Chapter Seven

         Relative and Absolute Conceptions of the Supreme

                           Jnana-vijnana-yoga

1) The Lord said: O Partha, hear from Me how, with your heart
devoted to Me, the Supreme Lord, abandoning all non-devotional
pursuits based on action and knowledge, taking refuge in Me and
gradually achieving My association, you will doubtlessly be able to
know Me, My holy abode, My opulences, and My associates.

2) Now I shall fully describe to you, with the taste of the flavor of
My divine sweetness, this knowledge of My grand majestic
splendor and opulences. After knowing all this, absolutely nothing
will remain for you to know, being situated on this beautiful,
joyful, and victorious path.

3) Out of countless souls, some have reached the human form, and
among many thousands of human beings, some endeavor for
perception of the individual soul and the Supersoul; and among
many thousands of such endeavorers who have attained to seeing
the soul and the Supersoul, only a few receive actual perception of
Me, Syamasundara.

4) My deluding potency in this world is divided in eight ways:
earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego.
Commentary: In this verse, the purport being expressed is that jnana,
or knowledge, in the true sense of the word and in accordance of the
precepts of devotion is actually bhagavad-aisvarya-jnana, or
knowledge of the almighty, majestic lordship of the Supreme. In the
opinion of the scholars who are generally known as jnani, knowledge
is knowledge of the soul as distinct from the body and other mundane
elements but this is not actual knowledge. Therefore, in order to
confirm the conception of His personal almighty majesty, the Lord is
revealing His various intrinsic personal forms and potencies as well as
their characteristics.

"My different aspects are Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. Of
these, Brahman is a nondifferentiated, formless aspect of My potency.
Paramatma, the Supersoul, is also a manifestation of My potency (as a
fundamental factor in relation to the universe), and this aspect of Mine
is not eternally manifest. Therefore only My form of Bhagavan, the
Supreme Lord, is eternally manifest, and within this form My three
eternal potencies are also present: antaranga- or cichakti the internal
divine potency; bahiranga- or maya-sakti the external deluding
potency, and tatastha- or jiva-sakti the marginal potency, comprising
the innumerable living beings." In verse 4, the Lord has described His
maya-sakti, or His external deluding potency.

5) O mighty hero, Arjuna, this worldly nature known as external,
is inferior. But distinct from this nature, you should know My
marginal potency, comprised of the individual souls, to be
superior. This world is accepted by this superior conscious
potency as an object of exploitation for sense enjoyment, by the
agency of each individual's fruit-hunting actions and reactions.
The divine world emanates from My internal potency and the
mundane world from My external potency. The potency of the
living beings is known as marginal, on account of their medial
adaptability they may choose to reside either in the mundane
plane or the divine.

6) Know it that all species, either moving or stationary, are
produced from these two elemental natures, as the sphere of
action and the knower of that sphere. And I alone am the cause of
generation of the whole world, and the cause of its dissolution as
well.

7) O Arjuna, there is nothing superior to Me. Like gems strung on
a thread, this entire creation depends on Me.

8) O son of Kunti, by the potency of the primordial element of
taste, I am situated as the basis of the flavor of water; and by the
opulence of effulgence, I am present in the sun and moon. I am
present in the Vedas as their primeval sound vibration, the letter
Om; I am present in the atmosphere as the primordial element of
sound; and as the Supreme Male, I am present in all men.

9) I dwell in the pure fragrance of the earth, and in the radiance
of fire. In all beings, I am present as the lifespan, and in ascetics, I
am the power to endure duality such as cold and heat.

10) O Partha, know Me as the eternal primordial cause of all life-
forms. Of the intelligent, I am present as intelligence personified,
and of the valiant, I am there as prowess personified.

11) O Arjuna, of the powerful, I am present as strength that is
devoid of selfish interest and mundane attachment; and among all
species of life, I am present as that sexual union which is in
accordance with the principles of religion.

12) Furthermore, you should know that all objects that be of the
nature of goodness, passion, and ignorance are born of Me alone.
Nevertheless, I am not in them. They, being subordinate to Me,
exist in Me.

13) The entire world of living beings is completely deluded by this
creation of the nature of three material modes. Therefore, no one
can know Me, the Supreme Lord, who am superior to this whole
creation, transcendental to these modes, and immutable.

14) This 'trimodal', supernatural, (alluring) deluding energy of
Mine is practically insurmountable. However, those who fully
surrender exclusively unto Me can certainly surpass this
formidable fantasy.

