Bhagavadgita !

Chapter 7

Jnyana Vijnyana yoga !

Summary in English

Sanskrit Text in Devanagari, Kannada, Gujarati, Telugu, English

śrī bhagavānuvāca
mayyāsakta manāḥ pārtha yōgaṁ yuñjanmadāśrayaḥ|
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tat śr̥ṇu||

sa|| hē pārtha ! mayi āsaktamanāḥ madāśrayaḥ yōgaṁ yuñjan māṁ asaṁśayam samagraṁ yathā jñāsyasi tat śr̥ṇu ||
"Oh Partha, having mind fixed on Me and taking refuge in Me, hear from Me now how you may know Me fully without any doubt while practicing yoga." ||1||

bhagavadgīta
saptamōdhyāyaḥ
vijñānayōgaḥ

At the end of Chapter 6 Krishna says:
yōgināmapi sarvēṣāṁ madgatēnāntarātmanā |
śraddhavān bhajatē yo māṁ sa mē yuktatamō mataḥ ||6-47||
"O Arjuna! the one who has faith in me and meditates on me is the greatest even among those who perform penance or those who follow the path of knowledge!!"

One immediate question could have been how to fix mind on the Bhagavan or Brahman and on what form to meditate. Arjuna did not ask these questions. But Krishna himself decides to elaborate. So, this chapter also starts with elaboration from Bhagavan himself on what he said in the last chapter.

That special knowledge of Brahman on how to fix one's mind on him and how to meditate on him is the subject of this chapter. Hence this chapter is called the Yoga of Vignyaana or special Knowledge. It is a special knowledge generated by maturity of enquiry.

Krishna starts by saying:
śrī bhagavānuvāca
mayyāsakta manāḥ pārtha yōgaṁ yuñjanmadāśrayaḥ|
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tat śr̥ṇu||1||

"Oh Partha, having mind fixed on me and taking refuge in Me, you may hear from me, how you may know Me fully without doubt while practicing yoga ."

Krishan is saying, "I will tell you how you may know Me (the Brahman) fully, without doubt". The assurance " without doubt" of the very first sloka drives a curiosity as to what is it that Krishna might teach. We get the answer promptly in the second sloka.

bhagavānuvāca
jñānaṁ tē ahaṁ savijñānaṁ idaṁ vakṣyāmyaśēṣataḥ|
yat jñātvā nēha bhūyō nyajñāstavyamavaśiṣyatē || 2||

yat jñātvā" - 'Knowing which'
iha - in this world
jñātavyaṁ - that which out to be known
na avaśiṣyatē is not there !

- Knowing which there is no other thing left that needs to be known"

So Krishna was going to elaborate on that, knowing which there is no other thing left that needs to be known.
Such special knowledge is what Krishna is going to elaborate on.
What is that special kind of knowledge ?

"savijñānaṁ jñānam"-That knowledge which is based on experience.

If you know that special knowledge which is based on experience there is nothing else to know. There is nothing else which is worth knowing. In the Upanishadic dialogs between a Guru and his disciple there is an instance when the Guru asks the disciples who approached him as to what they want to know. The disciples ask for, "that knowledge knowing which there is nothing else to know." This dialog of Krishna with Arjuna falls in the same category though here Guru is himself offering to tell you " that knowledge knowing which there is nothing else to know", without the disciple asking !(7.03)

What is the specialty here.
Such knowledge is not easily available.
Among thousands of seekers there will be a few such seekers making that special effort. In all those making such effort may be there will be one who is able to experience the Brahman. Experiencing self or Brahman does not happen easily. It requires tremendous effort in controlling ones senses, controlling ones thoughts and practicing Nishkama karma. Such knowledge which would have been available only to one in thousands, Krishna decides to teach to his favorite disciple Arjuna.

First Krishna elaborates to Arjuna the nature of Brahman.

śrībhagavānuvāca
bhūmirāpō'nalō vāyuḥ khaṁ manōbuddhirēvaca |
ahaṁkāra itīyaṁ mē bhinnā prakr̥tiraṣṭadhā ||4||

" This Prakriti of mine is divided eight fold into earth water fire air space mind intellect and ego". Here Bhagavan describes these as inferior part of his nature "apara" because they are insentient things without consciousness.

The other part of his true nature is the "parā" Prakruti.
That is " jīva bhūtaṁ mahābāhō" that is the form of a "individual soul "which is sentient and conscious.( 7.05)
Prakruti with insentient things which is "aparā, and is inferior to the sentient conscious nature "jīva", which is "parā".
More importantly - yayēdaṁ dhāryatē jagat - this sustains the world.
The "individual soul " supports the world constituting the objects, feelings and ideas we experience.

This "parā" is what Krishna wants us to recognize as the important or the best.

The important point is that - "sarvāṇi bhūtāni
" All these have as source the prakruti which is "parā", and "aparā".
Both are of his form. He is the originator as well as the destroyer of the whole world, "sarvāṇi bhūtāni".(7.06)

śrībhagavānuvāca
mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyatkiṁcidasti dhanaṁjaya |
mayi sarvamidaṁ prōtaṁ sūtrē maṇi gaṇāiva||7||

He says, "There is nothing other than me - the whole universe is strung within me like the gems on thread."

The simile used here is the string used to hold together the gems. Like the string, in all objects there is Brahman. Without the support of the string the necklace will not be in place. Similarly without the Brahman in all objects the "Jagath" also will not be sustained.

That is how Krishna tells about the omnipresence of Brahman in all forms.
Krishna further elaborates on the omnipresence of Brahman.

śrībhagavānuvāca
rasōshamapsu kauntēya prabhāsmi śaśi sūryayōḥ|
praṇavaḥ sarva vēdēṣu śabdaḥ khē pauruṣaṁ nr̥ṣu||8||
puṇyō gandhaḥ pr̥thivyāṁ ca tējaśāsmi vibhāvasau |
jīvanaṁ sarvabhūtēṣu tapaścāsmi tapasviṣu||9||
bījaṁ māṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ viddhi pārtha sanātanam|
buddhirbuddhi matāmasmi tējastējasvināmaham ||10||
balaṁ balavatāṁ cāhaṁ kāmarāgavivarjitam|
dharnāviruddhō bhūtēṣu kāmōssmi bharatarṣabha ||11||

Krishna says
"The taste in the water, the light in the Sun and the moon, the"Om" in Vedas, the sound in the space, the virility in men , the smell in the earth, the brilliance in fire, the life in all beings, austerity in ascetics, the seed in all, intellect of the intelligent, prowess in the powerful, the desire in the being which is right they are all forms of Brahman"

These are all symbols of the omnipresence of Brahman.
Brahman is present in all things and beings.

In Karma yoga (chapter 3) when Arjuna asks why does a man run after sin even while knowing it is not correct. Krishna says it is because of the nature. He elaborates there that it is because of the Rajo, Tamo and Sattva Gunas present in the man.

Elaborating on the same theme Krishna says
"mattaḥ ēva iti"
- these are because of me
"na tvahaṁ tēṣu tē mayi"
- "ahaṁ tēṣu na ; tē mayi"
"I am not in them, but they are in me".

The Rajo, Tamas, and Sattva Gunas are in Brahman and under his control. Because of the preponderance of these Gunas one may not be able to perceive the Brahman.
"mōhitaṁ nābhijānāti
" because of the desires generated by the three "rajo tamas sattva" Gunas with the mind running after them, the true brahman is not perceived. (7.13).

So who can overcome this "mōha" ?

Krishna comes back with the answer.

śrībhagavānuvāca:
dēvī hyēṣāguṇamayī mama māya duratyayā |
māmēva yē prapadyantē māyāmētāṁ taranti tē ||14||

"mama māyā -this illusion of mine
"duratyayā" - is difficult to overcome"
"māmēva yē prapadyaṁtē" - whoever takes refuge in me alone"
"tē ētāṁ māyām taranti" - they are able to overcome this illusion."

Emphasizing that whoever through his discipline controls the Rajo and Tamo Gunas and through Sattvic guna focusses on Brahman, that one only is able to overcome the illusion and reach Brahman.

This is the secret of Brahman
To overcome the illusion created by rajo, Tamo Sattvic Gunas one has to realize the Self or Brahman .
This is not possible for all
For whom it is possible for whom it is not possible is a question
Answer to that is the following.

