1 Bg 7-1972: Knowledge of the Absolute
2
3 7. Knowledge of the Absolute
4
5 Bg 7.1
6
7 TEXT 1
8
9 TRANSLATION
10
> Prtha [Arjuna], how by practicing yoga in full
> consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know
> Me in full, free from doubt.
12
13 PURPORT
14
15 In this Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, the nature of
> Krsna consciousness is fully described. Krsna is full in
> all opulences, and how He manifests such opulences is
> described herein. Also, four kinds of fortunate people who
> become attached to Krsna, and four kinds of unfortunate
> people who never take to Krsna are described in this
> chapter.
16
17 In the first six chapters of Bhagavad-gita, the living
> entity has been described as nonmaterial spirit soul which
> is capable of elevating himself to self-realization by
> different types of yogas. At the end of the Sixth Chapter,
> it has been clearly stated that the steady concentration of
> the mind upon Krsna, or in other words Krsna consciousness,
> is the highest form of all yoga. By concentrating one's
> mind upon Krsna, one is able to know the Absolute Truth
> completely, but not otherwise. Impersonal brahmajyoti or
> localized Paramatma realization is not perfect knowledge of
> the Absolute Truth because it is partial. Full and
> scientific knowledge is Krsna, and everything is revealed
> to the person in Krsna consciousness. In complete Krsna
> consciousness one knows that Krsna is ultimate knowledge
> beyond any doubts. Different types of yoga are only
> steppingstones on the path of Krsna consciousness. One who
> takes directly to Krsna consciousness automatically knows
> about brahmajyoti and Paramatma in full. By practice of
> Krsna consciousness yoga, one can know everything in full-
> namely the Absolute Truth, the living entities, the
> material nature, and their manifestations with
> paraphernalia.
18
19 One should therefore begin yoga practice as directed in the
> last verse of the Sixth Chapter. Concentration of the mind
> upon Krsna the Supreme is made possible by prescribed
> devotional service in nine different forms, of which
> sravanam is the first and most important. The Lord
> therefore says to Arjuna, "tat srnu," or "Hear from Me."
> No one can be a greater authority than Krsna, and therefore
> by hearing from Him one receives the greatest opportunity
> for progress in Krsna consciousness. One
> has therefore to learn from Krsna directly or from a pure
> devotee of Krsna-and not from a nondevotee upstart, puffed
> up with academic education.
20
21 In the Srimad-Bhagavatam this process of understanding
> Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute
> Truth, is described in the Second Chapter of the First
> Canto as follows:
22
23 srnvatam sva-katham krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah
> hrdyantahstho hy abhadrani vidbunoti suhrt satam.
24
25 nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya bhagavaty
> uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki.
26
27 tada rajas-tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ye ceta etair
> anaviddham sthitam sattve prasidati.
28
29 evam prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah bhagavat-
> tattva-vijnanam mukta-sangasya jayate.
30
31 bhidyate hrdaya-granthis chidyante sarva-samsayah ksiyante
> casya karmani drsta evatmanisvare.
32
33 "To hear about Krsna from Vedic literatures, or to hear
> from Him directly through the Bhagavad-gita, is itself
> righteous activity. And for one who hears about Krsna, Lord
> Krsna, who is dwelling in everyone's heart, acts as a best-
> wishing friend and purifies the devotee who constantly
> engages in hearing of Him. In this way, a devotee naturally
> develops his dormant transcendental knowledge. As he hears
> more about Krsna from the Bhagavatam and from the devotees,
> he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord. By
> development of devotional service one becomes freed from
> the modes of passion and ignorance, and thus material lusts
> and avarice are diminished. When these impurities are wiped
> away, the candidate remains steady in his position of pure
> goodness, becomes enlivened by devotional service and
> understands the science of God perfectly. Thus bhakti-yoga
> severs the hard knot of material affection and enables one
> to come at once to the stage of 'asamsayam samagram,'
> understanding of the Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of
> Godhead." (Bhag. 1.2.17-21)
34
35 Therefore only by hearing from Krsna or from His devotee in
> Krsna consciousness can one understand the science of Krsna.
36
37 Bg 7.2
38
39 TEXT 2
40
41 TRANSLATION
42
43 I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge both
> phenomenal and noumenal, by knowing which there
> shall remain nothing further to be known.
44
45 PURPORT
46
47 Complete knowledge includes knowledge of the phenomenal
> world and the spirit behind it. The source of both of
> them is transcendental knowledge. The Lord wants to
> explain the above-mentioned system of knowledge because
> Arjuna is Krsna's confidential devotee and friend. In the
> beginning of the Fourth Chapter this explanation was given
> by the Lord, and it is again confirmed here: complete
> knowledge can be achieved only by the devotee of the Lord
> directly from the Lord in disciplic
> succession. Therefore one should be intelligent enough to
> know the source of all knowledge, who is the cause of all
> causes and the only object for meditation in all types of
> yoga practices. When the cause of all causes becomes known,
> then everything knowable becomes known, and nothing remains
> unknown. The Vedas say, "
> yasmin vijnate sarvam eva vijnatam bhavanti."
48
49 Bg 7.3
50
51 TEXT 3
52
53 TRANSLATION
54
55 Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for
> perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection,
> hardly one knows Me in truth.
56
57 PURPORT
58
59 There are various grades of men, and out of many thousands
> one may be sufficiently interested in transcendental
> realization to try to know what is the self, what is the
> body, and what is the Absolute Truth. Generally mankind is
> simply engaged in the animal propensities, namely eating,
> sleeping, defending and mating, and hardly anyone is
> interested in transcendental knowledge. The first six
> chapters of the Gita are meant for those who are interested
> in transcendental knowledge, in understanding the self, the
> Superself and the process of realization by jnana-yoga,
> dhyana-yoga, and discrimination of the self from matter.
> However, Krsna can only be known by persons who are in
> Krsna consciousness. Other transcendentalists may achieve
> impersonal Brahman realization, for this is easier than
> understanding Krsna. Krsna is the Supreme Person, but at
> the same time He is beyond the knowledge of Brahman and
> Paramatma. The yogis and jnanis are confused in their
> attempts to understand Krsna, although the greatest of the
> impersonalists, Sripada Sankaracarya, has admitted in his
> Gita commentary that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of
> Godhead. But his followers do not accept Krsna as such, for
> it is very difficult to know Krsna, even though one has
> transcendental realization of impersonal Brahman.
60
61 Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of
> all causes, the primeval Lord Govinda. Isvarah paramah
> krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-
> karana-karanam. It is very difficult for the nondevotees to
> know Him. Although nondevotees declare that the path of
> bhakti or devotional service is very easy, they cannot
> practice it. If the path of bhakti is so easy, as the
> nondevotee class of men proclaim, then why do they take up
> the difficult path? Actually the path of bhakti is not easy.
> The so-called path of bhakti practiced by unauthorized
> persons without knowledge of bhakti may be easy, but when
> it is practiced factually according to the rules and
> regulations, the speculative scholars and philosophers fall
> away from the path. Srila Rupa Gosvami writes in his Bhakti-
62
63 sruti-smrti-puranadi-pancaratra-vidhim vina aikantiki
> harer bhaktir utpatayaiva kalpate.
64
65 "Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized
> Vedic literatures like the Upanisads, Puranas, Narada-
> pancaratra, etc., is simply an unnecessary disturbance in
> society."
66
67 It is not possible for the Brahman realized impersonalist
> or the Paramatma realized yogi to understand Krsna, the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead as the son of mother Yasoda
> or the charioteer of Arjuna. Even the great demigods are
> sometimes confused about Krsna: "muhyanti yat surayah," "
> mam tu veda na kascana." "No one knows Me as I am," the
> Lord says. And if one does know Him, then "sa mahatma
> sudurlabhah." "Such a great soul is very rare."
> Therefore unless one practices devotional service to the
> Lord, he cannot know Krsna as He is (tattvatah), even
> though one is a great scholar or philosopher. Only the pure
> devotees can know something of the inconceivable
> transcendental qualities in Krsna, in the cause of all
> causes, in His omnipotence and opulence, and in His wealth,
> fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, because
> Krsna is benevolently inclined to His devotees. He is the
> last word in Brahman realization, and the devotees alone
> can realize Him as He is. Therefore it is said:
68
69 atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
> sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah
70
71 "No one can understand Krsna as He is by the blunt material
> senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being
> pleased with them for their transcendental loving service
> unto Him." (Padma Purana)
72
73 Bg 7.4
74
75 TEXT 4
76
77 TRANSLATION
78
79 Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and
> false ego-altogether these eight comprise My
> separated material energies.
