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Owing to His unborn and imperishable nature, Krishna knows the past (samatītāni), the present (vartamānāni) and the future (bhaviṣyāṇi), but we cannot know Krishna (māṁ tu veda na kaścana) by our own endeavors. (BG 7.26) We cannot know Krishna because all of us (sarva-bhūtāni) are born into delusion (sammohaṁ) characterized by dualities (dvandva-mohena), which are ultimately caused by (samutthena) our own desire (icchā) and hate (dveṣa). That is why Krishna emphasized the rarity of knowing Krishna twice in this chapter – once in general (BG 7.3) and the second time in the context of a knowledgeable (jñānavān) person (BG 7.19).

Krishna already gave the magic formula for escaping illusion – surrender unto Him alone (BG 7.14). But, how does one come to the stage of surrendering to Krishna alone and escape (nirmuktā) these dualities of delusion (dvandva-moha)? It is only possible for those pure souls (puṇya-karmaṇām) whose sinful actions (pāpaṁ) have been completely eradicated (anta-gataṁ) because of which they are engaged in devotional service (bhajante) of Krishna (māṁ) with determination (dṛḍha-vratāḥ). (BG 7.28)

There is a class of endeavoring transcendentalists (yatanti ) who take shelter of Krishna (mām āśritya) for the sake of getting liberated from the old age and death (jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya). Owing to taking shelter of Krishna, they understand the entirety (kṛtsnam) of Brahman (spiritual existential reality), the Higher Self (adhyātmaṁ) and all actions (karma cākhilam). (BG 7.29)

With consciousness engaged with Krishna (yukta-cetasaḥ), those who know Krishna as the higher principle or the governing factor of material manifestation (adhibhūtā), divinity (adhidaivaṁ), and sacrifices (adhiyajñaṁ), know Krishna as the essence of everything even at the time of death. (BG 7.30) These statements are going to prompt Arjuna to ask a question at the beginning of the next chapter.

We can see here how understanding the Absolute Truth entails knowing Krishna and His energies, and knowing Krishna as the governing factor of all His energies.

Before going into this section, let’s recall Krishna’s magic formula for escaping the formidable clutches of illusion – surrender (prapadyante) unto Krishna alone or exclusively (mām eva). (BG 7.14)

Unfortunately, those whose knowledge has been stolen away (hṛta-jñānāḥ) by material desires (kāmais) will not be ready to surrender unto Krishna. They will surrender (prapadyante ) unto other gods (anya-devatāḥ) following the rules and regulations (niyamam āsthāya) under the influence of the modes of material nature (prakṛtyā niyatāḥ). (BG 7.20) Krishna does not interfere with anyone’s free will. He instead gives steadiness of faith (acalāṁ śraddhāṁ) in the respective god to such deviant worshipers. (BG 7.21) Whatever desires (kāmān) get fulfilled by faithfully (śraddhayā yuktas) worshiping (ārādhanam) other gods are in actuality arranged (vihitān) by Krishna alone (mayaiva). (BG 7.22) So, we can infer here that these other gods (anya-devatāḥ) being referred here are not really Supreme God but evidently subservient to and dependent upon Krishna. Therefore, they can be referred to as demigods.

Because such worship of the demigods is being conducted outside the jurisdiction of Krishna’s advice, the result (phalaṁ) obtained by this process is temporary (antavat) and such worshipers are said to have limited intelligence (alpa-medhasām). Whatever desires we may cultivate have a long-term effect, even beyond the current lifetime. Not only the results obtained by the worship of the demigods is temporary but the destination is also temporary. Those who worship demigods (deva-yajo) go to the planets of the demigods while those who worship Krishna (mad-bhaktā) go to the eternal abode of Krishna. (BG 7.23) We can conclude here that not all worship result in the same destination and therefore it is in our best interest to strictly stick to the aforementioned magic formula of surrendering unto Krishna alone.

