Jnana Vijnana Yoga
Jnana Vijnana Yoga • 30 verses
Krishna reveals his divine nature as the ground of all existence — the divine basis behind all material reality. He explains why most people do not recognize this truth and describes the four types of devotees who turn to him.
Chapter Overview
Chapter 7 marks a significant shift in the Gita: Krishna begins to speak more directly about his own nature as the supreme divine reality. After six chapters of teaching the philosophy and practice of yoga, he now addresses the ultimate object of yoga — what it is we are orienting toward.
Krishna describes himself as the ground of all existence — the consciousness through which everything appears, and without which nothing would exist. He describes his two natures: the lower nature (apara prakriti) consisting of the eight elements of material reality, and the higher nature (para prakriti) which is pure consciousness that sustains all life.
Maya — divine illusion — is central to this chapter. Maya is not simply 'illusion' in the sense of non-existence; it is the divine power that makes the infinite appear as finite, the one appear as many, the eternal appear as temporary. Krishna says his maya is hard to overcome — but those who take refuge in him can cross beyond it.
Krishna describes four types of seekers who come to him: the distressed, the curious, the spiritually ambitious, and the wise. The wise devotee — the jnani who loves God with knowledge — is the most dear to Krishna, because such a person sees no difference between themselves and the Divine.
This chapter also contains the profound teaching that those who worship other deities are actually worshipping Krishna — the supreme Self is one, though approached through many names and forms.
Key Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः | असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ||७-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . mayyāsaktamanāḥ pārtha yogaṃ yuñjanmadāśrayaḥ . asaṃśayaṃ samagraṃ māṃ yathā jñāsyasi tacchṛṇu ||7-1||
7.1 The Blessed Lord said O Arjuna, hear how you shall without doubt know Me fully, with the mind intent on Me, practising Yoga and taking refuge in Me.
ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः | यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते ||७-२||
jñānaṃ te.ahaṃ savijñānamidaṃ vakṣyāmyaśeṣataḥ . yajjñātvā neha bhūyo.anyajjñātavyamavaśiṣyate ||7-2||
7.2 I shall declare to thee in full this knowledge combined with realisation, after knowing which nothing more here remains to be known.
मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये | यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ||७-३||
manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye . yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥ ||7-3||
7.3 Among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection; even among those successful strivers, only one perchance knows Me in essence.
भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च | अहंकार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा ||७-४||
bhūmirāpo.analo vāyuḥ khaṃ mano buddhireva ca . ahaṃkāra itīyaṃ me bhinnā prakṛtiraṣṭadhā ||7-4||
7.4 Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect and egoism thus is My Nature divided eightfold.
अपरेयमितस्त्वन्यां प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम् | जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत् ||७-५||
apareyamitastvanyāṃ prakṛtiṃ viddhi me parām . jīvabhūtāṃ mahābāho yayedaṃ dhāryate jagat ||7-5||
7.5 This is the inferior Prakriti, O mighty-armed (Arjuna); know thou as different from it My higher Prakriti (Nature), the very life-element, by which this world is upheld.