śhrī-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Lord said; mayi—to me; āsakta-manāḥ—with the mind attached; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; yogam—bhakti yog; yuñjan—practicing; mat-āśhrayaḥ—surrendering to me; asanśhayam—free from doubt; samagram—completely; mām—me; yathā—how; jñāsyasi—you shall know; tat—that; śhṛiṇu—listen
English translation
The Blessed Lord said, "O Arjuna, hear how you shall, without doubt, know Me fully, with your mind intent on Me, practicing Yoga and taking refuge in Me."
Translation by Swami Sivananda
Hindi meaning
।।7.1।। हे पार्थ ! मुझमें असक्त हुए मन वाले तथा मदाश्रित होकर योग का अभ्यास करते हुए जिस प्रकार तुम मुझे समग्ररूप से, बिना किसी संशय के, जानोगे वह सुनो।।
Hindi rendering by Swami Tejomayananda
English meaning
Lord Shri Krishna said: Listen, O Arjuna! I will tell you how you can know Me in my full perfection. Practice meditation with your mind devoted to Me and take Me as your refuge.
Shri Purohit Swami
The Bhagavat said, "O son of Prtha, hear from Me how, with your mind attached to Me, practicing yoga, and taking refuge in Me, you shall understand Me fully, without any doubt."
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
Detailed explanation
He who wishes to attain some result or reward performs the ritual known as Agnihotra or does charity, sinks wells, builds hospitals, resting places, etc., with Sakama Bhavana (with an inner profit motive) and attains them. But the Yogi on the contrary practises Yoga with a steadfast mind and takes refuge in the Lord alone, with the mind wholly fixed on Him, on His lofty attributes such as omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, infinite love, beauty, grace, strength, mercy, inexhaustible wealth, ineffable splendour, pristine glory and purity.The servant of a king, though he constantly serves the king, has not got his mind fixed on him. The mind is ever fixed on his wife and children. Unlike the servant, fix your mind on Me, (the allpervading One), and take refuge in Me alone. Practise control of the mind in accordance with the instructions given in chapter VI. Then you will know Me and My infinite attributes in full.If you sing the glory and the attributes of the Lord, you will develop love for Him and then your mind will be fixed on Him. Intense love for the Lord is real devotion. You must get full knowledge of the Self without any doubt.He who has taken refuge in the Lord, and he who is trying to fix or has fixed his mind on the Lord cannot bear the separation from the Lord even for a second.
Commentary by Swami Sivananda
Hindi commentary
।।7.1।। ध्यानाभ्यास का आरम्भ करने के पूर्व साधक जब तक केवल बौद्धिक स्तर पर ही वेदान्त का विचार करता है जैसा कि प्रारम्भ में होना स्वाभाविक है तब तक उसके मन में प्रश्न उठता रहता है कि परिच्छिन्न मन के द्वारा अनन्तस्वरूप सत्य का साक्षात्कार किस प्रकार किया जा सकता है यह प्रश्न सभी जिज्ञासुओं के मन में आता है और इसीलिए वेदान्तशास्त्र इस विषय का विस्तार से वर्णन करता है कि किस प्रकार ध्यान की प्रक्रिया से मन अपनी ही परिच्छिन्नताओं से ऊपर उठकर अपने अनन्तस्वरूप का अनुभव करता है।इस षडाध्यायी के विवेच्य विषय की प्रस्तावना करते हुए श्रीकृष्ण अर्जुन को वचन देते हैं कि वे आत्मसाक्षात्कार के सिद्धान्त एवं उपायों का समग्रत वर्णन करेंगे जिससे यह स्पष्ट हो जायेगा कि किस प्रकार सुसंगठित मन के द्वारा आत्मस्वरूप का ध्यान करने से आत्मा की अपरोक्षानुभूति होती है। ध्यान के सन्दर्भ में मन शब्द का प्रयोग होने पर उससे शुद्ध एवं एकाग्र मन का ही अभिप्राय है न कि अशक्त तथा विखण्डित मन। अनुशासित और असंगठित मन जब अपने स्वरूप में समाहित होता है तब साधक का विकास तीव्र गति से होता है। इस प्रकरण कै विषय है आन्तरिक विकास का युक्तियुक्त विवेचन।श्रीभगवान् कहते हैं
Swami Chinmayananda
।।7.1।। व्याख्या--'मय्यासक्तमनाः'--मेरेमें ही जिसका मन आसक्त हो गया है अर्थात् अधिक स्नेहके कारण जिसका मन स्वाभाविक ही मेरेमें लग गया है, चिपक गया है, उसको मेरी याद करनी नहीं पड़ती, प्रत्युत स्वाभाविक मेरी याद आती है और विस्मृति कभी होती ही नहीं--ऐसा तू मेरेमें मनवाला हो।जिसका उत्पत्ति-विनाशशील वस्तुओंका और शब्द, स्पर्श, रूप, रस तथा गन्धका आकर्षण मिट गया है, जिसका इस लोकमें शरीरके आराम, आदर-सत्कार और नामकी ब़ड़ाईमें तथा स्वर्गादि परलोकके भोगोंमें किञ्चिन्मात्र भी खिंचाव, आसक्ति या प्रियता नहीं है, प्रत्युत केवल मेरी तरफ ही खिंचाव है, ऐसे पुरुषका नाम 'मय्यासक्तमनाः' है।
Swami Ramsukhdas
Key teachings
He who wishes to attain some result or reward performs the ritual known as Agnihotra or does charity, sinks wells, builds hospitals, resting places, etc., with Sakama Bhavana (with an inner profit motive) and attains them.
The mind is ever fixed on his wife and children.
Unlike the servant, fix your mind on Me, (the allpervading One), and take refuge in Me alone.
Spiritual significance
In Gyaan Vigyana Yoga (Self-Knowledge and Enlightenment), this verse belongs to the Gita’s teaching on bhakti yoga. Here the text presents that teaching through these words: The Blessed Lord said, "O Arjuna, hear how you shall, without doubt, know Me fully, with your mind intent on Me, practicing Yoga and taking refuge in Me."
You must get full knowledge of the Self without any doubt.He who has taken refuge in the Lord, and he who is trying to fix or has fixed his mind on the Lord cannot bear the separation from the Lord even for a second.
Chapter 7, verse 1 is part of Gyaan Vigyana Yoga. In the English translation used on this page, it says: The Blessed Lord said, "O Arjuna, hear how you shall, without doubt, know Me fully, with your mind intent on Me, practicing Yoga and taking refuge in Me."
What is the spiritual context of this verse?
It appears in Gyaan Vigyana Yoga, a chapter associated with Bhakti Yoga. God as the source of all.
