Chapter 7 Knowledge of the Absolute | भगवद्ज्ञान (Verse 1-12)

  Chapter 7

Knowledge of  the Absolute 

भगवद्ज्ञान 

Verse 1-12

In the first six chapters, the living thing is characterized as a nonmaterial spirit soul that can achieve self-realization through various forms of yoga. The ultimate type of yoga, known as bhakti-yoga (described in 6.47), is explicitly declared at the end of Chapter Six to be the constant focus of the mind upon Krsna or Krsna consciousness attainment.

 

Krsna starts outlining the bhakti-yoga method in detail in this chapter. Krsna previously discussed achieving freedom through detachment, or "renunciation in action." Now, He will discuss "devotion in action." Sravanam, or learning about the Supreme Lord, is the most important of all the limbs of bhakti yoga because it allows one to fully understand the Absolute Truth, living things, the material world, and their manifestations. In this chapter Krsna asks arjuna to hear about him.

 

In the verses 1-3 it is emphasised that by hearing  about Krsna leads to revelation of phenomenal and numinous knowledge about him which is very rare to be attained as realized knowledge by any sort of man with qualification or education.

 

Verse 1

श्रीभगवानुवाच
मय्यासक्तमना: पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रय: ।
असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead spoke, "Now hear, O son of Pṛthā, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt

Purport

The seventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita extensively describes the nature of Krsna consciousness explaining his universal opulences. This chapter describes four types of lucky people who become attracted to Krsna, as well as four types of unfortunate people who do not in their lifetime..

The first six chapters of the Bhagavad-gītā defined the living entity as a nonmaterial spirit soul capable of achieving self-realization through various stages of yogas. According to the Sixth Chapter, the ultimate type of yoga is focused on Krsna, often known as Krsna consciousness.

Understanding of Absolute truth is only possible by Concentrating on Krsna consciousness which is not possible otherwise. The absolute knowledge of matter, spirit , source and controller of both , God -is  complete knowledge. Impersonal brahma-jyotir, also known as localized Paramātmā realization, is a partial understanding of the Absolute Truth. Krsna is the source of complete and scientific knowledge, which is revealed only to those with this consciousness. Complete Krsna consciousness recognizes Krsna as the ultimate knowledge. Different styles of yoga are just stepping stones towards Krsna consciousness. Directly pursuing Krsna consciousness leads to complete knowledge of Brahma-jyotir and Paramātmā. Krsna consciousness yoga provides a comprehensive understanding of the Absolute Truth, living entities, material nature, and their manifestations through paraphernalia in absolute sense.Here Krsna is going to give knowledgeof essential facts about himself, the supreme personality of Godhead and his diverse eternal energies which are unlimited with out bounds.

As a result, one should begin practicing yoga as advised in the sixth chapter's final verse. Devotional service in nine forms, including śravaṇam, allows for mental concentration on Krsna, the Supreme. The Lord tells Arjuna, tac chṛṇu, or "Hear from Me." Krsna is the ultimate authority, and hearing from Him is the best opportunity to become fully Krsna conscious. To learn from Krsna, one must study directly from a pure devotee, rather than from a nondevotee with some academic qualification.

 

Verse 2

ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषत: ।
यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते ॥

jñānaṁ te ’haṁ sa-vijñānam
idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ
yaj jñātvā neha bhūyo ’nyaj
jñātavyam avaśiṣyate

Translation

I will now fully reveal to you this phenomenal and numinous knowledge. Now that you are aware of this, there will be nothing more for you to learn.

Purport

To be fully informed, one must be aware of the spirit that underlies the phenomenal world, as well as its source. This understanding is transcendental. The reason the Lord wishes to explain the knowledge system indicated above is because Arjuna is Krsna's close friend and confidant. This answer, which the Lord provided at the beginning of the Fourth Chapter, is reiterated here: only the devotee of the Lord in disciplic succession directly from the Lord can get comprehensive understanding. As a result, in all forms of yoga practice, one should possess sufficient intelligence to recognize the origin of all knowledge, the source of all causes, and the sole purpose of meditation. Everything knowable will become known when the cause of all causes is discovered.

Jnana refers to theoretical knowledge(krsna’s energies) and vijnana refers to realized knowledge (krsna’s sweetness) . Knowing vijnana is greater than jnana. Description of Jnana is done in chapter 7 and 8 , Vijnana in Chapter 9 and both in Chapter 10-11.

Verse 3

मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।
यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वत: ॥

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

Translation

Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

Purport

There are numerous degrees of mankind, and one in a thousand may be sufficiently interested in transcendental realization to seek to understand the self, the body, and the Absolute Truth. In general, humans are just involved in animal behaviors such as eating, sleeping, protecting, and mating, with little interest in transcendental knowledge. The first six chapters of the Gita are for people interested in transcendental knowledge, knowing the self, the Superself, and the process of enlightenment through jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga, and discriminating the self from matter. Krsna can only be understood by those in Krsna consciousness. Other transcendentalists may get impersonal Brahman realization, as it is easier than understanding Krsna.

