GG 7 Knowledge of the Absolute
His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter 7
Knowledge of the Absolute
- śrī-bhagavān kahilen:
- āmāte āsakta haye yogera sādhan
- tomāre kahinu pārtha sab etakṣaṇ
- se yog āśray kari samagra ye āmi
- asaṁśay bujhibe ye anivārya tumi
- śuna pārtha sei kathā tomāke ye kahi
- bhakti-yog śuddha sattva yāte tuṣṭa rahi
Text 1: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Pṛthā, how by practising yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.
- āmār viṣaye ye hay jñān-vijñān
- se viṣaye aśeṣata śuna diyā man
- jānile se tattva-jñān jñātavya viṣay
- sahaje-i sab tattva samādhān hay
Text 2: I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge, both phenomenal and numinous. This being known, nothing further shall remain for you to know.
- sahasra manuṣya madhye kona ekjan
- siddhi-lābh karibāre karaye yatan
- yatnaśīl sei kāry kona ekjan
- siddhilābh karibāre upayukta han
- tār madhye keha keha āmāke tattvata
- bujhite samartha han vivekavaśata
Text 3: Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavour for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.
- bhūmi jal agni vāyu buddhi ye ākāś
- ār ahaṅkār man buddhira prakāś
- ei sab aṣṭa prkārera hay ye prakṛti
- bhinnā sei āmā hate bāhira bibhūti
Text 4: Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.
- anutkṛṣṭā tārā saha utkṛṣṭā tā hate
- prakṛti ār ek ye āchaye āmāte
- jīv-bhūtā se prakṛti śuna mahābāho
- jīv dvāra dhārya jaḍā jāna aharaha
Text 5: Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.
- ei dui prakṛti se nām parāparā
- sarva-bhūta yoni tārā jāna paramparā
- yehetu prakṛti dui āmā hate hay
- jagatera utpatti lay āmi se niścaya
Text 6: All created beings have their source in these two natures. Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both the origin and the dissolution.
- āmāpekṣā paratattva śuna dhanañjay
- parātpar ye tattva anya keha nay
- āmāte samasta jagat āche pratiṣṭhita
- sūtre yena gṅāṭhā thāke maṇigaṇ yata
Text 7: O conqueror of wealth! There is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.
- jalera ye sarasatā āmi se kounteya
- candra-sūrya prabhā yei āmā hate jñeya
- sarva-vede ye praṇab hay mukhya tattva
- ākāsera śavda sei āmi hai satya
Text 8: O son of Kuntī, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable oṁ in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.
- pṛthivīra puṇya gandha sūryera prabhāv
- jīvana sarva-bhūter tapasvīra tāp
Text 9: I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.
- utpattira vīj-rūp sabāra se āmi
- sanātana tattva pārtha sakalera svāmī
- buddhi-mān yevā hay tār buddhi āmi
- tejasvīra teja hay yāhā antaryāmī
Text 10: O son of Pṛthā, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men.
- valavān yata āche tār val āmi
- kām-rāga vivarjita yata agragāmī
- dharma aviruddha kāma he bharatarṣabha
- se saba bujhaha tumi āmāra baibhava
Text 11: I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the Bhāratas (Arjuna).
- ye sab sāttvika bhāv rajasa tamasa
- āmā hate hay sab āmi nahi vaś
Text 12: Know that all states of being—be they of goodness, passion or ignorance—are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the contrary, are within Me.
- ei tin guṇ dvārāmohita jagata
- nā bujhite pāre more parama śāśvata
Text 13: Deluded by the three modes (goodness, passion and ignorance), the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible.
- ataev guṇamayī āmāra ye māyā
- bahiraṅgā śakti sei ati duratyayā
- se māyāra hāt hate yadi mukti cāy
- āmāra caraṇe sei prapatti karaya
Text 14: This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
- kintu yārā durācār narādham mūḍha,
- sarvadāi guṇa-kārye ati-mātrā dṛḍha
- māyāra dvārāte jārā apahṛta jñān
- prapatti kare nā tārā yata asurān
Text 15: Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me.
- sukṛti kareche yārā sei cārijan
- ārta arthārthi jijñāsu kimbā jñānī han
- prapatti sahita tārā karaye bhajan
- asurādi māyā-yuddhe hārāy jīvan
Text 16: O best among the Bhāratas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.
