Gita 07.03 – The rarity of knowing Krishna reveals the mercy we have the opportunity to relish
manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
(BG 07.03)
Word-for-word
manuṣyāṇām — of men; sahasreṣu — out of many thousands; kaścit — someone; yatati — endeavors; siddhaye — for perfection; yatatām — of those so endeavoring; api — indeed; siddhānām — of those who have achieved perfection; kaścit — someone; mām — Me; vetti — does know; tattvataḥ — in fact.
Translation
Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.
Explanation
Krishna continues here to describe the glory of the knowledge He is about to reveal.
In 7.1, He stated that through this knowledge one will truly know Him and the mind will naturally become attached to Him.
In 7.2, He added that He will bestow both knowledge (jñāna) and realization (vijñāna), by which one can transcend all illusions of material existence and attain genuine enlightenment — a state in which nothing essential remains unknown.
Now, in this verse, Krishna speaks about the rarity of such knowledge, especially knowledge about Him.
Among thousands of people, only a few even strive for knowledge that goes beyond the material — beyond the immediate, worldly concerns — toward understanding one’s long-term good and the deeper truths of life.
Among those rare seekers, some may become siddhas — here referring to individuals who attain ātma-jñāna (self-realization) or who acquire certain yogic perfections (siddhis).
But even among such accomplished individuals, very few actually know Krishna in truth.
Thus Krishna highlights a double rarity:
– Most people are absorbed in material life.
– Among them, only a few become spiritual seekers.
– And among those seekers, only a tiny number become true devotees who understand Krishna tattvataḥ — in truth.
Although Krishna does not use the word bhakti explicitly here, the phrase tattvataḥ jānāti — “to know Me in truth” — unmistakably points toward devotion.
Krishna has already explained this earlier in 4.9:
janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna
“My birth and activities are divine. One who understands them in truth, O Arjuna, never takes birth again; upon leaving this body, such a person attains Me.”
Thus tattvataḥ-jñāna — knowing Krishna as He is — is not merely philosophical comprehension; it is the fruit of devotion. And it is exceedingly rare.
They will not take birth again — but what happens to them after that?
Krishna answers: naiti māṁ eti so ’rjuna — they come to Me, O Arjuna.
Here Krishna uses the word mām in a direct, unambiguous first-person reference. He does not say they will attain “My nature,” or “My light,” or “the soul within Me,” or some abstract impersonal principle.
He simply says: they attain Me — they come directly to Him.
Thus the clear destination of those who know Krishna in truth (tattvataḥ) is Krishna Himself, where they live eternally with Him.
The result of knowing Krishna tattvataḥ is attaining Him.
And what is the process for knowing Krishna tattvataḥ? Krishna reveals this later in 18.55:
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
“By bhakti, one can know Me — as I truly am.”
So Krishna can be known in truth only through bhakti, through devotion.
And the destination attained by knowing Him tattvataḥ is the same destination attained by the bhaktas — Bhagavān Himself.
This leaves no scope to reinterpret “knowing Krishna in truth” as impersonal or abstract knowledge. Krishna is speaking clearly of Himself as a person, and knowing Him as such.
And He says this is extremely rare.
Why rare?
manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu — among thousands of people,
kaścid yatati siddhaye — very few even endeavour for transcendental perfection.
yatatām api siddhānāṁ — and among those rare seekers who strive and actually attain some level of transcendence,
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ — hardly one knows Krishna in truth.
Most may reach only the lower stages of transcendence, but true knowledge of Krishna as the Supreme Person is attained only by the rarest souls.
They attain knowledge of the all-pervading effulgence of Krishna in His impersonal manifestation as Brahman, or they attain realization of the Paramātmā, where Krishna is present but does not reveal His personal, reciprocal pastimes. Thus, even among spiritualists, only a very small number actually become devotees.
A similar point is made in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam:
muktānām api siddhānāṁ
nārāyaṇa–parāyaṇaḥ
sudurlabhaḥ praśāntātmā
koṭiṣv api mahāmune
(SB 06.14.5)
Among those who are muktas (liberated) and those who are siddhas (perfected), the nārayana-parāyaṇaḥ — those devoted to Narayana — are extremely rare (sudurlabhaḥ).
The word siddhānām used here corresponds exactly with Krishna’s usage in the Gita — yatatām api siddhānām.