Krsna is the Supreme Person, although He is beyond the knowledge of Brahman and Paramātmā. Yogis and jñānīs struggle to grasp Krsna's essence. Only after relaizing and knowing Krsna in his true form one relaizes that he is omniscient, omnipotent having infinite affection for his devotees possessing of unlimited and inconceivable energies which causes this cosmos existence and have jewel of unlimited auspicious qualities.

 

Verse 4 onwards till verse 12, different energies of Lord Krsna is described in detail. All the material and spiritual energies originate from Krsna.

Verse 4

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

bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

Translation

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego – all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.

Purport

There are 5 gross elements-earth, water, fire, air and ether including their respective sense objects, their causes- smell, taste, form, touch and sound (5 in number). Material science comprises these ten items and nothing more. Philosophers dealing with mental activity are similarly fallible in their knowledge, as they are ignorant of Krsna, the ultimate source.

There are 3 subtle elements- mind, intelligence and false ego (the soul’s misidentification with matter and his illusory conception of ‘I and mine’) are neglected by the materialists. False ego also includes its effects, the ten senses: nose, tongue, eye, skin, ear, hands, feet, voice, anus and genital.

 

Verse 5

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

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat

Translation

In addition to these, O powerful Arjuna, there is another, higher energy of Mine that consists of the living beings that are making use of this inferior, material nature's resources.

Purport

Living creatures are plainly mentioned as belonging to the Supreme Lord's higher nature (or energy). The inferior energy manifests as matter in several elements, including earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego. The inferior energy generates both coarse (earth) and subtle (mind) forms of material nature. The living things that utilize these lesser energies for various purposes are the Supreme Lord's superior energy, and the entire material world functions as a result of this energy. The cosmic manifestation has no ability to operate unless it is prompted by the superior energy, the living being. Energies are always regulated by the energetic, therefore living entities are always controlled by the Lord; they have no autonomous existence. They are never equally powerful, as ignorant men believe.

Krsna, the Supreme Lord, controls all living entities. These living creatures are His superior energy since the quality of their existence is identical to that of the Supreme, yet they can never match the Lord in terms of power. While manipulating the gross and subtle inferior energy (matter), the superior energy (the living being) loses sight of his true spiritual mind and wisdom. This forgetting is caused by the influence of substance on the living organism. However, when the living thing is free of the influence of illusory material energy, he reaches the stage known as mukti, or emancipation. The false ego, influenced by material delusion, believes, "I am matter, and material acquisitions are mine.". the living entity is also called tatastha sakti.

His true position is realized when he is free of all material beliefs, including the notion that he will become one with God in every way. The Gita affirms that the living creature is merely one of Krsna's multi-energies. When this energy is freed from material impurity, it becomes totally Krsna cognizant or liberated.

In the verses 6-7 description of Krsna as the creator, maintainer and destroyer of world is discussed.

 

Verse 6

एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय ।
अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगत: प्रभव: प्रलयस्तथा ॥

etad-yonīni bhūtāni
sarvāṇīty upadhāraya
ahaṁ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ
prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā

Translation

All created beings have their source in these two natures. Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both the origin and the dissolution.

Purport

Everything that exists is a combination of matter and spirit. Spirit is the foundation of creation, and matter is generated by spirit. Spirit is not produced at a specific moment in material evolution. Rather, our material universe exists only on the basis of spiritual force. This material body develops because spirit exists within matter; a child grows gradually from boyhood to adulthood because superior energy, spirit soul, is present. The Supersoul, Viṣṇu, is responsible for the creation of the vast cosmos. As a result, spirit and matter, which combine to manifest this huge universal form, are essentially two energies of the Lord, and hence the Lord is the original cause of everything. The living creature, may be behind the large skyscraper, a large factory, or even a large city, but he cannot be the cause of an entire universe. The great soul, also known as the Supersoul, is the cause of the vast cosmos. Krsna, the Supreme, is the cause of both large and little souls. As a result, He is the ultimate cause of everything that exists in this universe.

 

Verse 7

मत्त: परतरं नान्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय ।
मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ॥

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañ-jaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

Translation

O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.

Purport

Krsna has explained in this how he maintains this world being the essence of everything-source, cause and basis of everything. There is widespread disagreement on whether the Supreme Absolute Truth is human or impersonal. According to the Bhagavad-gītā, the Absolute Truth is the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, which is reaffirmed throughout this text. This verse, in particular, emphasizes that the Absolute Truth is a person. Based on these passages, one can deduce that the Supreme Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is permeated by his many material and spiritual qualities.

