Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 24

English Translation

The unintelligent, unaware of My supreme state which is immutable and unsurpassable, think of Me as the unmanifest that has become manifest.

Detailed Commentary

।।7.24।। Commentary—Those who are devoid of wisdom (nirbuddhi) and lack faith (shraddha) and devotion (bhakti) in Bhagavan, due to their limited knowledge, consider Him an ordinary human being. They do not comprehend Bhagavan's imperishable (avinashi) and supreme nature, which, though complete in space, time, and individuals, transcends all. For this very reason, they fail to grasp the mystery of Bhagavan's incarnation (avatar) and, considering Him a mere mortal, engage in the worship of other deities. It is their ignorance that, even knowing the creation and destruction of the world, they do not accept it. In another sense, being deluded about the permanence of desires is also the pinnacle of ignorance. Due to not knowing Bhagavan's true nature (swaroop), they engage in the worship of other deities. If they were to recognize Bhagavan, they would worship only Bhagavan. (1) Wise individuals are those who take refuge in Bhagavan and consider Him everything. (2) Persons of limited intellect take refuge in deities and consider them greater than themselves. (3) Unwise individuals (abuddhi) make the mistake of considering Bhagavan an ordinary human. "Param bhavamajanantah" (not knowing My supreme nature) means that they fail to know Bhagavan's unequalled nature, which is free from birth and death. Special Note The meaning of this verse is that those who consider Bhagavan to be either only with form (sakar) or only formless (nirakar) do not comprehend His complete nature. Both sakar and nirakar are forms of Bhagavan. Just as earth, water, and fire possess both gross (sthul) and subtle (sukshma) forms, similarly, Bhagavan also possesses both sakar-nirakar and sagun-nirgun natures. There is no difference between Bhagavan's sakar and nirakar forms. Connection—The next verse will explain the reason behind considering Bhagavan an ordinary human.