Apart from this deviant class of spiritualists (viz., the demigod worshipers) whom Krishna referred to as the less intelligent class (alpa-medhasām), there is another class which is far worse – Krishna calls them the unintelligent class (abuddhayaḥ). Why? Because they are not only spiritually deviated but also have an offensive disposition toward Krishna. How? They think that the unmanifest impersonal Absolute Truth (avyaktaṁ) has now assumed an individual personal form (vyaktim āpannaṁ) as Krishna for the time being. Unfortunately, they don’t understand (ajānanto) Krishna’s ultimate (anuttamam) supreme (paraṁ) imperishable (avyayam) nature (bhāvam). (BG 7.24) Krishna chooses not to reveal Himself (nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ) to this unintelligent class and they remain covered by a curtain of illusion (yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ). Hence, it is impossible for such foolish (mūḍha) thinkers to understand Krishna, especially His unborn (ajam) and imperishable (avyayam) nature. (BG 7.25)

In summary, we can become spiritually deviated in two ways – (i) when we take to demigod worship (forgetting that Krishna advocates an exclusive surrender), and far worse, (ii) when we assume that God is ultimately impersonal.

Is everyone going to be ready to surrender to Krishna now? Unfortunately, no. Four categories of miscreant individuals (duṣkṛtino or whose intelligence and efforts are misdirected) will never do that: (1) mūḍhāḥ, or, those who are grossly foolish, spiritually lazy, and therefore oblivious of the real goal of life. (2) narādhamāḥ, or, those who are considered the lowest of mankind because they don’t value the opportunities awarded for spiritual elevation, (3) māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, or, whose knowledge is robbed by illusion because of obstinate independent-mindedness, (4) āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ, or those who have taken shelter of atheistic nature, and therefore endeavoring very hard to get God out of the picture in every step of their life. (BG 7.15)

On the other hand, four kinds of pious individuals (su-kṛtino) do surrender to Krishna and engage in His devotional service (bhajante). They are (1) ārto, or, a distressed person, (2) jijñāsur, or, one who is inquisitive, (3) arthārthī, or, one who is after wealth, and (4) jñānī, or, one who is in the pursuit of knowledge of the Absolute Truth by philosophical or mental speculation. (BG 7.16)

Out of these, one who is in the pursuit of knowledge (jñānī) and at the same time exclusively (eka) devoted to Krishna (bhaktir) stands out (viśiṣyate). Krishna is very dear to such a person (’tyartham ahaṁ) and he/she is also dear to Krishna (sa ca mama priyaḥ). (BG 7.17) Although Krishna considers all the surrendered souls as magnanimous, He considers a devotionally surrendered knowledgeable soul (jñānī) just like His own Self. Krishna reassures that because of being situated on the platform of devotional service (āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā), such a soul is sure to attain Krishna, the highest and most perfect goal (mām evānuttamāṁ gatim). (BG 7.18)

Is every one who is in the pursuit of knowledge (or, jñānī) going to come to the stage of exclusive devotion to Krishna? And, how long is it going to take? Krishna’s verdict is that it is very rare (su-durlabhaḥ) for even one who is in full knowledge (jñānavān) to come to the stage of devotion, what to speak of a jñānī who is pursuing knowledge by the process of mental speculation. In fact, it takes many many births (bahūnāṁ janmanām ante) for a jñānavān to come to the conclusion that Krishna is the summum bonum of everything (vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti), and therefore he/she should engage in Krishna’s exclusive devotional service (prapadyate). (BG 7.19) Note that here, Krishna uses the same word, prapadyate that He used in giving us the magic formula for escaping illusion in BG 7.14. In other words, it is going to take an inordinate amount of time for a jñānī to escape illusion.

The bottom line is that we should not be a mental speculator (BG 7.19) but an ardent listener (BG 7.1) and we should hear in an authorized disciplic succession.

Is it at all possible for one who is completely submerged within the modes to ever go beyond their influence? Lord Krishna reveals a magic formula here. Indeed, the divine (daivī) illusory material energy (māyā) of Krishna consisting of the three modes (guṇa-mayī) is practically insurmountable (duratyayā) for those who are situated within the modes. However, it is possible to go beyond (taranti) this illusion (māyām) simply by surrendering (prapadyante) our life to Krishna (mām) alone (eva). (BG 7.14) The word, eva, clearly suggests taking exclusive shelter of Krishna.

