Most people don't even try for perfection. Among those who try, few succeed. Among those who succeed, few truly know Krishna. Complete knowledge of the divine is extremely rare.
Learning:
The spiritual path is the road less traveled. Most people are absorbed in worldly pursuits. Few make serious spiritual effort. Fewer achieve significant progress. To truly know the divine is the rarest attainment. Value your aspiration—it makes you rare.
Verse 7.4
Sanskrit Transliteration:
bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva cha
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛitir aṣhṭadhā
Translation:
Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and ego—this is My material nature divided into eight.
Commentary:
Krishna describes his lower nature (apara prakriti)—the eight elements that constitute material existence: five gross elements (earth, water, fire, air, space) and three subtle elements (mind, intellect, ego). These form the material world.
Learning:
Everything material—from physical elements to your mind and sense of self—is part of divine nature. The world is not separate from the divine; it is made of divine substance. Understanding this changes how you relate to everything around you.
Verse 7.5
Sanskrit Transliteration:
apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛitiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
Translation:
This is My lower nature. But know My higher nature, O mighty-armed one—the living beings by which this entire world is sustained.
Commentary:
Beyond the material nature is Krishna's higher nature (para prakriti)—the conscious living beings (jivas) that animate and sustain the world. Matter alone is inert; it is consciousness that brings it to life. Souls are superior to matter.
Learning:
You are not made of matter—you animate matter. Your body is the lower nature; your consciousness is the higher. This distinction is fundamental. Don't identify with what you wear (the body); identify with what you are (consciousness).
Understand that all beings have their origin in these two natures. I am the source of the entire creation and also its dissolution.
Commentary:
All creatures arise from the combination of these two natures—material and spiritual. And both natures have their source in Krishna. He is the ultimate origin of everything and also the final destination into which everything dissolves.
Learning:
Everything comes from and returns to one source. Behind the diversity of creation is one origin. Knowing this unifying principle changes how you see the world—not as random chaos but as purposeful manifestation from a single source.
There is nothing higher than Me, O Dhananjaya. All this is strung on Me like pearls on a thread.
Commentary:
Nothing exists beyond Krishna—he is the ultimate reality. Everything in existence is connected to him like pearls strung on a thread. The thread (divine presence) runs through all things, holding them together while remaining largely invisible.
Learning:
There is a connecting thread running through everything. Diverse phenomena are unified by an underlying presence. Like pearls, individual things have their separate existence, but they're held together by something that runs through them all.
I am the taste in water, O son of Kunti, the radiance in the moon and sun, the sacred syllable Om in all the Vedas, the sound in space, and the ability in humans.
Commentary:
Krishna reveals himself as the essential quality in things: taste in water (without which water is nothing special), light in moon and sun, Om in scriptures, sound in space, ability in humans. He is what makes each thing what it is.
Learning:
The divine is not abstract or distant—it is the essential quality in everything you experience. The taste you enjoy, the light you see, the abilities you have—these are divine presence. Look for the divine in the ordinary; it's already there.
I am the pure fragrance of the earth, the brilliance in fire, the life in all beings, and the austerity in ascetics.
Commentary:
The list continues: Krishna is the fresh smell of earth, the brightness of fire, the life force in all creatures, and the discipline in those who practice austerity. Each phenomenon has an essential quality that is divine presence.
Learning:
Life itself is divine. The vitality you feel, the freshness of nature, the glow of fire—all are expressions of the same presence. When you connect with the essential quality of anything, you connect with the divine.
Know Me to be the eternal seed of all beings, O Partha. I am the intelligence of the intelligent and the splendor of the splendid.
Commentary:
Krishna is the eternal seed—the potential from which all beings emerge. He is the intelligence that makes intelligent people intelligent, the brilliance that makes brilliant things brilliant. Every excellence has its source in him.
Learning:
Your intelligence is not your own creation—it comes from a deeper source. The excellence you see in anyone or anything reflects the divine. Appreciate abilities without taking personal pride; they are gifts from the source of all gifts.
I am the strength of the strong, devoid of desire and attachment. I am desire in beings that does not conflict with dharma, O best of the Bharatas.
Commentary:
Krishna is pure strength—strength without selfish desire or attachment. He is also righteous desire—wanting that is aligned with dharma. Not all desire is bad; desire that supports natural order and righteousness is divine.