80
81 PURPORT
82
83 The science of God analyzes the constitutional position of
> God and His diverse energies. Material nature is called
> prakrti, or the energy of the Lord in His different purusa
> incarnations (expansions) as described in the Svatvata
> Tantra:
84
85 visnos tu trini rupani purusakhyany atho viduh ekantu
> mahatah srastr dvitiyam tv anda-samsthitam trtiyam
> sarvabhuta-stham tani jnatva vimucyate
86
87 "For material creation, Lord Krsna's plenary expansion
> assumes three Visnus. The first one, Maha-Visnu, creates
> the total material energy, known as mahat-tattva. The
> second, Garbhodakasayi Visnu, enters into all the universes
> to create diversities in each of them. The third,
> Ksirodakasayi Visnu, is diffused as the all-pervading
> Supersoul in all the universes and is known as Paramatma,
> who is present even within the atoms. Anyone who knows
> these three Visnus can be liberated from material
> entanglement."
88
89 This material world is a temporary manifestation of one of
> the energies of the Lord. All the activities of the
> material world are directed by these three Visnu expansions
> of Lord Krsna. These Purusas are called incarnations.
> Generally one who does not know the science of God (Krsna)
> assumes that this material world is for the enjoyment of
> the living entities and that the living entities are the
> causes (Purusas), controllers and enjoyers of the
> material energy. According to Bhagavad-gita this atheistic
> conclusion is false. In the verse under discussion it is
> stated that Krsna is the original cause of the material
> manifestation. Srimad-Bhagavatam also confirms this. The
> ingredients of the material manifestation are separated
> energies of the Lord. Even the brahmajyoti, which is the
> ultimate goal of the impersonalists, is a spiritual energy
> manifested in the spiritual sky. There are no spiritual
> diversities in brahmajyoti as there are in the
> Vaikunthalokas, and the impersonalist accepts this
> brahmajyoti as the ultimate eternal goal. The Paramatma
> manifestation is also a temporary all-pervasive aspect of
> the Ksirodakasayi Visnu. The Paramatma manifestation is not
> eternal in the spiritual world. Therefore the factual
> Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna.
> He is the complete energetic person, and He possesses
> different separated and internal energies.
90
91 In the material energy, the principal manifestations are
> eight, as above mentioned. Out of these, the first five
> manifestations, namely earth, water, fire, air and sky, are
> called the five gigantic creations or the gross creations,
> within which the five sense objects are included. They are
> the manifestations of physical sound, touch, form, taste
> and smell. Material science comprises these ten items and
> nothing more. But the other three items, namely mind,
> intelligence and false ego, are neglected by the
> materialists. Philosophers who deal with mental activities
> are also not perfect in knowledge because they do not know
> the ultimate source, Krsna. The false ego-"I am," and "It
> is mine," which constitute the basic principle of material
> existence-includes ten sense organs for material activities.
> Intelligence refers to the total material creation, called
> the mahat-tattva. Therefore from the eight separated
> energies of the Lord are manifest the twenty-four elements
> of the material world, which are the subject matter of
> sankhya atheistic philosophy; they are originally offshoots
> from Krsna's energies and are separated from Him, but
> atheistic sankhya philosophers with a poor fund of
> knowledge do not know Krsna as the cause of all causes. The
> subject matter for discussion in the sankhya philosophy is
> only the manifestation of the external energy of Krsna, as
> it is described in the Bhagavad-gita.
92
93 Bg 7.5
94
95 TEXT 5
96
97 TRANSLATION
98
99 Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there
> is a superior energy of Mine, which are all
> living entities who are struggling with material nature
> and are sustaining the universe.
100
101 PURPORT
102
103 Here it is clearly mentioned that living entities belong to
> the superior nature (or energy) of the Supreme Lord. The
> inferior energy is matter manifested in different elements,
> namely earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence
> and false ego. Both forms of material nature, namely gross (
> earth, etc.) and subtle (mind, etc.), are products of the
> inferior energy. The living entities, who are exploiting
> these inferior energies for different purposes, are the
> superior energy of the Supreme Lord, and it is due to this
> energy that the entire material world functions. The cosmic
> manifestation has no power to act unless it is moved by the
> superior energy, the living entity. Energies are always
> controlled by the energetic, and therefore living
> entities are always controlled by the Lord-they have no
> independant existence. They are never equally powerful, as
> unintelligent men think. The distinction between the living
> entities and the Lord is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam as
> follows (10.87.30):
104
105 aparimita dhruvas tanubhrto yadi sarva-gatas tarhim
> na sasyateti niyamo dhruva netaratha ajani ca
> yanmayam tad avimucya niyantr bhavet samam anujanatam
> yad-amatam mata-dustataya
106
107 "O Supreme Eternal! If the embodied living entities were
> eternal and all-pervading like You, then they would not be
> under Your control. But if the living entities are accepted
> as minute energies of Your Lordship, then they are at once
> subject to Your supreme control. Therefore real liberation
> entails surrender by the living entities to Your control,
> and that surrender will make them happy. In that
> constitutional position only can they be controllers.
> Therefore, men with limited knowledge who advocate the
> monistic theory that God and the living entities are equal
> in all respects are actually misleading themselves
> and others."
108
109 The Supreme Lord Krsna is the only controller, and all
> living entities are controlled by Him. These living
> entities are His superior energy because the quality of
> their existence is one and the same with the Supreme, but
> they are never equal to the Lord in quantity of power.
> While exploiting the gross and subtle inferior energy (
> matter), the superior energy (the living entity) forgets
> his real spiritual mind and intelligence. This
> forgetfulness is due to the influence of matter upon the
> living entity. But when the living entity becomes free from
> the influence of the illusory material energy, he attains
> the stage called mukti, or liberation. The false ego, under
> the influence of material illusion, thinks, "I am matter,
> and material acquisitions are mine." His actual position is
> realized when he is liberated from all material ideas,
> including the conception of his becoming one in all
> respects with God. Therefore one may conclude that the Gita
> confirms the living entity to be only one of the multi-
> energies of Krsna; and when this energy is freed from
> material contamination, it becomes fully Krsna conscious,
> or liberated.
110
111 Bg 7.6
112
113 TEXT 6
114
115 TRANSLATION
116
117 Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this
> world, know for certain that I am both its origin and
> dissolution.
>
118 PURPORT
119
120 Everything that exists is a product of matter and spirit.
121 Spirit is the basic field of creation, and matter is
> created by spirit. Spirit is not created at a certain stage
> of material development. Rather, this material world is
> manifested only on the basis of spiritual energy. This
> material body is developed because spirit is present within
> matter; a child grows gradually to boyhood and then to
> manhood because of that superior energy, spirit soul, being
> present. Similarly, the entire cosmic manifestation of the
> gigantic universe is developed because of the presence of
> the Supersoul, Visnu. Therefore spirit and matter, which
> combine together to manifest this gigantic universal form,
> are originally two energies of the Lord, and consequently
> the Lord is the original cause of everything. A fragmental
> part and parcel of the Lord, namely, the living entity, may
> by manipulation of material energy construct a
> skyscraper, factory or city, but he cannot
> create matter out of nothing, and he certainly cannot
> construct a planet or a universe. The cause of the
> universe is the Supersoul, Krsna,
> the supreme creator of all individual souls
> and the original cause of all
> causes, as the Katha Upanisad confirms:
> nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam.
>
122 Bg 7.7
123
124 TEXT 7
125
126 TRANSLATION
127
128 O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior
129 to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a
> thread.
>
130 PURPORT
131
132 There is a common controversy over whether the Supreme
133 Absolute Truth is personal or impersonal. As far as
> Bhagavad-gita is concerned, the Absolute Truth is the
> Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, and this is confirmed in
> every step. In this verse, in particular, it is stressed
> that the Absolute Truth is a person. That the Personality
> of Godhead is the Supreme Absolute Truth is also the
> affirmation of the Brahma-samhita: isvarah paramah krsnah
> sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah; that is, the Supreme Absolute
> Truth Personality of Godhead is Lord Krsna, who is the
> primeval Lord, the reservoir of all pleasure, Govinda, and
> the eternal form of complete bliss and knowledge. These
> authorities leave no doubt that the Absolute Truth is the
> Supreme Person, the cause of all causes. The impersonalist,
> however, argues on the strength of the Vedic version given
> in the Svetasvatara Upanisad: tato yad uttarataram
> tad arupam anamayam ya etad vidur amrtas te bhavanti
> athetare duhkham evapi yanti. "In the material world
> Brahma, the primeval living entity within the universe, is
> understood to be the supreme amongst the demigods, human
> beings and lower animals. But beyond Brahma there is the
> Transcendence who has no material form and is free from
> all material contaminations. Anyone who can know Him also
> becomes transcendental, but those who do not know Him
> suffer the miseries of the material world."
>
134 The impersonalist puts more stress on the word arupam. But
135 this arupam is not impersonal. It indicates the
> transcendental form of eternity, bliss and knowledge as
> described in the Brahma-samhita quoted above. Other verses
> in the Svetasvatara Upanisad substantiate this as
> follows:
>
136 vedaham etam purusam mahantam aditya-varnam tamasah
137 parastat tam eva vidvan amrta iha bhavati nanyah pantha
> vidyate ayanaya
>
138 yasmat param naparam asti kincid yasmannaniyo na
139 jyayo 'sti kincit
>
140 "I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is
141 transcendental to all material conceptions of darkness.
