BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:3

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:3

 

manusyanam sahasresu

kascid yatati siddhaye

yatatam api siddhanam

kascin mam vetti tattvatah

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

manusyanam--of men; sahasresu--out of many thousands; kascit--someone;

yatati--endeavors; siddhaye--for perfection; yatatam--of those so

endeavoring; api--indeed; siddhanam--of those who have achieved

perfection; kascit--someone; mam--Me; vetti--does know; tattvatah--in

fact.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and

of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

 

PURPORT

 

There are 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 be known only 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, 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.

 

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-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.101):

 

sruti smrti-puranadi-

pancaratra-vidhim vina

aikantiki harer bhaktir

utpatayaiva kalpate

 

"Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic

literatures like the Upanisads, puranas and Narada-pancaratra is

simply an unnecessary disturbance in society."

 

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 su-durlabhah. "Such a

great soul is very rare." Therefore unless one practices devotional

service to the Lord, one 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:

 

atah sri-krsna-namadi

na bhaved grahyam indriyaih

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

 

"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." (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu

1.2.234)

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.