Gita 07.30 – Teacher’s incomprehensible statements test student’s interest and attentiveness
sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ
sādhiyajñaṁ ca ye viduḥ
prayāṇa-kāle ’pi ca māṁ
te vidur yukta-cetasaḥ (Bg 7.30)
Word-to-word:
sa-adhibhūta — and the governing principle of the material manifestation; adhidaivam — governing all the demigods; mām — Me; sa-adhiyajñam — and governing all sacrifices; ca — also; ye — those who; viduḥ — know; prayāṇa — of death; kāle — at the time; api — even; ca — and; mām — Me; te — they; viduḥ — know; yukta-cetasaḥ — their minds engaged in Me.
Translation:
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.
Explanation:
Kṛṣṇa, speaking to Arjuna at the conclusion of this chapter, states that the purpose and perfection of everything ultimately rest in Him. It is Kṛṣṇa who is the spiritual essence of all existence. Without Kṛṣṇa, everything else becomes empty and ultimately pointless. This is not an easy message to digest, but Kṛṣṇa urges Arjuna—and all of us—to understand it by emphasizing it repeatedly.
At the start of the next chapter, the eighth chapter, Arjuna immediately asks what these specific terms—adhibhūta, adhiyajña, and adhidaiva—actually mean. We will discuss the technical details of these terms when we reach that chapter. For now, let us understand them in the context of the present discussion.
The seventh chapter begins with Kṛṣṇa’s instruction: mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu—“Now hear, O son of Pṛthā, how by practicing yoga, taking shelter of Me, and fixing your mind upon Me, you can know Me completely and without doubt.”
What Kṛṣṇa presents in this chapter sets in motion the process through which all of this—mayy āsakta-manāḥ, yogaṁ yuñjan, mad-āśrayaḥ—actually becomes possible. The mind becomes attached to Kṛṣṇa, one takes shelter of Him, and one practices yoga in connection with Him. This is bhakti-yoga. In this way, one comes to know Him fully and becomes free from doubt (asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ).
If we read this concluding verse (7.30) in the light of the first verse of the chapter, we can perceive a cyclical connection. Kṛṣṇa begins by explaining how to know Him completely, and He ends by indicating the ultimate result of such knowledge. Seen together, these verses reveal that nothing is as important, defining, or consequential as practicing bhakti with the understanding that Kṛṣṇa is the be-all and end-all. He has already stated this explicitly in vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (7.19): “Vāsudeva is everything.” One who truly understands this is jñānavān—genuinely wise and truly knowledgeable.
Now the question naturally arises: if such a person is truly wise and knowledgeable, what is their standing in relation to Kṛṣṇa? Earlier, in 7.17, Kṛṣṇa had already explained that among the various kinds of people who approach Him, the jñānī is especially well situated. Such a person is always engaged in a relationship with Him (teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta), firmly fixed in the practice of bhakti (eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate), extremely dear to Him (priyo hi jñānino ’tyartham), and Kṛṣṇa is equally dear to that devotee (ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ).
Now, what is the implication of vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti? What exactly does the jñānī—who becomes jñānavān, as described in 7.19—understand? Kṛṣṇa has already emphasized His spiritual, transcendental position earlier in this chapter, and in this verse He highlights it again, but now within a specific conceptual framework. He states that the wise person understands Him to be the adhibhūta, the adhidaiva, and the adhiyajña. Kṛṣṇa introduces these technical terms without immediately explaining them, which naturally prompts the question: what is happening here? Why does Kṛṣṇa bring in these terms so abruptly, and what do they imply in a practical sense for the seeker?
Sometimes a teacher may deliberately introduce a point that is likely to be incomprehensible to the student. The purpose is not to confuse but to gauge the attentiveness and genuine interest of the listener. If the student is alert and sincerely eager to learn, the natural response will be to ask: “What does this mean?” When unfamiliar terms are introduced, a thoughtful student will feel compelled to inquire further, wanting to understand everything the teacher is conveying. In this way, introducing something unfamiliar becomes a subtle means of testing the listener’s attentiveness and intellectual sharpness.
As we move forward, we see that Arjuna immediately raises these questions, demonstrating that he is an attentive and genuinely interested student. In fact, the next chapter begins with his inquiries in the first two verses. Kṛṣṇa then offers brief explanations of these terms before elaborating further as the dialogue continues.
But along with that, another important point to note is that Kṛṣṇa is demonstrating the fundamental principle that He is the be-all and end-all. This is not a vague or amorphous idea; rather, it is a truth that can be understood through various philosophical frameworks.
Further, another concept that Kṛṣṇa introduces in this verse is prayāṇa-kāle ’pi ca māṁ te vidur yukta-cetasaḥ—that such a person, whose consciousness is engaged in yoga, whose mind is yukta, can remember Him even at the moment of death. This is the second explicit reference to death in the Bhagavad-gītā. Although the subject has been mentioned several times already, this is the second direct mention of one’s consciousness at the time of death.
The first reference appears in the last verse of the second chapter (2.72): eṣā brāhmī sthitiḥ pārtha naināṁ prāpya vimuhyati sthitvāsyām anta-kāle ’pi brahma-nirvāṇam ṛcchati. This describes the state of Brahman consciousness. One who is situated in this disposition is never deluded, and by remaining in this consciousness, even at the end of life, one attains Brahman.
In 7.30, Kṛṣṇa states that if one understands Him as adhibhūta, adhiyajña, and adhidaiva, then even at the time of death one will be properly situated, with the right consciousness. In this way, Kṛṣṇa gives a prelude to the concept of remembering Him at the moment of death and how such remembrance leads to perfection—a theme He will elaborate later. Arjuna will raise a question about this in the next chapter, which we will discuss when we move forward.
Thank you.
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