> Only he who knows Him can transcend the bonds of birth and
> death. There is no way for liberation other than this
> knowledge of that Supreme Person.
>
142 "There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person because
143 He is the supermost. He is smaller than the smallest, and
> He is greater than the greatest. He is situated as a silent
> tree, and He illumines the transcendental sky, and as a
> tree spreads its roots, He spreads His extensive energies."
>
144 From these verses one concludes that the Supreme Absolute
145 Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is all-
> pervading by His multi-energies, both material and
> spiritual.
>
146 Bg 7.8
147
148 TEXT 8
149
150 TRANSLATION
151
152 O son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light
153 of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic
> mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.
>
154 PURPORT
155
156 This verse explains how the Lord is all-pervasive by His
157 diverse material and spiritual energies. The Supreme Lord
> can be preliminarily perceived by His different energies,
> and in this way He is realized impersonally. As the demigod
> in the sun is a person and is perceived by his all-
> pervading energy, the sunshine, similarly, the Lord,
> although in His eternal abode, is perceived by His all-
> pervading, diffusive energies. The taste of water is the
> active principle of water. No one likes to drink sea water
> because the pure taste of water is mixed with salt.
> Attraction for water depends on the purity of the taste,
> and this pure taste is one of the energies of the Lord. The
> impersonalist perceives the presence of the Lord in water
> by its taste, and the personalist also glorifies the Lord
> for His kindly supplying water to quench man's thirst.
> That is the way of perceiving the Supreme. Practically
> speaking, there is no conflict between personalism and
> impersonalism. One who knows God knows that the impersonal
> conception and personal conception are simultaneously
> present in everything and that there is no contradiction.
> Therefore Lord Caitanya established His sublime doctrine:
> acintya-bheda and abheda-tattvam-simultaneously
> one and different.
>
158 The light of the sun and the moon is also originally
159 emanating from the brahmajyoti, which is the impersonal
> effulgence of the Lord. Similarly pranava or the omkara
> transcendental sound used in the beginning of every Vedic
> hymn to address the Supreme Lord also emanates from
> Him. Because the impersonalists are very much afraid of
> addressing the Supreme Lord Krsna by His innumerable names,
> they prefer to vibrate the transcendental sound omkara. But
> they do not realize that omkara is the sound representation
> of Krsna. The jurisdiction of Krsna consciousness extends
> everywhere, and one who knows Krsna consciousness is
> blessed. Those who do not know Krsna are in illusion, and
> so knowledge of Krsna is liberation, and ignorance of Him
> is bondage.
>
160 Bg 7.9
161
162 TEXT 9
163
164 TRANSLATION
165
166 I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat
167 in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the
> penances of all ascetics.
>
168 PURPORT
169
170 Punya means that which is not decomposed; punya is original.
171 Everything in the material world has a certain flavor or
> fragrance, as the flavor and fragrance in a flower, or in
> the earth, in water, in fire, in air, etc. The
> uncontaminated flavor, the original flavor, which permeates
> everything, is Krsna. Similarly, everything has a
> particular original taste, and this taste can be changed by
> the mixture of chemicals. So everything original has some
> smell, some fragrance, and some taste. Vibhava means fire.
> Without fire we cannot run factories, we cannot cook, etc.,
> and that fire is Krsna. The heat in the fire is Krsna.
> According to Vedic medicine, indigestion is due to a low
> temperature in the belly. So even for digestion fire is
> needed. In Krsna consciousness we become aware that earth,
> water, fire, air and every active principle, all chemicals
> and all material elements are due to Krsna. The duration of
> man's life is also due to Krsna. Therefore by the grace of
> Krsna, man can prolong his life or diminish it. So Krsna
> consciousness is active in every sphere.
>
172 Bg 7.10
173
174 TEXT 10
175
176 TRANSLATION
177
178 O son of Prtha, know that I am the original seed of all
179 existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the
> prowess of all powerful men.
>
180 PURPORT
181
182 Bijam means seed; Krsna is the seed of everything. In
183 contact with material nature, the seed fructifies into
> various living entities, movable and inert. Birds, beasts,
> men and many other living creatures are moving living
> entities; trees and plants, however, are inert-they cannot
> move, but only stand. Every entity is contained within the
> scope of 8,400,000 species of life; some of them are moving
> and some of them are inert. In all cases, however, the seed
> of their life is Krsna. As stated in Vedic literature,
> Brahman, or the Supreme Absolute Truth, is that from which
> everything is emanating. Krsna is Parabrahman, the Supreme
> Spirit. Brahman is impersonal and Parabrahman is personal.
> Impersonal Brahman is situated in the personal aspect-that
> is stated in Bhagavad-gita. Therefore, originally, Krsna is
> the source of everything. He is the root. As the root of a
> tree maintains the whole tree, Krsna, being the original
> root of all things, maintains everything in this material
> manifestation. This is also confirmed in the Vedic
> literature. Yato va imani bhutani jayante. "
> The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from
> which everything is born." He is the prime
> eternal among all eternals. He is the supreme living entity
> of all living entities, and He alone is maintaining all
> Krsna also says that He is the root of all intelligence.
> Unless a person is intelligent he cannot understand the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
>
184 Bg 7.11
185
186 TEXT 11
187
188 TRANSLATION
189
190 I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and
191 desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious
> principles, O Lord of the Bharatas [Arjuna].
>
192 PURPORT
193
194 The strong man's strength should be applied to protect the
195 weak, not for personal aggression. Similarly, sex life,
> according to religious principles (dharma), should be for
> the propagation of children, not otherwise. The
> responsibility of parents is then to make their offspring
> Krsna conscious.
>
196 Bg 7.12
197
198 TEXT 12
199
200 TRANSLATION
201
202 All states of being-be they of goodness, passion
203 or ignorance-are manifested by My energy. I am, in one
> sense, everything-but I am independant. I am not under the
> modes of this material nature
> .
>
204 PURPORT
205
206 All material activities in the world are being conducted
207 under the three modes of material nature. Although these
> material modes of nature are emanations from the Supreme
> Lord, Krsna, He is not subject to them. For instance, under
> the state laws one may be punished, but the king, the
> lawmaker, is not subject to that law. Similarly, all the
> modes of material nature-goodness, passion and ignorance-
> are emanations from the Supreme Lord Krsna, but Krsna is
> not subject to material nature. Therefore He is nirguna,
> which means that these gunas, or modes, although issuing
> from Him, do not affect Him. That is one of the special
> characteristics of Bhagavan, or the Supreme Personality of
> Godhead.
>
208 Bg 7.13
209
210 TEXT 13
211
212 TRANSLATION
213
214 Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance]
215 , the whole world does not know Me who am above the modes
> and inexhaustible.
>
216 PURPORT
217
218 The whole world is enchanted by three modes of material
219 nature. Those who are bewildered by these three modes
> cannot understand that transcendental to this material
> nature is the Supreme Lord, Krsna. In this material world
> everyone is under the influence of these three gunas and is
> thus bewildered.
>
220 Bv nature living entities have
221 particular types of body and
> particular types of psychic and biological activities
> accordingly. There are four classes of men functioning in
> the three material modes of nature. Those who are purely in
> the mode of goodness are called brahmanas. Those who are
> purely in the mode of passion are called ksatriyas. Those
> who are in the modes of both passion and ignorance are
> called vaisyas. Those who are completely in ignorance are
> called sudras. And those who are less than that are animals
> or animal life. However, these designations are not
> permanent. I may either be a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or
> whatever-in any case, this life is temporary. But although
> life is temporary and we do not know what we are going to
> be in the next life, still, by the spell of this illusory
> energy, we consider ourselves in the light of this bodily
> conception of life, and we thus think that we are American,
> Indian, Russian or brahmana, Hindu, Muslim, etc. And if we
> become entangled with the modes of material nature, then we
> forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is behind all
> these modes. So Lord Krsna says that men,
> deluded by these three modes of nature, do not understand
> that behind the material background is the Supreme
> Godhead.
>
222 There are many different kinds of living entities-human
223 beings, demigods, animals, etc.-and each and every one of
> them is under the influence of material nature, and all of
> them have forgotten the transcendent Personality of Godhead.
> Those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance, and
> even those who are in the mode of goodness, cannot go
> beyond the impersonal Brahman conception of the Absolute
> Truth. They are bewildered before the Supreme Lord in His
> personal feature, which possesses all beauty, opulence,
> knowledge, strength, fame and renunciation. When even those
> who are in goodness cannot understand, what hope is there
> for those in passion and ignorance? Krsna consciousness is
> transcendental to all these three modes of material nature,
> and those who are truly established in Krsna consciousness
> are actually liberated.
>
224 Bg 7.14
225
226 TEXT 14
227
228 TRANSLATION
229
230 This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes
231 of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who
> have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
>
232 PURPORT
233
234 The Supreme Personality of Godhead has innumerable energies,
235 and all these energies are divine. Although the living
> entities are part of His energies and are therefore divine,
> due to contact with material energy, their original
> superior power is covered. Being thus covered by material
> energy, one cannot possibly overcome its influence. As
> previously stated, both the material and spiritual natures,
> being emanations from the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
> are eternal. The living entities belong to the eternal
> superior nature of the Lord, but due to contamination by
> the inferior nature, matter, their illusion is also eternal.
> The conditioned soul is therefore called nitya-baddha, or
> eternally conditioned. No one can trace out the history of
> his becoming conditioned at a certain date in material
> history. Consequently, his release from the clutches of
> material nature is very difficult, even though that
> material nature is an inferior energy, because material
> energy is ultimately conducted by the supreme will, which
> the living entity cannot overcome. Inferior material
> nature is defined herein as divine nature due to its divine
> connection and movement by the divine will. Being conducted
> by divine will, material nature, although inferior, acts so
> wonderfully in the construction and destruction of the
> cosmic manifestation. The Vedas confirm this as follows:
> mayam tu prakrtim vidyan mayinam tu mahesvaram. "Although
> maya [illusion] is false or temporary, the background of
> maya is the supreme magician, the Personality of Godhead,
> who is Mahesvara, the supreme controller."
>
236 Another meaning of guna is rope; it is to be understood
237 that the conditioned soul is tightly tied by the ropes of
> illusion. A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free
> himself-he must be helped by a person who is unbound.
> Because the bound cannot help the bound, the rescuer must
> be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Krsna, or His bona fide
> representative the spiritual master, can release the
> conditioned soul. Without such superior help, one cannot be
> freed from the bondage of material nature. Devotional
> service, or Krsna consciousness, can help one gain such
> release. Krsna, being the Lord of illusory energy, can
> order this insurmountable energy to release the conditioned
> soul. He orders this release out of His causeless mercy on
> the surrendered soul and out of His paternal affection for
> the living entity who is originally a beloved son of the
> Lord. Therefore surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord
> is the only means to get free from the clutches of the
> stringent material nature.
>
238 The words mam eva are also significant. Mam means unto
239 Krsna (Visnu) only, and not Brahma or Siva. Although Brahma
> and Siva are greatly elevated and are almost on the level
> of Visnu, it is not possible for such incarnations of rajo-
> guna (passion) and tamo-guna (ignorance) to release the
> conditioned soul from the clutches of maya. In other words,
> both Brahma and Siva are also under the influence of maya.
> Only Visnu is the master of maya; therefore He can alone
> give release to the conditioned soul. The Vedas
> confirm this in the phrase tvam
> eva viditva or "Freedom is possible only by understanding
> Krsna." Even Lord Siva affirms that liberation can be
> achieved only by the mercy of Visnu. Lord Siva says: mukti-
> pradata sarvesam visnur eva na samsayah. "There is no doubt
> that Visnu is the deliverer of liberation for everyone.
>
240 Bg 7.15
241
242 TEXT 15
243
244 TRANSLATION
245
246 Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest
247 among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and
> who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not
> surrender unto Me.
>
248 PURPORT
249
250 It is said in Bhagavad-gita that simply by surrendering
251 oneself unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality
> Krsna, one can surmount the stringent laws of material
> nature. At this point a question arises: How is it that
> educated philosophers, scientists, businessmen,
> administrators and all the leaders of ordinary men do not
> surrender to the lotus feet of Sri Krsna, the all-powerful
> Personality of Godhead? Mukti, or liberation from the laws
> of material nature, is sought by the leaders of mankind in
> different ways and with great plans and perseverance for a
> great many years and births. But if that liberation is
> possible by simply surrendering unto the lotus feet of the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead, then why don't these
> intelligent and hard-working leaders adopt this simple
> method?
>
252 The Gita answers this question very frankly. Those really
253 learned leaders of society like Brahma, Siva, Kapila, the
> Kumaras, Manu, Vyasa, Devala, Asita, Janaka, Prahlada, Bali,
> and later on Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, Sri Caitanya and
> many others-who are faithful philosophers, politicians,
> educators, scientists, etc.-surrender to the lotus feet of
> the Supreme Person, the all-powerful authority. Those who
> are not actually philosophers, scientists, educators,
> administrators, etc., but who pose themselves as such for
> material gain, do not accept the plan or path of the
> Supreme Lord. They have no idea of God; they simply
> manufacture their own worldly plans and consequently
> complicate the problems of material existence in their vain
> attempts to solve them. Because material energy (nature) is
> so powerful, it can resist the unauthorized plans of the
> atheists and baffle the knowledge of "planning commissions."
>
254 The atheistic plan-makers are described herein by the
255 word duskrtina, or "miscreants." Krtina means one who has
> performed meritorious work. The atheist planmaker is
> sometimes very intelligent and meritorious also, because
> any gigantic plan, good or bad, must take intelligence to
> execute. But because the atheist's brain is improperly
> utilized in opposing the plan of the Supreme Lord, the
> atheistic planmaker is called duskrtina, which indicates
> that his intelligence and efforts are misdirected.
>
256 In the Gita it is clearly mentioned that material energy
257 works fully under the direction of the Supreme Lord. It has
> no independant authority. It works as the shadow moves, in
> accordance with the movements of the object. But still
> material energy is very powerful, and the atheist, due to
> his godless temperament, cannot know how it works; nor can
> he know the plan of the Supreme Lord. Under illusion and
> the modes of passion and ignorance, all his plans are
> baffled, as in the case of Hiranyakasipu and Ravana, whose
> plans were smashed to dust although they were both
> materially learned as scientists, philosophers,
> administrators and educators. These duskrtinas, or
> miscreants, are of four different patterns, as outlined
>
258 (1) The mudhas are those who are grossly foolish, like
259 hard-working beasts of burden. They want to enjoy
> the fruits of their labor by themselves, and so do not want
> to part with them for the Supreme. The typical example of
> the beast of burden is the ass. This humble beast is made
> to work very hard by his master. The ass does not really
> know for whom he works so hard day and night. He remains
> satisfied by filling his stomach with a bundle of grass,
> sleeping for a while under fear of being beaten by his
> master, and satisfying his sex appetite at the risk of
> being repeatedly kicked by the opposite party. The ass
> sings poetry and philosophy sometimes, but this braying
> only disturbs others. This is the position of the
> foolish fruitive worker who does not know for whom he
> should work. He does not know that karma (action) is meant
> for yajna (sacrifice).
>
260 Most often, those who work very hard day and night to clear
261 the burden of self-created duties say that they have no
> time to hear of the immortality of the living being. To
> such mudhas, material gains, which are destructible, are
> life's all in all-despite the fact that the mudhas enjoy
> only a very small fraction of the fruit of labor. Sometimes
> they spend sleepless days and nights for fruitive gain, and
> although they may have ulcers or indigestion, they are
> satisfied with practically no food; they are simply
> absorbed in working hard day and night for the benefit of
> illusory masters. Ignorant of their real master, the
> foolish workers waste their valuable time serving mammon.
> Unfortunately, they never surrender to the supreme master
> of all masters, nor do they take time to hear of Him from
> the proper sources. The swine who eat the soil do not
> care to accept sweetmeats made of sugar and ghee. Similarly,
> the foolish worker will untiringly continue to hear of the
> sense-enjoyable tidings of the flickering mundane
> force that moves the material world.
>
262 (2) Another class of duskrtina, or miscreant, is called the
263 naradhama, or the lowest of mankind. Nara means human being,
> and adhama means the lowest. Out of the 8,400,000
> different species of living beings, there are 400,000 human
> species. Out of these there are numerous lower forms of
> human life that are mostly uncivilized. The civilized human
> beings are those who have regulated principles of social,
> political and religious life.
>
264 Those who are socially and politically developed, but who
265 have no religious principles, must be considered naradhamas.
> Nor is religion without God religion, because the purpose
> of following religious principles is to know the Supreme
> Truth and man's relation with Him. In the Gita the
> Personality of Godhead clearly states that there is no
> authority above Him and that He is the Supreme Truth. The
> civilized form of human life is meant for man's reviving
> the lost consciousness of his eternal relation with the
> Supreme Truth, the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, who is
> all-powerful. Whoever loses this chance is classified as a
> naradhama. We get information from revealed scriptures that
> when the baby is in the mother's womb (an extremely
> uncomfortable situation) he prays to God for deliverance
> and promises to worship Him alone as soon as he gets out.
> To pray to God when he is in difficulty is a natural
> instinct in every living being because he is eternally
> related with God. But after his deliverance, the child
> forgets the difficulties of birth and forgets his deliverer
> also, being influenced by maya, the illusory energy.