Krishna is not only the source of the material element, water (BG 7.4) but also the essential quality of water, the taste, which quenches our thirst. The sunlight may be hot and the moonlight may be cold, but the essence of both, the light (prabhā), is Krishna. Krishna is oṁ (praṇavaḥ), the essence of all Vedic mantras and the sound (śabdaḥ), the essence of ether. The ability (pauruṣaṁ) of a man that makes him great is Krishna. (BG 7.8)

We learned that Krishna is the source of the element, earth (BG 7.4). Krishna is also the intrinsic quality of earth, i.e., its pure fragrance (puṇyo gandhaḥ). Likewise, He is also the heat (tejaś) within the element fire. Krishna is the life (jīvanaṁ) of every living object and the penance (tapaś) of all ascetics. (BG 7.9) In other words, Krishna adds a unique meaning to every single object, which translates into variety all around us.

Krishna is the original eternal seed (bījaṁ) of all existences, the intelligence (buddhir) of the intelligent, and the power (tejas) of the powerful. (BG 7.10) Of the strong, Krishna is the strength (balaṁ) that is free from desire and passion (kāma-rāga-vivarjitam). He is the desire (kāmo) that does not violate the well-established rules of conduct (dharmāviruddho). (BG 7.11)

In case we are wondering whether Krishna has diffused Himself within His creation by being the impersonal essence of everything, Krishna makes an important clarification. All the virtuous (sāttvikā), passionate (rājasās) and dark (tāmasāś) states of existence (bhāvā) are certainly sourced in Krishna (matta). But, He is not personally present within them (na tv ahaṁ teṣu). Rather, they are in turn resting in Krishna (te mayi), or their essential qualities are maintained by Krishna. In other words, everything is dependent upon Krishna for its essential sustenance. (BG 7.12)

Beyond this knowledge, there is nothing further to know (BG 7.2) because the combination of Krishna’s two energies makes up everything (kṛtsnasya). Krishna is the ultimate cause (prabhavaḥ) as well as the dissolution factor (pralayas) of all energetic manifestations (BG 7.6). Everything rests upon Krishna (or, is maintained by Krishna), as pearls are strung on an invisible thread (sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva). Just like we cannot see the thread that holds the pearls in place, we cannot perceive the invisible hands of Krishna behind the seen realm. Therefore, Krishna emphatically declares that nothing and no one is beyond Krishna as the Supreme Person (BG 7.7). Clearly, the notion of universal consciousness over and beyond Krishna is a myth, based on BG 7.7.

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and ego – these eight elements constitute Krishna’s separated (bhinnā) material energy. The word, bhinnā signifies that Krishna has empowered His material energy to function according to the material laws, but He Himself is not directly involved in the material activities. (BG 7.4) All living entities, by virtue of their conscious nature, belong to the spiritual energy, which is considered superior to the material energy because this conscious nature can be misused to exploit matter or can be properly utilized to connect with its source, Krishna. (BG 7.5)

The realization of this inviolable connection with the source of our existence (Krishna) is the essence of perfection. Out of many thousands of conscious beings (who are endowed with a superior nature), one may endeavor for perfection (yatati siddhaye), and out of those who have achieved perfection (siddhānāṁ), hardly one (kaścin) knows Krishna in truth. (BG 7.3) The rarity of achieving perfection suggests that the realizations about Krishna and our eternal connection with Him are only possible by divine revelation and not by our mental speculation. Therefore, before revealing the knowledge, (BG 7.1) Krishna emphasizes on the hearing (śṛṇu) process, which opens the door for perfection.

As simple as it may sound, this simple process of hearing involves two implicit factors for success: (i) We have to hear from the right source (i.e., from Krishna directly in the form of the Bhagavad Gita, or from those who have heard the message in the disciplic succession originating from Krishna) – this principle was already discussed before at the beginning of chapter 4. (ii) We need internal humility to hear from a bona fide representative of Krishna because hearing involves putting the communicator on a higher platform, and being favorably disposed to change our old ways based on the received message.

Tips for a high-quality hearing

[Source: Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad]

The instructions are received by the ear and then digested by progressively going through the following stages:

1. śravaṇaṁ (hearing from the right source): We receive instructions from a bona fide source, a member of an authorized disciplic succession.
2. mananaṁ (reflection on the message to understand): We reflect on the instructions attempting to understand them fully.
3. nididhyāsanaṁ (contemplation to apply): The understanding is further accompanied by contemplation to apply the instructions in specific circumstances of life.
4. vandanaṁ (prayerful mood to receive realization): While we apply the instructions, we maintain a prayerful mood to receive realizations within our hearts. Realizations are gifts from Krishna that consummate the hearing process.