Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 7

Chapter 10 – Vibhuti Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

एतां विभूतिं योगं च मम यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ।
सोऽविकम्पेन योगेन युज्यते नात्र संशयः ॥

Transliteration

etāṃ vibhūtiṃ yogaṃ ca mama yo vetti tattvataḥ .
so.avikampena yogena yujyate nātra saṃśayaḥ ॥

Meaning

One who truly knows this glory and this yoga of Mine becomes united with Me in unwavering yoga; of this there is no doubt.

Word meanings

एताम् – this
विभूतिम् – glory, manifold manifestation
योगम् – yoga, divine power
च – and
मम – My
यः – who
वेत्ति – knows
तत्त्वतः – in truth
सः – he
अविकम्पेन – unshakable
योगेन – with yoga
युज्यते – is united
न – no
अत्र – here
संशयः – doubt

Anvaya (word order)

यः मम एतां विभूतिं योगं च तत्त्वतः वेत्ति, सः अविकम्पेन योगेन युज्यते; अत्र संशयः न (अस्ति) ।

Explanation

Krishna uses two key words here: vibhuti and yoga. Vibhuti is the Lord’s glory spread out in many forms, as the previous verses showed: all qualities, all sages and Manus came forth from Him. Yoga is the extraordinary power by which He manifests all this while remaining Himself unchanged. Shankara calls it the Lord’s sovereign yogic power, by which He is all-knowing and all-powerful.

These must be known tattvatah, in truth, not merely heard of but deeply understood. One who grasps that every excellence belongs to God and that He is the root of all things gains a devotion that is avikampa, unshakable. As a tree with deep roots stands through a storm, devotion grounded in understanding does not waver in crisis.

Ramanuja says that knowledge of the Lord’s glory and auspicious qualities is what nourishes devotion. The more we know of someone’s greatness, the more our love and reverence grow. That is why Krishna describes His vibhutis: not to magnify Himself, but to make Arjuna’s love firm.

Natra samshayah, ‘there is no doubt here’. The Lord gives full assurance of His word. This verse introduces the four celebrated verses that follow (8 to 11), which tradition sometimes calls the chatuh-shloki Gita, the Gita in four verses.

Context

Up to verse 6 Krishna gave a brief introduction to His glories. Here He states that knowing them in truth yields unwavering devotion. In the next four verses He describes the nature of this devotion and its fruit.

Life lesson

The more we understand the greatness of God, the firmer our love becomes. Devotion grounded in understanding does not waver in the storms of life. So alongside devotion, study and reflect on the nature of the Lord.

Key terms

Vibhuti: the Lord’s glory manifest in many forms
Yoga: the Lord’s extraordinary divine power
Tattvatah: in truth, in depth
Avikampa yoga: unshakable devotion