>
266 It is the duty of the guardians of children to revive the
267 divine consciousness dormant in them. The ten processes of
> reformatory ceremonies, as enjoined in the Manu-smrti,
> which is the guide to religious principles, are meant for
> reviving God consciousness in the system of varnasrama.
> However, no process is strictly followed now in any part of
> the world, and therefore 99.9 percent of the population is
> naradhama.
>
268 When the whole population becomes naradhama, naturally all
269 their so-called education is made null and void by the all-
> powerful energy of physical nature. According to the
> standard of the Gita, a learned man is he who sees on equal
> terms the learned brahmana, the dog, the cow, the elephant
> and the dog-eater. That is the vision of a true devotee.
> Sri Nityananda Prabhu, who is the incarnation of Godhead as
> divine master, delivered the typical naradhamas, the
> brothers Jagai and Madhai, and showed how the mercy of a
> real devotee is bestowed upon the lowest of mankind. So the
> naradhama who is condemned by the Personality of Godhead
> can again revive his spiritual consciousness only by the
> mercy of a devotee.
>
270 Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in propagating the bhagavata-
271 dharma or activities of the devotees, has recommended that
> people submissively hear the message of the Personality of
> Godhead. The essence of this message is Bhagavad-gita. The
> lowest amongst human beings can be delivered by this
> submissive hearing process only, but unfortunately they
> even deny giving an aural reception to these messages,
> and what to speak of surrendering to the will of the
> Supreme Lord? Naradhamas, or the lowest of mankind,
> willfully neglect the prime duty of the human being.
>
272 (3) The next class of duskrtina is called mayayapahrta-
273 jnana, or those persons whose erudite knowledge has been
> nullified by the influence of illusory material energy.
> They are mostly very learned fellows-great philosophers,
> poets, literati, scientists, etc.-but the illusory energy
> misguides them, and therefore they disobey the Supreme Lord.
>
274 There are a great number of mayayapahrta-jnanas at the
275 present moment, even amongst the scholars of the
> Gita. In the Gita, in plain and simple language,
> it is stated that Sri Krsna is the Supreme Personality of
> Godhead. There is none equal to or greater than Him. He is
> mentioned as the father of Brahma, the original father of
> all human beings. In fact, Sri Krsna is said to be not only
> the father of Brahma but also the father of all species of
> life. He is the root of the impersonal Brahman and
> Paramatma; the Supersoul in every entity is His plenary
> portion. He is the fountainhead of everything, and everyone
> is advised to surrender unto His lotus feet. Despite all
> these clear statements, the mayayapahrta-jnana deride the
> Personality of the Supreme Lord and consider Him merely
> another human being. They do not know that the blessed form
> of human life is designed after the eternal and
> transcendental feature of the Supreme Lord.
>
276 All the unauthorized interpretations of the Gita by the
277 class of mayayapahrta-jnana, outside the purview of the
> parampara system, are so many stumbling blocks in the path
> of spiritual understanding. The deluded interpreters do not
> surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri Krsna, nor do they
> teach others to follow this principle.
>
278 (4) The last class of duskrtina is called asuram bhavam
279 asrita, or those of demonic principles. This class is
> openly atheistic. Some of them argue that the Supreme Lord
> can never descend upon this material world, but they are
> unable to give any tangible reasons as to why not. There
> are others who make Him subordinate to the impersonal
> feature, although the opposite is declared in the Gita.
> Envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the atheist
> will present a number of illicit incarnations manufactured
> in the factory of his brain. Such persons whose very
> principle of life is to decry the Personality of Godhead
> cannot surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri Krsna.
>
280 Sri Yamunacarya Albandru of South India said, "O my Lord!
281 You are unknowable to persons involved with atheistic
> principles despite Your uncommon qualities, features, and
> activities and despite Your personality being confirmed
> by all the revealed scriptures in the quality of goodness,
> and despite Your being acknowledged by the famous
> authorities renowned for their depth of knowledge in the
> transcendental science and situated in the godly qualities."
>
282 Therefore, (1) grossly foolish persons, (2) the lowest of
283 mankind, (3) the deluded speculators, and (4) the professed
> atheists, as above mentioned, never surrender unto the
> lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead in spite of all
> scriptural and authoritative advice.
>
284 Bg 7.16
285
286 TEXT 16
287
288 TRANSLATION
289
290 O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men
291 render devotional service unto Me-the distressed,
> the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is
> searching for knowledge of the Absolute.
>
292 PURPORT
293
294 Unlike the miscreants, these are adherents of the
295 regulative principles of the scriptures, and they are
> called sukrtina, or those who obey the rules and
> regulations of scriptures, the moral and social laws, and
> are, more or less, devoted to the Supreme Lord. Out of
> these there are four classes of men-those who are sometimes
> distressed, those who are in need of money, those who are
> sometimes inquisitive, and those who are sometimes
> searching after knowledge of the Absolute Truth. These
> persons come to the Supreme Lord for devotional service
> under different conditions. These are not pure devotees
> because they have some aspiration to fulfill in exchange
> for devotional service. Pure devotional service is without
> aspiration and without desire for material profit. The
> Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu defines pure devotion thus:
>
296 anyabhilasitasunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam
297 anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama.
>
298 "One should render transcendental loving service to the
299 Supreme Lord Krsna favorably and without desire for
> material profit or gain through fruitive activities or
> philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional
> service."
>
300 When these four kinds of persons come to the Supreme Lord
301 for devotional service and are completely purified by the
> association of a pure devotee, they also become pure
> devotees. As far as the miscreants are concerned, for them
> devotional service is very difficult because their lives
> are selfish, irregular and without spiritual goals. But
> even some of them, by chance, when they come in contact
> with a pure devotee, also become pure devotees.
>
302 Those who are always busy with fruitive activities come to
303 the Lord in material distress and at that time associate
> with pure devotees and become, in their distress, devotees
> of the Lord. Those who are simply frustrated also come
> sometimes to associate with the pure devotees and become
> inquisitive to know about God. Similarly, when the dry
> philosophers are frustrated in every field of knowledge,
> they sometimes want to learn of God, and they come to the
> Supreme Lord to render devotional service and thus
> transcend knowledge of the impersonal Brahman and the
> localized Paramatma and come to the personal conception of
> Godhead by the grace of the Supreme Lord or His pure
> devotee. On the whole, when the distressed, the inquisitive,
> the seekers of knowledge, and those who are in need of
> money are free from all material desires, and when they
> fully understand that material remuneration has nothing to
> do with spiritual improvement, they become pure devotees.
> As long as such a purified stage is not attained, devotees
> in transcendental service to the Lord are tainted with
> fruitive activities, and they search after mundane
> knowledge, etc. So one has to transcend all this before one
> can come to the stage of pure devotional service.
>
304 Bg 7.17
305
306 TEXT 17
307
308 TRANSLATION
309
310 Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in
311 union with Me through pure devotional service is the
> best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me.
>
312 PURPORT
313
314 Free from all contaminations of material desires, the
315 distressed, the inquisitive, the penniless, and the seeker
> after supreme knowledge can all become pure devotees. But
> out of them, he who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth
> and free from all material desires becomes a really pure
> devotee of the Lord. And of the four orders, the devotee
> who is in full knowledge and is at the same time engaged in
> devotional service is, the Lord says, the best. By
> searching after knowledge one realizes that his self is
> different from his material body, and when further advanced
> he comes to the knowledge of impersonal Brahman and
> Paramatma. When one is fully purified, he realizes that his
> constitutional position is to be the eternal servant of God.
> So by association with pure devotees, the inquisitive, the
> distressed, the seeker after material amelioration and the
> man in knowledge all become themselves pure. But in the
> preparatory stage, the man who is in full knowledge of the
> Supreme Lord and is at the same time executing devotional
> service is very dear to the Lord. He who is situated in
> pure knowledge of the transcendence of the Supreme
> Personality of God is so protected in devotional service
> that material contaminations cannot touch him.
>
316 Bg 7.18
317
318 TEXT 18
319
320 TRANSLATION
321
322 All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but
323 he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider verily to
> dwell in Me. Being engaged in My
> transcendental service, he attains Me
> .
>
324 PURPORT
325
326 It is not that other devotees who are less complete in
327 knowledge are not dear to the Lord. The Lord says that all
> are magnanimous because anyone who comes to the Lord for
> any purpose is called a mahatma or great soul. The
> devotees who want some benefit out of devotional service
> are accepted by the Lord because there is an exchange of
> affection. Out of affection they ask the Lord for some
> material benefit, and when they get it they become so
> satisfied that they also advance in devotional service. But
> the devotee in full knowledge is considered to be very dear
> to the Lord because his only purpose is to serve the
> Supreme Lord with love and devotion. Such a devotee cannot
> live a second without contacting or serving the Supreme
> Lord. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is very fond of His
> devotee and cannot be separated from him.
