Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 19 (BG 7.19) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 7.19 — Translation of Meaning The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna declares that those great souls who have attained the highest knowledge are indeed rare in this world. During the period of decline in Hindu dharma, such statements came to be regarded as deeply pessimistic. Yet with but a little reflection, the flaw in such conclusions becomes evident. Among all conscious beings in creation, the number of human beings exists in an extremely small proportion. Even within humanity, not all possess mature intellect and elevated sentiments. Though some may be endowed with the finest qualities of the inner being, very few are those who engage in serious study of the scriptures, and the number of those who actually live the knowledge gained from the scriptures in their daily lives is negligible indeed. Many people find satisfaction merely in intellectual knowledge. From this analysis, it becomes clear that the wise ones who reach the ultimate goal of self-realization through spiritual development will indeed be rare. Just as Darwin did in modern times, the ancient rishis observed all living creatures and discovered that for a being to evolve from its lower state to a higher state, a vast expanse of time is required—a period during which, passing through various circumstances and births, it attains progressively higher forms of development. This span of time may extend over millions of years. From this, we can imagine how many lifetimes of austerity must be undertaken to attain the supreme goal of complete self-knowledge—a development that can be achieved only through the subtlest intellect, after casting aside ego. This does not mean that we cannot attain this supreme knowledge of life in our present birth. The teaching of the Gita is not discouraging but rather inspiring. The countless births mentioned here are those *before* the attainment of knowledge, not after. If a human being, dissatisfied even with life's many achievements, makes the effort to understand the true purpose of existence, this itself is a stage of spiritual development. If thereafter one's inclination turns toward the study of scriptures, and one develops the capacity to embrace the principles they teach, then it is clear that such a person has reached the very threshold of the temple of the divine Self. With greater dedication and effort, in this very birth, one may attain the supreme human purpose—the establishment in the Self. The sole purpose of the Lord's statement is to inspire the seeker to advance steadily in spiritual practice. The reason why beings do not attain this knowledge—that all this is indeed the Self, or Vasudeva—the Lord explains in the next verse.