Learning:
Strength becomes spiritual when it's not driven by ego or craving. Desire becomes legitimate when it doesn't violate dharma. Don't condemn all strength or all desire—just the selfish, harmful kinds. Pure strength and righteous desire are divine.
Verse 7.12
Sanskrit Transliteration:
ye chaiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās tāmasāśh cha ye
matta eveti tān viddhi na tv ahaṁ teṣhu te mayi
Translation:
Whatever states of being exist—sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic—know them to be from Me. Yet I am not in them; they are in Me.
Commentary:
All three gunas (qualities of nature)—sattva (goodness), rajas (passion), and tamas (ignorance)—arise from Krishna. Yet he is not contained or affected by them. They exist in him like waves in the ocean; the ocean contains waves but is not limited by them.
Learning:
The divine is the source of all qualities but is beyond all qualities. Whatever character trait you see—positive or negative—has its root in the divine, yet the divine transcends all limitations. Don't confuse any quality with the source of all qualities.
Deluded by these threefold qualities of nature, this whole world does not recognize Me, who am beyond them and imperishable.
Commentary:
The three gunas create a veil that prevents most beings from recognizing the divine. Caught up in goodness, passion, or ignorance, the world cannot see what lies beyond these states. Krishna, who is beyond and unchanging, remains unrecognized.
Learning:
Your current mental state—whether calm, agitated, or dull—affects your ability to perceive deeper truth. When caught in any guna, you're limited in perception. Recognize this limitation and work to see beyond your current state.
Verse 7.14
Sanskrit Transliteration:
daivī hy eṣhā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te
Translation:
This divine illusion of Mine, made of the three gunas, is very difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me cross beyond this illusion.
Commentary:
Maya (divine illusion) composed of the gunas is extremely difficult to transcend. However, there is a way: surrender to Krishna. Those who take refuge in him cross beyond the illusion that binds others. Surrender is the key that unlocks the prison of maya.
Learning:
You cannot overcome illusion through your own power alone—the illusion itself distorts your efforts. The solution is surrender to a higher power that is beyond the illusion. This is not weakness but wisdom—recognizing you need help to see what you cannot see.
Verse 7.15
Sanskrit Transliteration:
na māṁ duṣhkṛitino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛita-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśhritāḥ
Translation:
The evil-doers, the deluded, the lowest of humans, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, who have embraced demonic nature—they do not surrender to Me.
Commentary:
Four types of people don't surrender: evil-doers (acting against dharma), the foolish (lacking discrimination), the degraded (lowest human tendencies), and those with demonic natures (opposing the divine). Maya has stolen their capacity to recognize truth.
Learning:
Some people cannot surrender because their knowledge is covered by delusion. Wickedness, foolishness, degradation, and demonic tendencies prevent recognition of the divine. If you feel drawn to surrender, be grateful—not everyone can.
Four kinds of virtuous people worship Me, O Arjuna: the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise, O best of the Bharatas.
Commentary:
In contrast, four types of good people do approach Krishna: those in distress (seeking relief), inquirers (seeking knowledge), those desiring wealth (seeking prosperity), and the wise (seeking the divine for its own sake). All are blessed, but their motivations differ.
Learning:
People come to spirituality for different reasons—pain, curiosity, material needs, or pure wisdom. All approaches are valid starting points. Don't judge others' motivations; use whatever brings you to the path, then let your motivation evolve.
Verse 7.17
Sanskrit Transliteration:
teṣhāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśhiṣhyate
priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṁ sa cha mama priyaḥ
Translation:
Of these, the wise one who is ever united with Me in single-minded devotion is the best. I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and they are dear to Me.
Commentary:
Among the four types of devotees, the jnani (wise one) is supreme. Always united with Krishna through one-pointed devotion, such a person is extremely dear to Krishna, and Krishna is dear to them. This mutual love is the highest relationship.
Learning:
The highest devotion is not driven by need but by love and wisdom. While seeking God for relief, knowledge, or prosperity is valid, seeking God for God's sake alone is supreme. As you grow spiritually, let your motivation evolve toward pure love.