>
328 In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.4.57), the Lord says:
329
330 aham bhakta-paradhino hy asvatantra iva dvija
331 sadhubhir grasta-hrdayo bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyah
>
332 "The devotees are always in My heart, and I am always in
333 the heart of the devotees. The devotee does not know
> anything beyond Me, and I also cannot forget the devotee.
> There is a very intimate relationship between Me and the
> pure devotees. Pure devotees in full knowledge are never
> out of spiritual touch, and therefore they are very much
> dear to Me."
>
334 Bg 7.19
335
336 TEXT 19
337
338 TRANSLATION
339
340 After many births and deaths, he who is actually in
341 knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of
> all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
>
342 PURPORT
343
344 The living entity, while executing devotional service or
345 transcendental rituals after many, many births, may
> actually become situated in transcendental pure knowledge
> that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate
> goal of spiritual realization. In the beginning of
> spiritual realization, while one is trying to give up one's
> attachment to materialism, there is some leaning towards
> impersonalism, but when one is further advanced he can
> understand that there are activities in the spiritual life
> and that these activities constitute devotional service.
> Realizing this, he becomes attached to the Supreme
> Personality of Godhead and surrenders to Him. At such a
> time one can understand that Lord Sri Krsna's mercy is
> everything, that He is the cause of all causes and that
> this material manifestation is not independant from Him. He
> realizes the material world to be a perverted reflection of
> spiritual variegatedness and realizes that in everything
> there is a relationship with the Supreme Lord Krsna. Thus
> he thinks of everything in relation to Vasudeva, or Sri
> Krsna. Such a universal vision of Vasudeva precipitates one'
> s full surrender to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna as the
> highest goal. Such surrendered great souls are very rare.
>
346 This verse is very nicely
347 explained in the Third Chapter of Svetasvatara
> Upanisad
> : "In
> this body there are
> powers of speaking, of seeing, of hearing, of mental
> activities, etc. But these are not important if not related
> to the Supreme Lord. And because Vasudeva is all-pervading
> and everything is Vasudeva, the devotee surrenders in full
> knowledge." (Cf. Bhagavad-gita 7.17 and 11.40)
>
348 Bg 7.20
349
350 TEXT 20
351
352 TRANSLATION
353
354 Those whose minds are distorted by material
355 desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular
> rules and regulations of worship according to their own
> natures.
>
356 PURPORT
357
358 Those who are freed from all material contaminations
359 surrender unto the Supreme Lord and engage in His
> devotional service. As long as the material contamination
> is not completely washed off, they are by nature
> nondevotees. But even those who have material desires and
> who resort to the Supreme Lord are not so much attracted by
> external nature; because of approaching the right goal,
> they soon become free from all material lust. In the Srimad-
> Bhagavatam it is recommended that whether one is
> free from all material desires, or is full
> of material desires, or desires liberation from material
> contamination, or is a pure devotee and has no desire for
> material sense gratification, he should in all cases
> surrender to Vasudeva and worship Him.
>
360 [filler for verse in other book]
361
362 It is said in the Bhagavatam that less intelligent people
363 who have lost their spiritual sense take shelter of
> demigods for immediate fulfillment of material desires.
> Generally, such people do not go to the Supreme Personality
> of Godhead, because they are in particular modes of
> nature (ignorance and passion) and therefore worship
> various demigods. Following the rules and regulations of
> worship, they are satisfied. The worshipers of demigods are
> motivated by small desires and do not know how to reach the
> supreme goal, but a devotee of the Supreme Lord is not
> misguided. Because in Vedic literature there are
> recommendations for worshiping different gods for different
> purposes (e.g., a diseased man is recommended to worship
> the sun), those who are not devotees of the Lord think that
> for certain purposes demigods are better than the Supreme
> Lord. But a pure devotee knows that the Supreme Lord Krsna
> is the master of all. In the Caitanya-caritamrta
> it is said that
>
364 only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is master
365 and all others are servants. Therefore a pure devotee never
> goes to demigods for satisfaction of his material needs. He
> depends on the Supreme Lord. And the pure devotee is
> satisfied with whatever He gives.
>
366 Bg 7.21
367
368 TEXT 21
369
370 TRANSLATION
371
372 I am in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one
373 desires to worship the demigods, I make his faith steady
> so that he can devote himself to some particular deity.
>
374 PURPORT
375
376 God has given independence to everyone; therefore, if a
377 person desires to have material enjoyment and wants very
> sincerely to have such facilities from the material
> demigods, the Supreme Lord, as Supersoul in everyone's
> heart, understands and gives facilities to such persons. As
> the supreme father of all living entities, He does not
> interfere with their independence, but gives all facilities
> so that they can fulfill their material desires. Some may
> ask why the all-powerful God gives facilities to the living
> entities for enjoying this material world and so lets them
> fall into the trap of the illusory energy. The answer is
> that if the Supreme Lord as Supersoul does not give such
> facilities, then there is no meaning to independence.
> Therefore He gives everyone full independence-whatever one
> likes-but His ultimate instruction we find in the Bhagavad-
> gita: man should give up all other engagements and fully
> surrender unto Him. That will make man happy.
>
378 Both the living entity and the demigods are subordinate to
379 the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore
> the living entity cannot worship the demigod by his own
> desire, nor can the demigod bestow any benediction without
> the supreme will. As it is said, not a blade of grass moves
> without the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
> Generally, persons who are distressed in the material world
> go to the demigods, as they are advised in the Vedic
> literature. A person wanting some particular thing may
> worship such and such a demigod. For example, a diseased
> person is recommended to worship the sun-god; a person
> wanting education may worship the goddess of learning,
> Sarasvati; and a person wanting a beautiful wife may
> worship the goddess Uma, the wife of Lord Siva. In this way
> there are recommendations in the sastras (Vedic scriptures)
> for different modes of worship of different demigods. And
> because a particular living entity wants to enjoy a
> particular material facility, the Lord inspires him with a
> strong desire to achieve that benediction from that
> particular demigod, and so he successfully receives the
> benediction. The particular mode of the devotional attitude
> of the living entity toward a particular type of demigod is
> also arranged by the Supreme Lord. The demigods cannot
> infuse the living entities with such an affinity, but
> because He is the Supreme Lord or the Supersoul who is
> present in the heart of all living entities, Krsna gives
> impetus to man to worship certain demigods. The demigods
> are actually different parts of the universal body of the
> Supreme Lord; therefore they have no independence. In the
> Vedic literature (Taittiriya Upanisad, First Anuvaka) it is
> stated: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead as Supersoul is
> also present within the heart of the demigod; therefore He
> arranges through the demigod to fulfill the desire of the
> living entity. But both the demigod and the living entity
> are dependant on the supreme wil1. They are not independant.
> "
>
380 Bg 7.22
381
382 TEXT 22
383
384 TRANSLATION
385
386 Endowed with such a faith, he seeks favors of a
387 particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in
> actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.
>
388 PURPORT
389
390 The demigods cannot award benediction to the devotees
391 without the permission of the Supreme Lord. The living
> entity may forget that everything is the property of the
> Supreme Lord, but the demigods do not forget. So the
> worship of demigods and achievement of desired results are
> not due to the demigods but to the Supreme Personality
> of Godhead, by arrangement. The less intelligent living
> entity does not know this, and therefore he foolishly goes
> to the demigods for some benefit. But the pure devotee,
> when in need of something, prays only to the Supreme Lord.
> Asking for material benefit, however, is not a sign of a
> pure devotee. A living entity goes to the demigods usually
> because he is mad to fulfill his lust. This happens when
> something undue is desired by the living entity, and the
> Lord Himself does not fulfill the desire. In the Caitanya-
> caritamrta it is said that one who worships the Supreme
> Lord and at the same time desires material enjoyment is
> contradictory in his desires. Devotional service of the
> Supreme Lord and the worship of a demigod cannot be on the
> same platform because worship of a demigod is material and
> devotional service to the Supreme Lord is completely
> spiritual.
>
392 For the living entity who desires to return to Godhead,
393 material desires are impediments. A pure devotee of the
> Lord is therefore not awarded the material benefits desired
> by less intelligent living entities who prefer
> to worship demigods of the material world rather than
> engage in devotional service of the Supreme Lord.
>
394 Bg 7.23
395
396 TEXT 23
397
398 TRANSLATION
399
400 Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their
401 fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the
> demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees
> ultimately reach My supreme planet.
>
402 PURPORT
403
404 Some commentators on the Gita say that one who
405 worships a demigod can reach the Supreme Lord, but here it
> is clearly stated that the worshipers of demigods go to the
> different planetary systems where various demigods are
> situated, just as a worshiper of the sun achieves the sun
> or a worshiper of the demigod of the moon achieves the moon.
> Similarly, if anyone wants to worship a demigod like Indra,
> he can attain that particular god's planet. It is not that
> everyone, regardless of whatever demigod is worshiped, will
> reach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is denied
> here, for it is clearly stated that the worshipers of
> demigods go to different planets in the material world, but
> the devotee of the Supreme Lord goes directly to the
> supreme planet of the Personality of Godhead.
