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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 7.19
बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान्मां प्रपद्यते ।
वासुदेव: सर्वमिति स महात्मा सुदुर्लभ: ॥ १९ ॥
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ
After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
After many births and deaths, one with true knowledge surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, knowing Him as the cause of all causes. Such a great soul is very rare.
Prabhupāda explains that spiritual progress leads to devotional service and full surrender, as one sees everything in relation to Kṛṣṇa.
Practice seeing everything in relation to Kṛṣṇa, and make devotional service to Him your goal.
Devotional Service is very rare
Jnana ultimately leads to bhakti
“Full knowledge” implies to know Vasudeva as cause of all causes and surrender unto Him
Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal of spiritual realization
Beginning of spiritual realisation – When one is trying to give up ones attachment to materialism, there is some leaning towards impersonalism
Advanced stage – One can understand that there are activities in spiritual life which constitute devotional service; and thus he becomes ‘attached and surrenders’ to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Understanding and realization of one fully matured in knowledge
Knows that spiritual life is full of activities, which are eternal, and blissful and not just mpersonalism or voidism
Material world is a perverted reflection of spiritual activities.
Understand Supreme Lord as the cause of all causes and thus realizes a universal vision of Vasudeva (Sees all in relation to Lord) and this vision precipitates full surrender to Krishna as highest goal
Realizes the dependence on Supreme Lord’s mercy
Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal of spiritual realization, therefore surrenders
Ref. Svetasvatara Upanisad 3.14–3.15
Ref. Chandogya Upanisad: Life is the centre of all activities in the body of a living being and not the power to speak, see or hear etc; Similarly Lord Vasudeva is the prime entity in everything and all the powers lose all importance if not related to the Supreme Lord
Ref. Bg. 7.17; Bg. 11.40
Texts 7.18 & 7.19
After many life-times one comes to the level of full knowledge that Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal of spiritual realization
Four kinds of men never surrender and four kinds of men do surrender
Of those who surrender, the Jnani with no material desire is best but rare
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Spiritual knowledge
After many births, the wise surrender to Krishna.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 7.19 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to bhakti & surrender?
Offer one act today with devotion.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.