Gita 07.11 – Kama manifests the divine when harmonized with dharma

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balaṁ balavatāṁ cāhaṁ
kāma-rāga-vivarjitam
dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu
kāmo ’smi bharatarṣabha (Bg 7.11)

Word-for-word:
balam — strength; bala-vatām — of the strong; ca — and; aham — I am; kāma — passion; rāga — and attachment; vivarjitam — devoid of; dharma-aviruddhaḥ — not against religious principles; bhūteṣu — in all beings; kāmaḥ — sex life; asmi — I am; bharata-ṛṣabha — O lord of the Bhāratas.

Translation:
I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O lord of the Bhāratas [Arjuna].

Explanation:
Kṛṣṇa continues to describe how He is the essence of everything. In this verse, He declares:
balaṁ balavatāṁ cāham: I am the strength of the strong,
kāma-rāga-vivarjitam: free from desire and attachment,
dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu: in all beings, that which is not contrary to religious principles,
kāmo ’smi bharatarṣabha: I am that desire, O best of the Bhāratas.

Kṛṣṇa highlights two essential aspects of life. In every society, guardians are necessary, and such guardians must possess strength. However, they can easily become tyrants if they lack proper motivation or a chivalrous spirit. When driven by an exploitative mindset, they misuse their power and turn into oppressors. Because of their strength, it becomes difficult for others to challenge them. Therefore, not all strength is admirable; strength that brutalizes or exploits is never appealing.

Hence, Kṛṣṇa declares, balaṁ balavatāṁ ca aham — “I am the strength of the strong.” But what kind of strength? Kāma-rāga-vivarjitam — strength that is free from desire and attachment. Both kāma and rāga here refer to the urge for selfish gratification.

Is it possible, in this world, to possess strength free from selfish motives? Yes. When one is properly trained and cultured, even if endowed with great strength, one will not misuse it for unholy or wrongful purposes. That, Kṛṣṇa says, is the kind of strength of which He is the essence.

Then He says, dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo ’smi bharatarṣabha — “I am the desire that is not contrary to dharma, O best of the Bhāratas.”

This statement carries multiple layers of meaning. If we understand kāma in the sense of lust, it refers to sex life that is not opposed to religious principles. In other words, Kṛṣṇa is the sex life that exists within dharmically united partners and is directed toward the sacred purpose of bringing forth righteous progeny. Such regulated, dharmic union, Kṛṣṇa says, represents Him.

The inclusiveness of the Gītā is evident here, for it does not rigidly portray sexuality and spirituality as opposites. Sexuality is a fundamental bodily function that ensures the continuation of the human race—and indeed, the survival of most species, whose reproduction is generally sexual.

When Kṛṣṇa says dharma-aviruddhaḥ bhūteṣu kāmaḥ, it implies that kāma—desire—has a strong potential to drag us down, and in most cases, it does. It is therefore striking that the same Gītā earlier describes kāma as the great enemy of the soul: kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ mahāśano mahā-pāpmā viddhy enam iha vairiṇam (Bg 3.37). There, Kṛṣṇa declares that this kāma is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of the world. Yet here He says, “I am kāma.”

This does not mean that Kṛṣṇa is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of the world. On the contrary, He has Himself declared that He is the well-wisher of all living beings — suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 5.29). What, then, does Kṛṣṇa mean when He states “dharma-aviruddhaḥ bhūteṣu kāmo ’smi?”

To understand this, we need to recognize that the word ‘kāma’ has multiple levels of meaning. When kāma acts as a force of self-destruction, it refers to adhārmic lust. However, kāma can also function as a dhārmic force that helps a person move toward purification. Although kāma itself does not directly purify, when it is expressed within the principles of dharma—as part of a life guided by righteousness—it leads to purification because such regulated engagement becomes a means of spiritual realization. Thus, the pervasiveness of God’s presence in the world is manifested even through the principle of kāma.

Reproduction is a miracle. Procreation is something that even human-made machines have not been able to replicate. We have created machines that, in certain ways, surpass human capacities in performing mechanical tasks efficiently. Many machines today possess far greater information-processing abilities than humans. Some even speculate that machines will one day surpass humanity altogether—perhaps even eliminate humans—leaving behind a world inhabited only by machines.

Of course, these are dystopian predictions often found in science fiction books. But beyond such predictions, the important point to recognize is that we still do not fully understand what endows living beings with the ability to reproduce—something we have never been able to recreate or replicate in our man-made machines. There is a profound mystery underlying this process, which is the very essence of the continuation of any species. Kṛṣṇa says, that dharmic reproduction—that sacred act of procreation in harmony with dharma—is He Himself.

Thus, in both cases, when Kṛṣṇa says in the previous two lines balaṁ balavatāṁ cāhaṁ kāma-rāga-vivarjitam, He means that society and its order cannot be maintained unless there are principle-driven protectors. If such protectors are driven by selfish desires, they become disruptors rather than guardians. Though they may hold positions of protection, their actions will destabilize society. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa declares that He is the essence of true strength—strength guided by selflessness and principle.

Similarly, the continuation of the human race through reproduction takes place by God’s arrangement for procreation—and Kṛṣṇa says, “I am that.” Both these aspects—strength guided by principle and reproduction guided by dharma—are means through which existence is sustained, whether within one generation or across generations.

Thus far, from verses 8 to 11, Kṛṣṇa has provided fourteen examples illustrating how He is the underlying thread that unifies all of existence, just as a thread holds together the pearls of a necklace. In these four verses, He has given five, four, three, and two examples respectively, showing that He is indeed the essence of everything.

Thank you.