 

Verse 8

रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभास्मि शशिसूर्ययो: ।
प्रणव: सर्ववेदेषु शब्द: खे पौरुषं नृषु ॥

raso ’ham apsu kaunteya
prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ
praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu
śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu

Translation

I, son of Kuntī, am the taste of water, the brightness of the sun and moon, the syllable oṁ in Vedic mantras, the sound in ether, and the ability in man.

Purport

This passage describes how the Lord is all-pervasive through His various material and spiritual energies. The Supreme Lord can be known beforehand through His many energies, and He is therefore realized impersonally. As the demigod in the sun is a person perceived by his all-pervading energy, the sunlight, so is the Lord perceived by His all-pervading diffusive energies, despite being in His eternal abode. Water's active principle is represented by its taste. Nobody loves to drink sea water since the pristine taste of water is contaminated by salt. The attraction to water is determined by the purity of the flavor, and this clean taste is one of the Lord's energies.

The impersonalist feels the Lord's presence in water by its taste, whereas the personalist praises the Lord for graciously providing tasty water to quench thirst of man. That is how we perceive the Supreme. In practice, personalism and impersonalism do not contradict. One who knows God understands that the impersonal and personal conceptions exist in everything at the same time, with no contradiction.

The light of the sun and moon originates in the brahma-jyotir, or impersonal effulgence of the Lord. The praṇava, or oṁ-kara transcendental sound, at the start of every Vedic hymn, addresses the Supreme Lord. Impersonalists avoid using the names of the Supreme Lord Krsna and instead utilize the transcendental sound om-kara. They don't comprehend that om-kara is the sound expression of Krsna. Krsna consciousness has universal jurisdiction and is considered a blessing for those who understand it. Knowing Krsna leads to release, but ignorance leads to bondage.

 

In the following verses Krsna is described as all-pervasive, the essence of everything and is beyond the material modes

 

Verse 9

पुण्यो गन्ध: पृथिव्यां च तेजश्चास्मि विभावसौ ।
जीवनं सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि तपस्विषु ॥

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca
tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau
jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu

Translation

I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics

Purport

Krsna is uncontaminated flavor which permeates each and everything in this universe just like we have flavor or fragrance in flower, earth, air, fire and water. All original things in this universe has some characteristic flavor or smell or taste. The heat in the fire ,that is essence for running factories across globe and for cooking food, is krsna himself. As per vedic knowledge indigestion is caused by the low temperature in the belly, making the need of fire essential for the digestion. Krsna consciousness recognizes Krsna as the source of all active principles, chemicals, and material elements, including earth, water, fire, and air. Krsna also determines the length of human life. Through the grace of Krsna, humans can either extend or shorten their lives. Krsna consciousness is active in all spheres of life.

Verse 10

बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम् ।
बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ॥

bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
viddhi pārtha sanātanam
buddhir buddhimatām asmi
tejas tejasvinām aham

Translation

Know, O son of Pṛthā, that I am the source of all existences, the wisdom of the wise, and the strength of all strong men.

Purport

Bijam in the first sentence means seed. Seed of life for each and every species contained within the scope of 84,00,000 species of life , is Krsna only. If species are trees then Krsna is the root of all the trees, which maintains them. Krsna is the Para brahman the supreme spirit-root of all intelligence and alone is maintaining all life.

Verse 11

बलं बलवतां चाहं कामरागविवर्जितम् ।
धर्माविरुद्धो भूतेषु कामोऽस्मि भरतर्षभ ॥

balaṁ balavatāṁ cāhaṁ
kāma-rāga-vivarjitam
dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu
kāmo ’smi bharatarṣabha

Translation

I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O lord of the Bharatas [Arjuna here is referred as descendant of Bharata].

Purport

The purpose of a strong man's strength should not be personal aggression but rather the defense of the weak. Similar to this, sexual life should only be used to propagate the children or procreate, in accordance with religious principles (dharma). Then, it is the duty of parents to raise their children in Krsna consciousness.

The summary of Verse 8 to 11 is presented below

Verse 12

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

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā
rājasās tāmasāś ca ye
matta eveti tān viddhi
na tv ahaṁ teṣu te mayi

Translation

Know that all states of being – be they of goodness, passion or ignorance – are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the contrary, are within Me.

Purport

While Krsna is far beyond the three modes of material nature, goodness (sattvas), passion (rajas) and ignorance (tamas) which are components of Krsna's material energy known as maya, all 14 of the aforementioned examples in the previous table w.r.t. verse 11, are found within these three modes of material nature. Krsna concludes that only he has ultimate control over the three modes of material nature that govern this world.

Keep Chanting

Hare Krsna ,Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare

Hare Ram Hare Ram , Ram Ram , Hare Hare

To Be Continued...