Bhagavad Gita · 7.25 · Self-Knowledge and Enlightenment·25 of 30
नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः।मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम् ॥
nāhaṁ prakāśhaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛitaḥ
mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti loko mām ajam avyayam
Sanskrit recitation
What you worship shapes you · 7.20–7.30 · Teaching
Translation
I am not manifest to all, veiled as I am by the Yoga-Maya. This deluded world does not know Me, who am unborn and imperishable.
Meaning
I am not manifest to all the people, but I am certainly manifest to the chosen few who are My devotees, who have taken sole refuge in Me alone. I am not visible to those who are deluded by the three Gunas and the pairs of opposites, and who are screened off by this universe which is a manifestation of the alities of Nature, My YogaMaya or My creative illusion. This veils the understanding of the worldlyminded people. So they are not able to behold the Lord Who keeps Maya under His perfect control.YogaMaya is the union of the three alities of Nature. The illusion or veil spread thery is called YogaMaya. The worldly people are deluded by the illusion born of the union of the three alities. Therefore, they are not able to know the Lord Who is unborn and immutable.This YogaMaya is under the perfect control of the Lord. Isvara is the wielder of Maya. Therefore it cannot obscure His own knowledge, just as the illusion created by the juggler cannot obstruct his,own knowledge or deceive him. The illusion which binds the worldly people cannot in the least affect the Lord Who has kep Maya under his perfect subjugation. (Cf.VII.13IX.5X.7XI.8)
After Swami Sivananda
What you worship shapes you· 7.20–7.30→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 7.20Those whose wisdom has been taken away by this or that desire, go to other gods, following this or that rite, led by their own nature.
- 7.21Whatever form any devotee desires to worship with faith, I make that same faith of his firm and unflinching.
- 7.22Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that form and obtains his desired outcome, which is ordained by Me alone.
- 7.23Verily, the reward (fruit) that accrues to those men of small intelligence is finite. The worshippers of the gods go to them, whereas My devotees come to Me.
- 7.24The foolish think of Me, the Unmanifest, as having manifestation, not knowing My higher, immutable, and most excellent nature.
7.25I am not manifest to all, veiled as I am by the Yoga-Maya. This deluded world does not know Me, who am unborn and imperishable.
- 7.26I know, O Arjuna, the beings of the past, the present, and the future; however, no one knows Me.
- 7.27O Bharata, all beings are subject to delusion at birth due to the delusion of the pairs of opposites arising from desire and aversion, O Parantapa.
- 7.28But those men of virtuous deeds, whose sins have come to an end and who are freed from the delusion of the pairs of opposites, worship Me steadfastly, with their vows.
- 7.29Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in Me, realize in full that Brahman, the whole knowledge of the Self, and all action.
- 7.30Those who know Me with the Adhibhuta (pertaining to the elements), Adhidaiva (pertaining to the gods), and the Adhiyajna (pertaining to the sacrifice) know Me even at the time of death, remaining steadfast in mind.
Word-by-word→
- na
- not
- aham
- I
- ajam
- unborn
- ayam
- these
- mām
- me
- avyayam
- immutable
- lokaḥ
- persons
- sarvasya
- to everyone
- mūḍhaḥ
- deluded
- yoga-māyā
- God’s supreme (divine) energy
- abhijānāti
- know
- prakāśhaḥ
- manifest
- samāvṛitaḥ
- veiled
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