- ei cārijana madhye jñānī se viśiṣṭa
- priya hay jñānī mor ati se valiṣṭha
Text 17: Of these, the one who is in full knowledge and who is always engaged in pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me.
- ukta cārijan bhakta sakale udār
- śuddha bhakti prāpta han kramaśa vistār
- tār madhye jñānī bhakta ati se ātmīya
- se kāraṇe uttam gati hay varaṇīya
Text 18: All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider to be just like My own self. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he is sure to attain Me, the highest and most perfect goal.
- krame krame jñānījan bahu janma pare
- āmāra caraṇe śuddha prapatti se kare
- vāsudevamaya tadā jagat darśan
- durlabha mahātmā sei śāstrera varṇan
Text 19: After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
- ye paryanta kāmanār dvārā thāke vaśībhūta
- prapatti āmāte tadā-nahe ta sambhūta
- sei kām dvārā tārā hṛta-jñān hay
- āmāke chāḍiyā anya devatā pūjay
Text 20: Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.
- āmi antaryāmī tār thākiyā antare
- sei sei devapūjā karāi satvare
- sei sei śraddhā di-i kariyā acal
- ataev anya dev karaye pūjan
Text 21: I am in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that particular deity.
- se takhan śraddhāyukta dev ārādhan
- kariyā se phal pāy āmāra kāraṇ
- kintu sei sei phal anitya sakal
- svalpa medhā cāhe tāi sādhana viphal
Text 22: Endowed with such a faith, he endeavours to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.
- tārā devaloke jāy anitya se dhām
- mor bhakta mor dhāme nitya pūrṇa kām
- svalpa-buddhi yār hay se bale nirākār
- jāne nā tāhārā cid vigraha āmār
Text 23: Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.
- sarvottama śreṣṭha hay āmāra śarīr
- avyaya saccidānanda yāhā jāne sab dhīr
- āmi sūrya sama nitya sanātana dhām
- sabāra nikaṭe nahi dṛśya ātmārām
Text 24: Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is imperishable and supreme.
- uparokta mūḍha lok nāhi dekhe more
- āmi ye avyaya ātmā ajara amare
Text 25: I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.
- āmāra ānanda rūp nitya avasthiti
- se kāraṇe he arjun trikāla vidhiti
- vartamān bhaviṣyat athavā atīt
- samasta kāler gati āmāte vidit
- kintu mūḍha lok yārā nāhi jāne more
- īśvara parama kṛṣṇa vidita saṁsāre
Text 26: O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.
- durbhāgā ye lok sei dvandve-te mohita
- icchā dveṣ dvārā tārā saṁsāre cālita
- ataev he bhārat tārā janma kāle
- pūrvāpūrva saṁskārera sarvadā kavale
Text 27: O scion of Bharata, O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate.
- niṣpāpa hayeche yārā puṇya karma dvārā
- dvandva moha hate mukta hayeche yāhārā
- tārā hay dṛḍha-vrata bhajane āmār
- nirbhay tāhārā sab jinite saṁsār
Text 28: Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.
- āmāke āśray kari ye jana saṁsāre
- jarā maraṇ mokṣer mārga sadā yatna kare
- se yogī jāne tattva brahma paramātmā
- kimbā karmagati yāha jāne se dharmātmā
Text 29: Intelligent persons who are endeavouring for liberation from old age and death take refuge in Me in devotional service. They are actually Brahman because they entirely know everthing about transcendental activities.
- adhibhūta adhidaiva kimbā adhi-yajña
- sei sab tattvajñāne yārā haya vijña
- tāhārāo prayāṇa samaye bujhe more
- paramātmār sālokya lābh sei kare
Text 30: Those in full consciousness of Me, who know Me, the Supreme Lord, to be the governing principle of the material manifestation, of the demigods, and of all methods of sacrifice, can understand and know Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even at the time of death.
- bhaktivedānta kahe śrī-gītāra gān
- śune yadi śuddha bhakta kṛṣṇagata-prāṇ
Thus Bhaktivedānta sings the song of Śrī Gītā, with the hope that hearing this, Kṛṣṇa conscious pure devotees will be pleased.