Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 14 (BG 7.14) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

The Blessed Lord Sri Krishna Himself acknowledges that for a person possessed of ego and centered in the self, it is difficult to transcend the delusion born of My maya. If a physician were to recognize a patient's ailment and declare that there is no medicine to cure it, no patient would pursue treatment with care, enthusiasm, and faith according to the physician's counsel. Similarly, if Sri Krishna, the Physician of the afflictions of worldly existence, were to identify maya as the cause of the disease and declare it insurmountable, who would faithfully follow His pessimistic teachings? Sri Krishna understands this difficulty and this flaw, and therefore immediately dispels the doubt from the seeker's mind. At times, a physician must employ harsh language to make a patient aware of the gravity of his condition. In precisely the same manner, Sri Krishna here attempts to convey to us through many descriptions the terrible nature of this affliction—the very affliction that has caused us to forget our true divine nature and fall into the condition of worldly existence. Having revealed both the disease and its cure, Sri Krishna also assures complete healing: "Those seekers who take refuge in Me transcend maya." Refuge means recognizing the true nature of the Lord and becoming established in that nature. How is this to be accomplished? This has already been discussed in the previous chapter on meditation yoga. To meditate upon one's true Self with a concentrated mind—this is the direct means. The methods necessary to acquire the qualifications required for meditation have already been explained. If maya can be transcended by taking refuge in You, then why do not all people take refuge in You? To this He replies: