BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:1

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:1

 

sri-bhagavan uvaca

mayy asakta-manah partha

yogam yunjan mad-asrayah

asamsayam samagram mam-

yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Lord said; mayi--to Me;

asakta-manah--mind attached; partha--O son of Prtha;

yogam--self-realization; yunjan--practicing; mat-asrayah--in

consciousness of Me (Krsna consciousness); asamsayam--without doubt;

samagram--completely; mam--Me; yatha--how; jnasyasi--you can know;

tat--that; srnu--try to hear.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Prtha, how

by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to

Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.

 

PURPORT

 

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.

 

In the first six chapters of Bhagavad-gita, the living entity has been

described as nonmaterial spirit soul 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.

 

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, tac chrnu, or "Hear from Me." No one can be

a greater authority than Krsna, and therefore by hearing from Him one

receives the greatest opportunity to become a perfectly Krsna

conscious person. 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.

 

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:

 

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah

punya-sravana-kirtanah

hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani

vidhunoti suhrt satam

 

nasta-prayesv abhadresu

nityam bhagavata-sevaya

bhagavaty uttama-sloke

bhaktir bhavati naisthiki

 

tada rajas-tamo-bhavah

kama-lobhadayas ca ye

ceta etair anaviddham

sthitam sattve prasidati

 

evam prasanna-manaso

bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah

bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam

mukta-sangasya jayate

 

bhidyate hrdaya-granthis

chidyante sarva-samsayah

ksiyante casya karmani

drsta evatmanisvare

 

"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." (SB. 1.2.17-21)

 

Therefore only by hearing from Krsna or from His devotee in Krsna

consciousness can one understand the science of Krsna.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.