>
406 Here the point may be raised that if the demigods are
407 different parts of the body of the Supreme Lord, then the
> same end should be achieved by worshiping them. However,
> worshipers of the demigods are less intelligent because
> they don't know to what part of the body food must be
> supplied. Some of them are so foolish that they claim that
> there are many parts and many ways to supply food. This isn'
> t very sanguine. Can anyone supply food to the body through
> the ears or eyes? They do not know that these demigods are
> different parts of the universal body of the Supreme Lord,
> and in their ignorance they believe that each and every
> demigod is a separate God and a competitor of the Supreme
> Lord.
>
408 Not only are demigods parts of the Supreme Lord, but
409 ordinary living entities are also. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam
> it is stated that the brahmanas are the head of the Supreme
> Lord, the ksatriyas are the arms, etc.,
> and that all serve different functions.
> Regardless of the situation, if one knows that both the
> demigods and himself are part and parcel of the Supreme
> Lord, his knowledge is perfect. But if he does not
> understand this, he achieves different planets where the
> demigods reside. This is not the same destination the
> devotee reaches.
>
410 The results achieved by the demigods' benedictions are
411 perishable because within this material world the planets,
> the demigods and their worshipers are all perishable.
> Therefore it is clearly stated in this verse that all
> results achieved by worshiping demigods are perishable, and
> therefore such worship is performed by the less intelligent
> living entity. Because the pure devotee engaged in Krsna
> consciousness in devotional service of the Supreme Lord
> achieves eternal blissful existence that is full of
> knowledge, his achievements and those of the common
> worshiper of the demigods are different. The Supreme Lord
> is unlimited; His favor is unlimited; His mercy is
> unlimited. Therefore the mercy of the Supreme Lord upon His
> pure devotees is unlimited.
>
412 Bg 7.24
413
414 TEXT 24
415
416 TRANSLATION
417
418 Unintelligent men, who know Me not, think that
419 I have assumed this form
> and personality.
> Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher
> nature, which is changeless and supreme.
>
420 PURPORT
421
422 Those who are worshipers of demigods have been described as
423 less intelligent persons, and here the impersonalists are
> similarly described. Lord Krsna in His personal form is
> here speaking before Arjuna, and still, due to ignorance,
> impersonalists argue that the Supreme Lord ultimately has
> no form. Yamunacarya, a great devotee of the Lord in the
> disciplic succession from Ramanujacarya, has written two
> very appropriate verses in this connection. He says,
>
425 other book]
>
426 "My dear Lord, devotees like Vyasadeva and Narada know You
427 to be the Personality of Godhead. By understanding
> different Vedic literatures, one can come to know Your
> characteristics, Your form and Your activities, and one can
> thus understand that You are the Supreme Personality of
> Godhead. But those who are in the modes of passion and
> ignorance, the demons, the nondevotees, cannot understand
> You. They are unable to understand You. However expert such
> nondevotees may be in discussing Vedanta and the Upanisads
> and other Vedic literatures, it is not possible for them to
> understand the Personality of Godhead."
>
428 In the Brahma-samhita it is stated that the Personality of
429 Godhead cannot be understood simply by study of the Vedanta
> literature. Only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord can the
> Personality of the Supreme be known. Therefore in this
> verse it is clearly stated that not only the worshipers
> of the demigods are less intelligent, but those nondevotees
> who are engaged in Vedanta and speculation on Vedic
> literature without any tinge of true Krsna consciousness
> are also less intelligent, and for them it is not possible
> to understand God's personal nature. Persons who are under
> the impression that the Absolute Truth is impersonal are
> described as asuras, which means one who does not
> know the ultimate feature of the Absolute Truth. In the
> Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that supreme realization
> begins from the impersonal Brahman and then rises to the
> localized Supersoul-but the ultimate word in the Absolute
> Truth is the Personality of Godhead. Modern impersonalists
> are still less intelligent, for they do not even follow
> their great predecessor, Sankaracarya, who has specifically
> stated that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
> Impersonalists, therefore, not knowing the Supreme Truth,
> think Krsna to be only the son of Devaki and Vasudeva, or a
> prince, or a powerful living entity. This is also condemned
> : "Only the fools regard Me as an ordinary
> person."
>
430 The fact is that no one can understand Krsna without
431 rendering devotional service and without developing Krsna
> consciousness. The Gita confirms this.
>
433 other book]
>
435 translation
> in other book]
>
436 One cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
437 Krsna, or His form, quality or name simply by mental
> speculation or by discussing Vedic literature. One must
> understand Him by devotional service. When one is fully
> engaged in Krsna consciousness, beginning by chanting the
> mahamantra-Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare
> Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-then only
> can one understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
> Nondevotee impersonalists think that Krsna has a body made
> of this material nature and that all His activities, His
> form and everything, are maya. These impersonalists are
> known as Mayavadi. They do not know the ultimate truth.
>
438 The twentieth verse clearly states:
439
440 "Those who are blinded by lusty desires surrender unto the
441 different demigods." It is accepted that besides the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead, there are demigods who have
> their different planets (Bg. 7.23), and the Lord also has a
> planet. It is also stated
> that the worshipers
> of the demigods go to the different planets of the demigods,
> and those who are devotees of Lord Krsna go to the
> Krsnaloka planet. Although this is clearly stated, the
> foolish impersonalists still maintain that the Lord is
> formless and that these forms are impositions. From the
> study of the Gita does it appear that the demigods and
> their abodes are impersonal? Clearly, neither the demigods
> nor Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are
> impersonal. They are all persons; Lord Krsna is the Supreme
> Personality of Godhead, and He has His own planet, and the
> demigods have theirs.
>
442 Therefore the monistic contention that ultimate truth is
443 formless and that form is imposed does not hold true. It is
> clearly stated here that it is not imposed. From the
> Gita we can clearly understand that the forms of
> the demigods and the form of the Supreme Lord are
> simultaneously existing and that Lord Krsna is sac-cid-
> ananda, eternal blissful knowledge. The Vedas also confirm
> that the Supreme Absolute Truth is anandamaya,
> or full of blissful pleasure, and that He is
> abhyasat, by nature the reservoir of unlimited auspicious
> qualities. And in the Gita the Lord says that although He
> is aja (unborn), He still appears. These are the facts that
> we should understand from the Gita. We cannot
> understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be
> impersonal; the imposition theory of the impersonalist
> monist is false as far as the statements of the Gita are
> concerned. It is clear herein that the Supreme Absolute
> Truth, Lord Krsna, has both form and personality.
>
444 Bg 7.25
445
446 TEXT 25
447
448 TRANSLATION
449
450 I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For
451 them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-
> maya]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who
> am unborn and infallible.
>
452 PURPORT
453
454 It may be argued that since Krsna was present on this earth
455 and was visible to everyone, then why isn't He manifest to
> everyone now? But actually He was not manifest to everyone.
> When Krsna was present there were only a few people who
> could understand Him to be the Supreme Personality of
> Godhead. In the assembly of Kurus, when Sisupala spoke
> against Krsna being elected president of the assembly,
> Bhisma supported Him and proclaimed Him to be the Supreme
> God. Similarly, the Pandavas and a few others knew that He
> was the Supreme, but not everyone. He was not revealed to
> the nondevotees and the common man. Therefore in the
> Gita Krsna says that but for His pure devotees,
> all men consider Him to be like themselves. He was manifest
> only to His devotees as the reservoir of all pleasure. But
> to others, to unintelligent nondevotees, He was covered by
>
456 In the prayers of Kunti in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.8.18),
457 it is said that the Lord is covered by the curtain of yoga-
> maya and thus ordinary people cannot understand Him. Kunti
> prays:
>
458 [filler for verse in other book]
459
460 "O my Lord, You are the maintainer of the entire universe,
461 and devotional service to You is the highest religious
> principle. Therefore, I pray that You will also maintain me.
> Your transcendental form is covered by the yoga-maya. The
> brahmajyoti is the covering of the internal potency. May
> You kindly remove this glowing effulgence that impedes my
> seeing Your sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, Your eternal form of
>
462 This yoga-maya curtain is also mentioned in the Fifteenth
463 Chapter of the Gita. The Supreme Personality of Godhead in
> His transcendental form of bliss and knowledge is covered
> by the eternal potency of brahmajyoti and the less
> intelligent impersonalists cannot see the Supreme on this
> account. Also in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.7) there is
> this prayer by Brahma: "O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O
> Supersoul, O master of all mystery, who can calculate Your
> potency and pastimes in this world? You are always
> expanding Your eternal potency, and therefore no one can
> understand You. Learned scientists and learned scholars can
> examine the atomic constitution of the material world or
> even the planets, but still they are unable to calculate
> Your energy and potency, although You are present before
> them." The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, is
> not only unborn, but He is avyaya, inexhaustible. His
> eternal form is bliss and knowledge, and His energies are
> all inexhaustible.
