Gita Simplified & with stories : Chapter 7

What is this chapter about

• Self Knowledge & Enlightenment 
• Gyan Vigyan yoga
• Nature of God & How to know God
• Knowledge of the Absolute

Summary of chapter

• Only few attain God. The longing to attain God needs to be stronger than the attachments to the world.
• The power behind this world : the creator, the supreme divinity. Different names and even forms of deities. God's energy can be manifested in any & every form
• Names and forms of God is like different forms bread / cereal forms from same wheat flour (roti, pita bread, bread, rolls, naan, puri, noodles, spaghetti...)
• God can be understood as formless and for those who cant comprehend as a form.
• The invisible God is the cause and creator of the visible world

• 1. • • Parah : the higher nature of lord : attribute less (nirguna), changeless (nirvikalp), independent, consciousness . The ultimate truth !
       • Aparah : Lower nature that is with attributes (suguna), ever changing, dependent, matter. All nature, animals, plants, people, etc are lords lower nature 

Shlokas references

• In terms of number of shlokas 30
• 7.3 : only few attain God
• Prarabhd dosh - fate
• Shareer dosha - diseased/disabled body
• Man dosha - monkey mind/ disturbed/ distracted 
• Budhi dosh - intellectually argue / different convictions
• Shraddha dosh - lack of faith
• 7.4-7.5 : the 5 elements make the body and all else plus mind, intellect & ego put together is prakriti - my lower nature. Soul is part of the higher nature. 
• All creation like beads of the same necklace and God is the string ( 7.7)
• 7.8 - 7.11 : The light of the sun, the intelligence of a scientist, the wit in a comedian, the smell in flowers, flavour in food, sweetness in sugar, life in all beings....is God
• 7.12 - 7.13 : the world & entities are born from the 3 Gunas and Gunas are from God
• Four types of devotees (7.16)
• Seeker of Health
• Seeker of Wealth
• Seeker of Knowledge
• The wise man (who has knowledge)

• God fulfils our desires just like parents do. So asking God is OK, its like asking parents, and he will fulfil as per what you really need or what is good for you. 7.19
• 7.21 - 7.22 : I am the form ( deity) for those who pray to me with faith in that form
• 7.29 - 7.30 : those who acquire the steadfastness and knowledge, even if its at end of life, reach God

Key message from the chapter 

• Knowing that every thing is part or form of God and striving towards knowing God is path to liberation

Summary in poetry 

Thousands of men tried their best

Very few have passed the test

I am the seed and the essence

In everything, feel my presence

Blinded by their delusion

World is in my illusion

But those who seek my divine grace

With all the love I embrace

Worshippers and seekers, men are four

Pious Savants, I adore

Any worship, men may long

I make that faith firm and strong

A stories related to the message

1. See God in All Beings

In a forest lived a holy man who had many disciples. He taught them to see God in all beings and to bow down before them. One day a disciple went into the forest to get wood for fire. Suddenly he heard a shout.

“Get out of the way! A mad elephant is coming!”

Everyone but the disciple of the holy man ran away. He saw the elephant as God in another form, so why should he run away from it? He stood still, bowed before the elephant, and began meditating on God in the form of the elephant.

The mahout (trainer) of the elephant shouted: “Run away! Run away!”

But the disciple didn’t move. The animal grabbed him with its trunk, threw him to one side, and went on its way. The disciple lay unconscious on the ground. Hearing what had happened; his god-brothers came to him and carried him to the hermitage. With the help of some herbal medicine, he regained consciousness.

Then someone asked, “When you knew the mad elephant was coming, why didn’t you leave the place?”

He answered: “Our guru has taught us that God is in all beings, animals as well as human. Therefore, I thought it was only the elephant-god that was coming, so I didn’t run away.”

At this the guru said: “Yes, my child, it is true that the elephant-god was coming; but the mahout-god asked you to get out of way. Why didn’t you trust the mahout’s words? Also, the elephant-god does not have the Self- knowledge that all are God!”


God dwells in all beings. God is even in the tiger; but you cannot hug the tiger on that account! Be close only with good people, and keep away from the evil-minded. Keep away from the unholy, the evil, and the impure. 

2. The Unseen

One day a 6-year-old girl was sitting in a classroom. The teacher was going to explain evolution to the children.
The teacher asked a little boy: “Manav, do you see the tree outside?”
Manav: “Yes.”
Teacher: “Manav, do you see the grass outside?”
Manav: “Yes.”
Teacher: “Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky.”
Manav: “Okay. (He returned a few minutes later.) Yes, I saw the sky.”
Teacher: “Did you see God anywhere?”
Manav: “No.”
Teacher: “That’s my point. We can’t see God because he isn’t there. He just doesn’t exist.”
A little girl spoke up and wanted to ask the boy some questions. The teacher agreed, and the little girl asked the boy:
“Manav, Do you see the tree outside?” Manav: “Yes.” Little Girl: “Manav, do you see the
grass outside?” Manav: “Yessssss!”
Little Girl: “Did you see the sky?” Manav: “Yessssss!” Little Girl: “Manav, do you see the
teacher?” Manav: “Yes”
Little Girl: “Do you see her mind or her brain?”
Manav: “No” Little Girl: “Then according to what we were taught today in school, she must not have a brain!”
God cannot be seen with our physical eyes. He can be felt by the eyes of knowledge, faith, and devotion only (Gita 7.24-25). For we walk by faith, not by sight. He answers our prayer!


• Related posts on this blog
• Where is God
• Where no one can see