15) These four types of evil-doers do not surrender unto Me:
fruitive workers, who are just like animals; fallen persons who
embrace the highest path, devotion, but later reject it, considering
it inadequate or worthless; those whose knowledge is nullified by
the deluding potency, maya, despite their scriptural knowledge,
and who think that only the form of Lord Narayana is
worshipable, whereas Lord Krsna, Lord Rama, and other
authentic forms are merely human; and those who possess the
nature of demons the impersonalists, who 'dismember' My form
by their 'arrows' of false and blasphemous arguments, and who
are just like the demon Jarasandha and others.

16) O Arjuna, best of the Bharatas, four types of persons worship
Me: the afflicted, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of worldly
or other-worldly enjoyment, and the pure-hearted seer of the soul.
After attaining sufficient devotional merit (sukrti), they engage in
My pure devotional service.

17) Among these four types of devotees, the enlightened soul, who
is My exclusive devotee and whose consciousness is fully absorbed
in Me, is the best of all. Because I in My form of Syamasundara
am very dear to this sage, he also is dear to Me.

18) Since their hearts are free from the nasty selfishness of
addiction to sensual pleasures, all these persons are certainly dear
to Me. But due to his divine self-realization, the pure-hearted sage
becomes inseparable from Me, and is therefore very dear to Me.
This is certainly My opinion, since he, having offered Me his own
heart, has ascertained that I, Syamasundara, am the supreme goal
of life.

19) After many, many birds, the knowledgable person (who
happens to attain the association of such a pure devotee) finally
comes to understand that the whole universe of moving and
stationary being is of the nature of Vasudeva alone, inasmuch as
all are subordinate to Vasudeva. Having grasped this conception,
he surrenders unto Me. Know such a great soul to be extremely
rare.

20) Persons whose good intelligence has been spoiled by illicit
desires for exploitation and renunciation or other duplicitous
pursuits, worship other godly personalities such as the Sun-god
and the many demigods. Being enslaved by their instinct, they
adopt the corresponding rules and regulations of fasting and other
tenets accordingly.

21) According to whichever demigod representing a form of Me a
particular devotee desires to worship faithfully, I, as the
Supersoul dwelling within his heart, make his faith strong for the
deity of his choice.

22) After being endowed with this firm faith by Me, such a
devotee goes on worshiping the deity of that demigod, and gains
all his desired objects from that deity. Certainly this is enacted by
My sanction alone, since I am the Supersoul situated within the
heart of the demigod also.

23) But the fruit obtained by those provincially interested
worshipers of the various demigods is temporary. They reach
their respective gods, but My devotees obtain Me.

24) My eternal superexcellent nature, form, qualities, activities,
pastimes, and associated paraphernalia are all transcendental to
illusion. But unintelligent men, unable to know this reality, think
of Me thus: 'Oh, the supra-mundane, formless impersonal
Brahman has recently accepted birth in an illusory form in
Vasudeva's chamber.'

25) By My own sweet will, remaining concealed by an illusory
image, I am not manifest to anyone and everyone. Therefore, non
of these foolish persons can ever really know Me as the son of
Vasudeva, who am independent of mundane birth and ever-
existent in My divine personal Syamasundara form of beautiful
feature like a blackish rain-cloud.

26) O Arjuna, I alone know everything and everyone, moving or
stationary, of the past, present, and future. But on account of their
perception being obscured either by My external deluding energy
or by the internal potency of My sweet will, certainly there is no
one whether a human of this world or anyone beyond it who can
know Me as I am.

27) O Arjuna, chastiser of the enemy, from the very beginning of
the universal creation, all forms of life are overwhelmed by
ignorance born of duality based on happiness and unhappiness,
which has its origin in desire and abhorrence of sensual
predilection.

28) But on the other hand, the performers of virtuous deeds who
have had the opportunity to associate with a pure devotee of Mine
are purified of all sin. Free from the delusion born of duality
based on happiness and unhappiness, and firmly established in
continuous engagement in My service they enter into My pure
devotion.

29) Desiring liberation from the miserable worldly current of all-
devouring birth and death, those who take shelter of Me engage in
My devotional service can know Brahman, the individual souls,
and the many types of karma or exploitative action for which the
souls are repeatedly bound within this unhappy worldly plane.

30) And those who know Me, as the basis of the universal
principles of phenomenon, governance, and dispensation such
persons, their hearts absorbed in Me, can know Me even at the
time of death. Afflicted in the face of fearful death they do not
forget Me.

INDEX