Krishna will also use the same term sudurlabha later in this chapter to describe those who come to understand His supreme position:
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (7.19)
After many lifetimes, the truly wise (jñānavān) surrender to Krishna, understanding “Vāsudeva is everything.”
Such souls are mahātmās, and Krishna says they are sudurlabha — exceedingly rare.
The word labha means “obtained.”
durlabha means “difficult to obtain.”
And sudurlabha is an intensified form — “extraordinarily difficult to obtain.”
The intensification happens in two ways:
1. duḥ- as a prefix reverses or negates the meaning (similar to a- in “aparāptam” or vi- in “vikarma”).
2. su- further amplifies the difficulty.
Thus sudurlabhaḥ indicates an extremely rare attainment.
So what Krishna states here in 7.3 — about the rarity of those who truly know Him — He reiterates again in 7.19, after giving a deeper analysis of knowledge. We will examine that further when we reach verse 7.19.
Here Krishna states that knowledge about Him is very rare, and by glorifying this knowledge in this way, He captures Arjuna’s attention.
Imagine a highly successful businessman who has earned billions. If such a person says, “I will now tell you a secret known to very few people — the secret by which you can multiply your money,” everyone will immediately become eager to listen, especially in today’s world where money is often revered like God.
Similarly, Krishna explains that knowledge about Him — and fixing the mind upon Him — is the topmost perfection of yoga. For a dharmic person like Arjuna, who understands that the purpose of life is not material accumulation but spiritual perfection, this immediately conveys the glory and importance of such knowledge. Krishna further emphasizes this glory by highlighting how rare it is.
In 7.1, Krishna spoke about the result of this knowledge:
The mind becomes attached to Him — this is the perfection of yoga.
In 7.2, He spoke about its extent:
“Everything will be known to you.”
As discussed earlier, “everything” means everything in essence. Details in the world are endless, but knowing the core principles provides more than adequate guidance to live successfully.
And now, in 7.3, Krishna speaks about its rarity:
This knowledge is rare because the desire to know Krishna is rare within the heart of the conditioned soul.
Therefore, we must sincerely and steadily cultivate this desire — especially by associating with those who already have it. Through such association, we can advance towards Krishna and ultimately attain Him.
So Krishna is essentially telling Arjuna:
“O Arjuna, knowledge about Me is extremely rare and therefore extremely precious. Now I am going to give this knowledge to you. Please hear attentively.”
In today’s social context as well, we can see that even those who are religious often have very little positive, personal knowledge about God. Many simply follow certain dogmas or rituals. A large portion of society remains mostly materialistic.
Thus, those who are genuinely devoted to God, who sincerely seek Him, and who want to make love of God their ultimate life-goal — such souls are extremely rare. And those who actually attain pure love of God are rarer still.
The rarity of knowledge about Krishna becomes even more striking in Kali-yuga, where most people are either only nominally religious or entirely materialistic. In such a context, those of us who have received the opportunity to know about Krishna, to learn to love Him, to serve Him, and to cultivate devotion to Him are truly special. As Krishna says, we are “one among thousands.” And if we extend the degrees of rarity, we could say “one among millions.”
Krishna mentions that out of thousands who strive for transcendence, only a few actually attain genuine spiritual understanding. Although He does not explicitly repeat the word sahasrāṇām in the next comparison, the sense of “few among thousands” naturally carries forward. Even among the spiritually inclined, many turn toward voidism or impersonalism. Thus, to have personal devotion to Krishna is extraordinarily rare — truly one among millions. However, this is not a cause for pride. We should never become arrogant about our position, because it is not due to our own merit that we have come to know Krishna. It is only by the mercy and effort of the devotees — those who labored to give Krishna to us — that we have gained even a little knowledge of Him.
And in truth, we cannot claim that we truly know Krishna yet. If we knew Him tattvataḥ, in truth, we would naturally fall completely in love with Him. We would see that nothing in this world is as attractive as He is, and we would feel no need to seek shelter anywhere else. The fact that we are still drawn to worldly attractions shows that our devotion is still budding, and our knowledge of Krishna remains superficial. But by hearing Krishna’s message, meditating on His teachings, and cherishing His instruction to fix the mind upon Him, we can gradually become absorbed in Krishna. Then we will come to know Him truly — and as Bhagavad-gītā 4.9 states, by knowing Him in truth, we will attain Him.
Thank you.
Leave A Comment