>
464 Bg 7.26
465
466 TEXT 26
467
468 TRANSLATION
469
470 O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know
471 everything that has happened in the past, all that is
> happening in the present, and all things that are yet to
> come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.
>
472 PURPORT
473
474 Here the question of personality and impersonality is
475 clearly stated. If Krsna, the form of the Supreme
> Personality of Godhead, is considered by the
> impersonalists to be maya, to be material, then He
> would, like the living entity, change His body and
> forget everything in His past life. Anyone with a
> material body cannot remember his past life, nor can he
> foretell his future life, nor can he predict the outcome of
> his present life; therefore he cannot know what is
> happening in past, present and future. Unless one is
> liberated from material contamination, he cannot know past,
> present and future.
>
476 Unlike the ordinary human being, Lord Krsna clearly says
477 that He completely knows what happened in the past, what is
> happening in the present, and what will happen in the
> future. In the Fourth Chapter we have seen that Lord Krsna
> remembers instructing Vivasvan, the sun-god, millions of
> years ago. Krsna knows every living entity because He is
> situated in every living being's heart as the Supreme
> Soul. But despite His presence in every living entity as
> Supersoul and His presence beyond the material sky, as the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead, the less intelligent
> cannot realize
> Him as the Supreme Person. Certainly the
> transcendental body of Sri Krsna is not perishable. He is
> just like the sun, and maya is like the cloud. In the
> material world we can see that there is the sun and that
> there are clouds and different stars and planets. The
> clouds may cover all these in the sky temporarily, but this
> covering is only apparent to our limited vision. The sun,
> moon and stars are not actually covered. Similarly, maya
> cannot cover the Supreme Lord. By His internal potency He
> is not manifest to the less intelligent class of men. As it
> is stated in the third verse of this chapter, out of
> millions and millions of men, some try to become perfect in
> this human form of life, and out of thousands and thousands
> of such perfected men, hardly one can understand what Lord
> Krsna is. Even if one is perfected by realization of
> impersonal Brahman or localized Paramatma, he cannot
> possibly understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri
> Krsna, without being in Krsna consciousness.
>
478 Bg 7.27
479
480 TEXT 27
481
482 TRANSLATION
483
484 O scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conquerer of the foe, all
485 living entities are born into delusion, overcome by the
> dualities of desire and hate.
>
486 PURPORT
487
488 The real constitutional position of the living entity is
489 that of subordination to the Supreme Lord, who is pure
> knowledge. When one is deluded into separation from this
> pure knowledge, he becomes controlled by illusory energy
> and cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
> The illusory energy is manifested in the duality of desire
> and hate. Due to desire and hate, the ignorant person wants
> to become one with the Supreme Lord and envies Krsna as the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead. Pure devotees, who are not
> so deluded or contaminated by desire and hate, can
> understand that Lord Sri Krsna appears by His internal
> potencies, but those who are deluded by duality and
> nescience think that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
> created by material energies. This is their misfortune.
> Such deluded persons, symptomatically, dwell in dualities
> of dishonor and honor, misery and happiness, woman and man,
> good and bad, pleasure and pain, etc., thinking, "This is
> my wife; this is my house; I am the master of this house; I
> am the husband of this wife." These are the dualities of
> delusion. Those who are so deluded by dualities are
> completely foolish and therefore cannot understand the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead.
>
490 Bg 7.28
491
492 TEXT 28
493
494 TRANSLATION
495
496 Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in
497 this life, whose sinful actions are completely
> eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion,
> engage themselves in My service with
> determination.
>
498 PURPORT
499
500 Those eligible for elevation to the transcendental position
501 are mentioned in this verse. For those who are sinful,
> atheistic, foolish and deceitful, it is very difficult to
> transcend the duality of desire and hate. Only those who
> have passed their lives in practicing the regulative
> principles of religion, who have acted piously and have
> conquered sinful reactions can accept devotional service
> and gradually rise to the pure knowledge of the Supreme
> Personality of Godhead. Then, gradually, they can meditate
> in trance on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is
> the process of being situated on the spiritual platform.
> This elevation is possible in Krsna consciousness in the
> association of pure devotees who can
> deliver one from delusion.
>
502 It is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that if one
503 actually wants to be liberated he must render service to
> who associates with materialistic people is on the path
> leading to the darkest region of existence
> . All the devotees of the Lord
> traverse this earth just to recover the conditioned souls
> from their delusion. The impersonalists do not know that
> forgetting their constitutional position as subordinate to
> the Supreme Lord is the greatest violation of God's law.
> Unless one is reinstated in his own constitutional position,
> it is not possible to understand the Supreme Personality
> or to be fully engaged in His transcendental loving service
> with determination.
>
504 Bg 7.29
505
506 TEXT 29
507
508 TRANSLATION
509
510 Intelligent persons who are endeavoring for liberation from
511 old age and death take refuge in Me in devotional service.
> They are actually Brahman because they entirely know
> everything about transcendental and fruitive activities.
>
512 PURPORT
513
514 Birth, death, old age and diseases affect this material
515 body, but not the spiritual body. There is no birth, death,
> old age and disease for the spiritual body, so one who
> attains a spiritual body, becomes one of the associates of
> the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engages in eternal
> devotional service, is really liberated. Aham brahmasmi: I
> am spirit. It is said that one should understand that he is
> Brahman-spirit soul. This Brahman conception of life is
> also in devotional service, as described in this verse. The
> pure devotees are transcendentally situated on the Brahman
> platform, and they know everything about transcendental and
> material activities.
>
516 Four kinds of impure devotees who engage themselves in the
517 transcendental service of the Lord achieve their respective
> goals, and by the grace of the Supreme Lord, when they are
> fully Krsna conscious, they actually enjoy spiritual
> association with the Supreme Lord. But those who are
> worshipers of demigods never reach the Supreme Lord in His
> supreme planet. Even the less intelligent Brahman-realized
> persons cannot reach the supreme planet of Krsna known as
> Goloka Vrndavana. Only persons who perform activities in
> Krsna consciousness (mam asritya) are actually entitled to
> be called Brahman, because they are actually endeavoring to
> reach the Krsna planet. Such persons have no misgivings
> about Krsna, and thus they are factually Brahman.
>
518 Those who are engaged in worshiping the form or arca of the
519 Lord or who are engaged in meditation on the Lord simply
> for liberation from material bondage, also know, by the
> grace of the Lord, the purports of Brahman, adhibhuta, etc.,
> as explained by the Lord in the next chapter.
>
520 Bg 7.30
521
522 TEXT 30
523
524 TRANSLATION
525
526 Those who know Me as the
527 Supreme Lord, as the governing principle of the material
> manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying all the
> demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices, can,
> with steadfast mind, understand and know Me
> even at the time of death.
>
528 PURPORT
529
530 Persons acting in Krsna consciousness are never entirely
531 deviated from the path of understanding the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the transcendental
> association of Krsna consciousness, one can understand how
> the Supreme Lord is the governing principle of the material
> manifestation and even of the demigods. Gradually, by such
> transcendental association, one becomes convinced of the
> Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, and at the time of
> death such a Krsna conscious person can never forget Krsna.
> Naturally he is thus promoted to the planet of the Supreme
> Lord, Goloka Vrndavana.
>
532 This Seventh Chapter particularly explains how one can
533 become a fully Krsna conscious person. The beginning of
> Krsna consciousness is association of persons who are Krsna
> conscious. Such association is spiritual and puts one
> directly in touch with the Supreme Lord, and, by His grace,
> one can understand Krsna to be the Supreme God
> . At the same time one can really understand the
> constitutional position of the living entity and how the
> living entity forgets Krsna and becomes entangled in
> material activities. By gradual development of Krsna
> consciousness in good association, the living entity can
> understand that due to forgetfulness of Krsna he has become
> conditioned by the laws of material nature. He can also
> understand that this human form of life is an opportunity
> to regain Krsna consciousness and that it should be fully
> utilized to attain the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord.
>
534 Many subjects have been discussed in this chapter: the man
535 in distress, the inquisitive man, the man in want of
> material necessities, knowledge of Brahman, knowledge of
> Paramatma, liberation from birth, death and diseases, and
> worship of the Supreme Lord. However, he who is actually
> elevated in Krsna consciousness does not care for the
> different processes. He simply directly engages himself in
> activities of Krsna consciousness and thereby factually
> attains his constitutional position as eternal servitor
> of Lord Krsna. In such a situation he takes pleasure in
> hearing and glorifying the Supreme Lord in pure devotional
> service. He is convinced that by doing so, all his
> objectives will be fulfilled. This determined faith is
> called drdha-vrata, and it is the beginning of bhakti-yoga
> or transcendental loving service. That is the verdict of
> all scriptures. This Seventh Chapter of the Gita
> is the substance of that conviction.
>
536 Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Seventh Chapter
537 of the Srimad-Bhagavad-gita in the matter of Knowledge of
> the Absolute.
>