Path of Knowledge of Brahman (Jnanavijnana Yoga, Gita 7)
In the seventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, entitled Jnanavijnana Yoga (The Yoga of Knowledge and Realization of Brahman), Sri Krishna reveals the nature of the Absolute and the mystery of His divine energy.
As expertly interpreted by Pedro Nonell—a leading scholar on the Gita and the Vedanta of and Swami Vivekananda—this chapter distinguishes between the lower nature (matter) and the higher nature (Spirit). Krishna explains that while the world is clouded by the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas), those who take refuge in God can pierce the veil of Maya. This is the path for those seeking to know Brahman not just as a concept, but as a lived reality.
This chapter is available in English and Spanish translation by Pedro Nonell.
Courses: Bhagavad Gita - Bhakti Yoga
Chapter 7 - Bhagavad Gita Jnanavijnana Yoga (Gandhi)
Gita according Gandhi, translated into Spanish by
Read the first fifteen verses of this chapter
The Lord said:
1. Hear, O Partha, how, with your mind fixed on Me, practicing yoga and I being the only refuge, you will surely know Me completely.
2. I will expose this knowledge to you in its entirety, combined with discriminative knowledge, and when you have known it, there will be nothing more left to know.
3. Among thousands of men only one strives to achieve perfection; Among those who strive, hardly one truly knows Me.
4. Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, Mind, Reason and Ego, therefore My Prakriti is divided by the eightfold path.
5. This is My lower aspect; know My other aspect, the higher one, which is Jiva (the Vital Essence, Purusha) by which, O Mahabahu, this World is sustained.
6. You have to know that these two make up the source from which all beings emanate; I am the origin and the end of the entire universe.
7. There is nothing superior to Me, O Dhananjaya; all this hangs on Me, like a row of gems on a thread.
8. In the water, I am the taste, O Kaunteya; in the sun and the moon, I am the light; I am the syllable OM of all the Vedas; the sound in the ether and the virility in men.
9. I am the sweet fragrance of the earth, the radiance in the fire, the life in all beings, and the austerity in the ascetics.
10. Know me, O Partha, for being the primeval seed of all beings; I am the reason of rational beings and the splendor of the splendid.
11. I am the strength of the strong, free from longing and attachment. I am, Ο lord of the Bharatas, the desire in all beings that is not contrary to Dharma.
12. You have to know that all the manifestations of the three
Gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, originate from none but Me; but I am not
in them; they are in Me
13. Confused by these manifestations of the three gunas, as if transcending
them, the entire world does not recognize Me as the Imperishable.
14. For this reason, My illusory divine mystery (Maya), composed of the Three Gunas, is difficult to penetrate; but for those for whom I am their only refuge, they
pierce the veil.
Etc.
Thus concludes the seventh chapter, titled Jnanavijnana Yoga.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Jnanavijnana Yoga?
It is the Yoga of Knowledge (Jnana) combined with its practical realization (Vijnana). It teaches the seeker to recognize the presence of God in all manifestations of nature.
What are the eight divisions of God's 'lower nature'?
According to Chapter 7, the lower nature (Prakriti) consists of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, Mind, Intellect, and Ego.
How does Krishna describe the higher nature?
The higher nature is the Jiva-bhuta, the life-principle or Spirit (Purusha) that sustains the entire universe and is superior to the material elements.
Who is Pedro Nonell?
Pedro Nonell is an author and professor specializing in the Bhagavad Gita. He is the director of the Gita Institute and has translated the Gita into Spanish, incorporating the commentaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Sivananda.
Conclusion
Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita serves as a bridge between philosophical understanding and spiritual experience. It teaches us that God is not an abstract entity far removed from the world, but the very "thread" upon which the "gems" of the universe are strung. By understanding the interplay of the Gunas and the divine nature of the Absolute, as shared by Pedro Nonell, we find a roadmap for devotion (Bhakti) rooted in knowledge (Jnana).
When we recognize that everything—from the light of the sun to the strength of the strong—is a manifestation of the Divine, we begin the true realization of Brahman.
Yoga of Conocimiento y Realización of Brahmán 
Ioga Conhecimento do Brahman.
Bhagavad Gita recited in Spanish (Pedro Nonell) and Sanskrit (Dr Ghazal Srinivas)
Buy the Book: The Yoga of Wisdom (Spanish) by
Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita (, comments by Sivananda): The Yoga of Knowledge and Realization of Brahman
Example: Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita: The Yoga of
Knowledge and Realization of Brahman (Jananvi Jnana)
Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita (versified):
Listen to the video of Pedro Nonell with English subtitles
Consult the Chapters of the Bhagavad Gita
- 1- Arjuna’s Despondency
- 2- Sankhya (Jnana) Yoga
- 3- The Yoga of Action
- 4- The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action
- 5- The Yoga of Renunciation of action
- 6- The Yoga of Meditation
- 8- The Yoga of Parabrahman
- 9- The Yoga of Royal Knowledge
- 10- The Yoga of Divine Glories
- 11- The Yoga of the Universal Form
- 12- The Yoga of Devotion
- 13- The Yoga of the Field
- 14- The Yoga of the Three Gunas
- 15- The Yoga of the Supreme Person
- 16- The Yoga of Divine Inheritance
- 17- The Yoga of the Threefold Faith
- 18- Yoga liberation
(c) Gita Institute & Pedro Nonell
