BHAGVAD GITA CHAPTER-7

BHAGVAD GITA

Chapter 7: Self-Knowledge and Self-Realization

Lord Krishna said: O Arjuna, listen how you shall know Me completely without any doubt, with your mind absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, and performing yogic practices. (7.01)

I shall fully explain to you the Self-knowledge together with Self-realization after knowing that nothing more remains to be known in this world. (7.02)

Scarcely one out of thousands of persons tries for perfection of Self-realization. Scarcely one of the successful strivers truly understands Me. (7.03)

The mind, intellect, ego, ether, air, fire, water, and earth are the eightfold division of My material Nature, Prakriti. (7.04)

Prakriti is My lower form of energy. My other higher energy is the Purusha by which this entire universe is sustained, O Arjuna. (7.05)

Know that all creatures have developed from this twofold energy, and Brahman is the origin as well as the end of the entire universe. (7.06)

There is nothing higher than Me, the Supreme Being, O Arjuna. Everything in the universe is linked with Me like different jewels are linked with the thread in a necklace. (7.07)

O Arjuna, I am the juiciness in the water, I am the glow in the sun and the moon, the sacred syllable OM in all the Vedas, the sound in the space, and the manhood in men. (7.08)

I am the sweet scent in the earth. I am the heat in the fire, the life in all living beings, and the Tapa, in yogis. (7.09)

O Arjuna, know Me to be the eternal seed of all creatures. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the brilliance of the brilliant. (7.10)

I am the strength of the strong that is devoid of lust and attachment. I am the  Kama in human beings that is in accord with Dharma , O Arjuna. (7.11)

Know that the three Gunas, Sattvika, Rajasika, and Tamasika, also originate from Me. I am not affected by the three Gunas, but the Gunas dependent on Me. (7.12)

Human beings are mislead by these three Gunas of nature; therefore, they do not know Me who am above these Gunas. (7.13)

My divine Maya consisting of three Gunas or moods of mind is difficult to overcome. Only they who surrender unto Me, will cross over this Maya (7.14)

The evil doers, the ignorant, the lowest persons who are attached to demonic nature, and whose intellect has been taken away by Maya do not seek Me. (7.15)

Four types of virtuous ones worship or seek Me, O Arjuna. They are: the distressed, the seeker of Self-knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise one who knows the Supreme. (7.16)

Among them the wise one, who is ever united with Me and whose devotion is firm, is the best. Because, I am very dear to the wise, and the wise is very dear to Me. (7.17)

All these seekers are indeed noble, but I regard the wise as My very Self, because the one who is firm minded becomes one with the Supreme Being. (7.18)

After many births the wise ones surrender unto My will by realizing that everything is, indeed, another form of Brahman. Such a great soul is very rare. (7.19)

Persons whose wisdom has been carried away by their Samskara-born desires, depend on other gods and practice various religious rites. (7.20)

Whosoever desires to worship whatever deity with faith, I make their faith steady in that very deity. (7.21)

Endowed with steady faith they worship that deity, and fulfill their wishes through that deity. Those wishes are, indeed, granted only by Me. (7.22)

Such material gains of these less intelligent human beings are temporary. The worshipers of Devas go to Devas, but My devotees come to Me. (7.23)

The ignorant think of Me, the Para-Brahman, as having no form or personality and I can take any form; because human mind can never comprehend My Divya Roopa and existence. (7.24)

Hidden by My divine Maya, I am not known or seen by all. Therefore, the ignorant one does not know Me, the unborn and eternal Brahman. (7.25)

I know, O Arjuna, the beings of the past, of the present, and those of the future, but no one really knows Me. (7.26)

All beings in this world are in utter ignorance due to likes and dislikes born of desires, O Arjuna. (7.27)

Persons of unselfish deeds, whose Karma has come to an end, become free from likes and dislikes and worship Me with firm determination. (7.28)

Those who make their best efforts for freedom from the cycles of birth old age and death by taking refuge in Me know Brahman, the individual self, and Karma in its entirety. (7.29)

The firm minded persons who know that Brahman is the basis of everything.the Adhibhoota, the Adhidaiva, and the Adhiyajna .even at the time of death, attain Me (7.30)