Gita 10.07 – Appreciation of Krishna’s greatness guarantees absorption in him

Thank you 10.7 Krishna is speaking in this verse he is giving more or less a summary of what he has spoken earlier and in that summary of what this chapter is all this bhootin yoga knowledge of the greatness of Krishna yoga yoga is used here in sense of mystic power one who understand this in truth so avikalpe in a yogi that person will practice yoga avikalpa so in this verse yoga used twice and the two meanings are quite different first refers to the revelation of Krishna of his magnificence and the second is the connection expressed the connection established by us through our practice so avikalpe in a yogi without any alternative means wholeheartedly undistractedly yujyate engage in yoga na atra samshitah of this there is no doubt this verse comes just before the four verses 10.8 to 11 which are called the chatur shloki bhagavad gita in a sense this verse summarizes what has been spoken earlier where the next verse will this verse summarizes what has been spoken in this chapter whereas the next four verses will summarize what was spoken essentially in the whole gita and Krishna has in the same chapter earlier talked about the result of knowing about him or at least knowing some aspect about him he has said in 10.3 he said one who understands him to be unborn and imperishable unborn and beginningless and one who understands him to be the lord of all people tilok maheshwara a person who is free from lord among those who are mortals who are bound to die a person becomes free from all sins and the first result of knowing Krishna Krishna's transcendence is that one becomes free from sins this 10.3 talks about knowing Krishna's transcendental controllership i.e. 10.7 talks about knowing Krishna further knowing his vibhuti and yoga knowing his greatness and how he relates with the world and how he reveals his glory in this world, yoga and he said the result of knowing this is something further it is not just liberation from sin it is absorption in Krishna and absorption in Krishna is assurance guarantee for liberation from this world and liberation in Krishna because if you are absorbed in Krishna you will remember him during this life naturally that practice will remember him at the time of death and as he has stated in 8.56 earlier that those remembering him at the time of death will attain him so here Krishna says that … … … … Krishna uses the word several times most famously in 4.9 again about knowing himself … … … … … there was Krishna … … … … … … … … … So, those who know him in truth, they know, actually by devotion we can know him in truth and by knowing him in truth thus, one can attain the transcendental world. So, here he is talking about knowing Krishna in truth, whereas earlier in 4.9 it was talked about knowing his janma and karma, here it is talking about knowing about his vibhuti and yoga. So, the term vibhuti is the eponym for this chapter, the whole chapter is called as vibhuti yoga and specifically Krishna s vibhutis will be asked about by Arjuna a few verses later, around 10 verses later and Krishna will reply by giving a long list of vibhutis that occupies majority of the chapter from text 20 to text 38.

Now, here vibhuti means, the way it is used in this chapter, it is not just greatness, the greatness that is manifested in this world and yoga refers to the divine self-revelation. When we say that we have to practice yoga, it means we have to connect ourselves with Krishna. It is not that Krishna is sitting relaxed in his own world while we are struggling to connect with him.

No, Krishna also wants us to connect with him, he is eager, in fact he is more eager that we connect with him than we are eager enough to connect with him and out of his eagerness that we connect with him, he also reveals himself and that self-revelation, that mystical, endearing, attractive self-revelation of Krishna is also called as yoga. So, when we understand how it is that Krishna has manifested in this world, when we understand his gloriousness, when we know this then, we understand that there is nothing other than Krishna that we should devote ourselves to. When we understand that Krishna is the essential principle of everything attractive, as we were told at the end of this chapter in 10.41 that all attractive things get their attractiveness from the spark of Krishna s splendor.

So, when we understand this, we will understand that there is no point in becoming attracted to anything other than Krishna, we just need to become attracted to Krishna directly and that will grant us all the fulfillment that we might get by getting attracted to other things and attraction to Krishna will give us far greater fulfillment than whatever might be available by becoming attracted to other things. So, the world offers us many vikalpas to Krishna, many alternatives to Krishna for fixing our mind on, for getting attracted to, but when we understand Krishna s glory, then we will put aside all those vikalpas. And so, Therefore, without considering any alternatives, we will, we will engage in the practice of yoga.

Of this there is no doubt. Now, Krishna as earlier told, nathra samshaya, that kind of word he has used earlier. For example, when he is talking about antakale chamame vasmaramuktvaka levaram yaprayati samadbhavam yati nasthyatra samshaya ha there is yati nasthyatra samshaya ha and here it is vijyate nathra samshaya ha So, some difference, but overall the import is the same that there is no doubt.

So, here, what does this mean? Krishna has said earlier in 9.34 manmana bhava mad-bhakto matyaji mam namaskuru mam evaiśyasi atmana mad-parayanaham Those who fix their consciousness on him, they will come to him, he has said. Now, the question may come up, how do we fix our consciousness on him? How do we do manmana bhava mad-bhakto? For that, we need to understand his glories and those glories are being talked about in this chapter and Krishna says those who understand my glories thus then vijyate nathra samshaya ha their consciousness will become fixed on him and him alone without being distracted to anything else that is the sweetness that is the sublime result of knowing Krishna's glories so that means there is a chain of promises happening Krishna says if we think about him, we will attain him that he promises, if we think about him lifelong, we will think about him at the time of death if we think about him at the time of death, we will attain him, of this there is no doubt and all this he has said earlier in 9.34 and in 10.6 and 7 not 10, 8.6 and 7 now in 10th chapter he is saying okay if you have the question how will you be able to fix the consciousness on me understand my glories and then glorification of Krishna or appreciation of the glories of Krishna if removes from our mental horizon from our mental our mental scope the consideration of substitutes for Krishna or alternatives to Krishna so Krishna says undistractedly you become fixed on me, of this there is no doubt that means by knowing Krishna's glories we will surely become fixed in devotion to him no doubt about it so what we need to do is it says Arjuna will in the future ask questions in this chapter itself to appreciate Krishna's glories further similarly we too can be inquisitive to hear Krishna's glories and by hearing those glories we can move onwards towards him at a straight pace till we eventually attain.