Verse 7.18
Sanskrit Transliteration:
udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam
āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā mām evānuttamāṁ gatim
Translation:
All these devotees are noble, but the wise one I consider as My very Self. With mind established in Me, such a one is situated in Me alone as the supreme goal.
Commentary:
All four types of devotees are praiseworthy—all are elevated souls. But the wise devotee is so dear to Krishna that he considers them as himself. Such a one, established in Krishna, knows him as the ultimate destination.
Learning:
Every sincere approach to the divine is valued. But the wise devotee who seeks nothing but the divine itself achieves the closest relationship—becoming so dear as to be considered the divine's own self. This intimacy is the goal of spiritual evolution.
Verse 7.19
Sanskrit Transliteration:
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ
Translation:
At the end of many births, the wise one surrenders to Me, knowing that Vasudeva is everything. Such a great soul is very rare.
Commentary:
After many lifetimes of spiritual evolution, the wise one realizes that Vasudeva (Krishna) is everything and surrenders completely. Such a mahatma (great soul) is extremely rare. This realization that the divine is all-in-all is the culmination of the spiritual journey.
Learning:
Complete surrender comes after much experience and growth. The realization "God is everything" doesn't come easily—it may take many lifetimes. If you can glimpse this truth, you're approaching something very rare. Don't be discouraged by gradual progress.
Verse 7.20
Sanskrit Transliteration:
kāmais tais tair hṛita-jñānāḥ prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ
taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛityā niyatāḥ svayā
Translation:
Those whose knowledge is carried away by various desires surrender to other gods, following various rules according to their own nature.
Commentary:
People driven by particular desires worship various deities, following different rituals according to their inclinations. Their focus on specific desires prevents them from recognizing the ultimate source. They worship partial manifestations rather than the whole.
Learning:
Desire-driven worship tends to be fragmented—seeking this deity for that benefit, that god for this result. While valid, such worship keeps you focused on parts rather than the whole. Recognize that all divine forms are aspects of one reality.
Verse 7.21
Sanskrit Transliteration:
yo yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ śhraddhayārchitum ichchhati
tasya tasyāchalāṁ śhraddhāṁ tām eva vidadhāmy aham
Translation:
Whatever form a devotee wishes to worship with faith—in that form alone I make their faith steady.
Commentary:
Krishna reveals his gracious role: whatever form of deity a person wishes to worship, Krishna himself strengthens their faith in that form. He is the hidden support behind all worship, honoring sincere devotion in any form.
Learning:
Faith itself is a gift from the divine. Whatever form your devotion takes, it is supported by the supreme. This doesn't mean all forms are equal in effect, but sincere worship in any form is honored. Trust your genuine spiritual impulses.
Verse 7.22
Sanskrit Transliteration:
sa tayā śhraddhayā yuktas tasyārādhanam īhate
labhate cha tataḥ kāmān mayaiva vihitān hi tān
Translation:
Endowed with that faith, such a one worships that form and obtains desired objects—all granted by Me alone.
Commentary:
With faith strengthened by Krishna, the devotee worships and receives desired results. But these results, though appearing to come from various deities, are actually granted by Krishna alone. He is the source behind all divine responses.
Learning:
All genuine spiritual results come from the same source, regardless of the form worshipped. The deity you worship is a channel; the source is one. Understanding this unifies diverse religious experiences and prevents sectarian narrowness.
Verse 7.23
Sanskrit Transliteration:
antavat tu phalaṁ teṣhāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām
devān deva-yajo yānti mad-bhaktā yānti mām api
Translation:
But the fruit obtained by those of small intelligence is perishable. The worshippers of gods go to the gods; My devotees come to Me.
Commentary:
The results of deity worship are temporary—finite desires yield finite fruits. Those who worship lesser gods attain those gods; but Krishna's devotees attain Krishna himself. The difference is between limited, perishable results and unlimited, eternal attainment.
Learning:
What you aim for determines what you get. If you seek limited objectives, you get limited results. If you seek the unlimited, you get the unlimited. Aim high—why settle for temporary gains when the eternal is available?
The unintelligent think I am the unmanifest that has become manifest, not knowing My supreme nature, which is imperishable and unsurpassed.
Commentary:
Those lacking wisdom think Krishna is merely a human who became divine—that the unmanifest has taken manifest form. They don't understand his eternal, supreme nature. Krishna is not a man who became God; he is God who appears as man.