śrībhagavānuvāca:
na māṁ duṣkr̥tinō mūḍhāḥ prapadyantē narādhamāḥ|
māyayā'pahr̥ta jñānā asuraṁ bhāvamāśritāḥ ||15||
meaning there by :
duṣkr̥tinaḥ - sinners
mūḍhāḥ - ignorant
narādhamāḥ - wretched
māyayā apahr̥ta jñānāḥ- those whose discrimination capability is deprived by Maya or ignorance
asura bhāvam āśritāḥ - those who have taken to the attitude of demons
All such people will not be able to realize Brahman

Who are the people who want to take refuge in the Brahman ?
They are four (7.16)
Who are they ?
"ārtō jijñāsuḥ arthārdhī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha" ||16||
That is..
"ārtaḥ
"- the one in difficulties
"jijñāsuḥ
"- the one who wants to know more
"arthārthī
" - the one who wants riches
"jñānī
"- the wise one who knows.

They all have desire for God -
"udāraḥ sarvē ētē"
They are all noble people (7.17)

There is no need to add that the jñāni, the one who knows is the best of all.
The wise one who knows, loves Bhagavan. And Bhagavan loves the wise one who knows.

We have gone through the Yoga of Knowledge. We know who is the "jñāni" the wise one. It is interesting to see how does he reach that state. Although one starts with a process where the Brahman is different from the Self, with continuous enquiry into Self, conquering the all-powerful I or ego complex, with selfless karma, the continued overpowering of the states of Rajo ,Tamas one attains the stage of realization. In that state the Brahman is no different from Self. That is the state of the "jñāni" the wise one. He is established in advaita !

To reach that state it may take many births

But unable to wait for that realization, the man may fall into the process of worshipping Devas. Whoever Deva the worshipper chooses the Bhagavan makes it easier for him to make his worship happen.(7.20)

As stated by Krishna himself
"yē yathā māṁ prapadyaṁtē tāṁ tathaiva bhajāmyaham" -
'Whatever way they worship me, they get their rewards accordingly'.(7.23)
The desires focusing on fruits will end in such fruits only.
The Nishkama Karma or worship without consideration of fruits results in one realizing the path to that bliss of Brahman.(7.23)

Why would one pray to Devas giving fruits, instead of the one giving liberation is a valid question. This is similar to the one earlier asked by Arjuna. Here, Krishna answers that thought..

The answer to that is as follows :

śrībhagavānuvāca
avyaktaṁ vyakti māpannaṁ manyantē māmabuddhayaḥ |
paraṁ bhāvamajānantō mamāvyayamanuttamam ||24||

It means:
abuddayaḥ - The ignorant ones
mama bhāvaṁ ajānantaḥ - not knowing my nature
avaktam mām - the unseeable form of me
vyaktaṁ āpannaṁ manyantē - think of me as one with a form. .
The ones who don't know the real form of Brahman, think of him as having a form and fall into the routine of worshipping the form.

So what is the form of Brahman?
avyaktam - invisible
avyayam - without destruction
anuttamama - best without comparison.

To meditate on such a form by planting it in one's mind is difficult for anyone.(7.25)
When one is under the power of illusion covering the intellect it is impossible to focus on that form.
The ignorant cannot see such a form.

For all the beings immersed in the happiness and sorrow generated by the anger and desire the intellect is clouded. Clouded by Maya.
Then who can overcome this Maya or this ignorance?
Krishna says that whoever can destroy the ignorance with the help of acquired good deeds, they are able to become free from the cycle of happiness and sorrow. They are able to focus on the Nishkamakarma and reap the ensuing freedom from Bondage.(7.28)

Whoever is praying for liberation from the worldly sorrows, they are able to realize that the Self and all the actions as form of Brahman himself

śrībhagavānuvāca
sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyajñaṁ ca yē viduḥ |
prayāṇakālē'pi ca māṁ tē viduryuktacētasaḥ ||30||

Those who know me together with what concerns beings, the gods and sacrifices -
they fix their mind (on me) and know me even at the time of death.

||om tat sat ||

śrībhagavānuvāca
sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyajñaṁ ca yē viduḥ |
prayāṇakālē'pi ca māṁ tē viduryuktacētasaḥ ||

Those who know me together with what concerns beings, the gods and sacrifices,
they fix their mind (on me) and know me even at the time of death .

|| ōm tat sat ||