Chapter 7, Verse 19
बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान्मां प्रपद्यते | वासुदेवः सर्वमिति स महात्मा सुदुर्लभः ||७-१९||
bahūnāṃ janmanāmante jñānavānmāṃ prapadyate . vāsudevaḥ sarvamiti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ ||7-19||
Meaning
7.19 At the end of many births the wise man comes to Me, realising that all this is Vaasudeva (the innermost Self); such a great soul (Mahatma) is very hard to find.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna reveals the long ripening of wisdom. The realisation that 'Vaasudeva is all' — that the Divine is the inmost reality of everything — does not usually dawn in a single lifetime. It is the fruit of many births of seeking, refining, and growing. And the soul who attains it, the mahatma, is sudurlabha — exceedingly rare.
There is both patience and encouragement here. The path may be long, stretched across more than we can see, and that is no cause for despair; every sincere step is carried forward. The crowning insight is breathtakingly simple: 'all this is God.' Not God in some far heaven, but God as the very substance of every person and thing. The great soul is rare not because the truth is hidden, but because few persist long enough to see what was always there.
💡 Key Takeaway
The realisation that the Divine is the essence of all things is the rare fruit of long seeking — so be patient and persist.
Related Verses
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.
तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते | प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः ||७-१७||
teṣāṃ jñānī nityayukta ekabhaktirviśiṣyate . priyo hi jñānino.atyarthamahaṃ sa ca mama priyaḥ ||7-17||
7.17 Of them the wise, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels (is the best); for I am exceedingly dear to the wise and he is dear to Me.