Learning:
Don't reduce the infinite to fit your understanding. When the divine takes form, it doesn't become limited—it remains infinite while appearing finite. Approach divine incarnations with openness to their transcendent nature.
Veiled by My yoga-maya, I am not revealed to everyone. This deluded world does not recognize Me, the unborn and imperishable.
Commentary:
Krishna's yoga-maya (divine illusion) conceals his true nature from ordinary perception. The world, deluded by this veil, cannot recognize him as the eternal, unborn reality. Only those with purified vision can see through the covering.
Learning:
The divine is always present but not always visible. A veil of illusion hides the sacred from ordinary perception. This is why spiritual practice is necessary—to purify the vision that can penetrate the veil and recognize what was always there.
Verse 7.26
Sanskrit Transliteration:
vedāhaṁ samatītāni vartamānāni chārjuna
bhaviṣhyāṇi cha bhūtāni māṁ tu veda na kaśhchana
Translation:
I know all beings—past, present, and future, O Arjuna—but no one knows Me.
Commentary:
Krishna knows all beings across all time—past, present, and future—completely. But no one knows him completely. This asymmetry—he knows all, none knows him fully—reflects his transcendent nature. Even the greatest sages know him only partially.
Learning:
The divine knows you completely, but you cannot fully know the divine. This is not a problem but a relationship dynamic to accept. Trust that you are known even as you continue to seek knowing. Complete knowledge of the infinite may be impossible for finite beings.
O Bharata, O scorcher of foes, all beings fall into delusion at birth through the illusion of dualities arising from desire and aversion.
Commentary:
From the moment of birth, all beings are deluded by dualities—attraction and aversion, pleasure and pain, like and dislike. This fundamental confusion about what to seek and avoid creates the veil that prevents recognition of truth.
Learning:
You're born into a world of likes and dislikes, and this shapes your perception before you can question it. The constant pull of desire and push of aversion creates the delusion you live in. Recognizing this is the first step toward freedom.
Verse 7.28
Sanskrit Transliteration:
yeṣhāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛiḍha-vratāḥ
Translation:
But those whose sins have ended, who are virtuous, who are freed from the delusion of dualities—they worship Me with firm resolve.
Commentary:
When past sins are exhausted through virtuous action, the delusion of dualities dissolves. Such purified beings worship Krishna with unwavering determination. Freedom from the opposites enables clear vision and steady devotion.
Learning:
Purification of past karma frees you from compulsive reactions to dualities. As you become more virtuous and less burdened by past negativity, you can worship with steadiness. Good deeds create the conditions for clear seeing.
Verse 7.29
Sanskrit Transliteration:
jarā-maraṇa-mokṣhāya mām āśhritya yatanti ye
te brahma tad viduḥ kṛitsnam adhyātmaṁ karma chākhilam
Translation:
Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in Me, know Brahman completely, the Self, and all action.
Commentary:
Those who, seeking freedom from the suffering of aging and death, take refuge in Krishna come to know everything: Brahman (ultimate reality), adhyatma (the individual self), and the complete nature of karma. Seeking liberation with Krishna's help reveals all spiritual truths.
Learning:
The desire for freedom from suffering, when directed properly, leads to complete knowledge. Use your natural wish to escape pain as motivation for spiritual seeking. Taking refuge in the divine reveals all that needs to be known.
Verse 7.30
Sanskrit Transliteration:
sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyajñaṁ cha ye viduḥ
prayāṇa-kāle 'pi cha māṁ te vidur yukta-chetasaḥ
Translation:
Those who know Me as the governing principle of the material world, of the gods, and of all sacrifices—they, with controlled minds, know Me even at the time of death.
Commentary:
Those with complete understanding know Krishna as the principle underlying matter (adhibhuta), the celestials (adhidaiva), and sacrifice (adhiyajna). Such comprehensive knowers, with disciplined minds, maintain this awareness even in death—the ultimate test.
Learning:
True knowledge must hold even in death. The mind's state at death matters greatly. Those who truly know can maintain awareness of the divine even during the most challenging transition. Work now to establish knowledge that will hold when most needed.
Translation and commentary sourced from public domain texts.
Share:
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Occasional thoughts on trading, building, and life. No spam.