Bhagavad-gita As It Is
by
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness
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(Reprinted from the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust)
Chapter 7, Text 19
bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma su-durlabhah
SYNONYMS
bahunam -- many; janmanam -- births; ante -- after; jnanavan -- he possessing knowledge; mam -- unto Me; prapadyate -- surrenders; vasudevah -- cause of all causes; sarvam -- all; iti -- thus; sah -- such; mahatma -- great soul; sudurlabhah -- very rare.
TRANSLATION
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.
PURPORT
The living entity, while executing devotional service or transcendental rituals after many, many births, may actually become situated in transcendental pure knowledge that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal of spiritual realization. In the beginning of spiritual realization, while one is trying to give up one's attachment to materialism, there is some leaning towards impersonalism, but when one is further advanced he can understand that there are activities in the spiritual life and that these activities constitute devotional service. Realizing this, he becomes attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrenders to Him. At such a time one can understand that Lord Sri Krsna's mercy is everything, that He is the cause of all causes and that this material manifestation is not independant from Him. He realizes the material world to be a perverted reflection of spiritual variegatedness and realizes that in everything there is a relationship with the Supreme Lord Krsna. Thus he thinks of everything in relation to Vasudeva, or Sri Krsna. Such a universal vision of Vasudeva precipitates one's full surrender to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna as the highest goal. Such surrendered great souls are very rare.
This verse is very nicely explained in the Third Chapter (verses 14 and 15) of the Svetasvatara Upanisad:
sahasra-sirsa puruṣaḥ̣
sahasraksah-pat
sa bhumim visvato vrtva-
tyatisthad dasangulam
purusa evedam sarvam
yad bhutam yac ca bhavyam
utamrrtatvasyesano
yad annenatirohati
This verse is very nicely explained in the Third Chapter of Svetasvatara Upanisad: "In this body there are powers of speaking, of seeing, of hearing, of mental activities, etc. But these are not important if not related to the Supreme Lord. And because Vasudeva is all-pervading and everything is Vasudeva, the devotee surrenders in full knowledge." (Cf. Bhagavad-gita 7.17 and 11.40)
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