Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 29

English Translation

Those who strive by resorting to Me for becoming free from old age and death, they know that Brahman, everything about the individual Self, and all about actions. [They know Brahman as being all the individual entities and all actions. This verse prescribes meditation on the alified Brahman for aspirants of the middle class. Verses beginning with the 14the speak about the reaization of the unalified Brahman by aspirants of the highest class.]

Detailed Commentary

7.29. Explanation—'Jara-marana-mokshaya mamashritya yatanti ye' – Here, liberation from old age (jarā) and death (maraṇa) does not mean that old age or death will not occur in the body upon attaining Brahma-jnana. It means that after knowledge, old age and death will indeed come to the body, but they will not cause suffering. Just as in the 34th verse of the 13th chapter, 'bhūta-prakṛti-mokṣam' means freedom from effects and causes, similarly, 'jara-marana-mokshaya' here means freedom from the modifications of the body. A young person is not free from jarā-maraṇa because of their identification with the body, but the Jivanmukta Mahapurushas are distinct from these. Freedom from jarā-maraṇa means being liberated from identification (tādātmya) with the body. When a person considers the body to be permanent, then as the body ages, they too feel old. 'Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam' means that there should be no 'I' and 'mine' relationship with the body. When a person becomes free from 'I' and 'mine,' they also become free from jarā-maraṇa, because birth itself arises from the connection with the body. The purpose of mentioning these two aspects—taking refuge (āśraya) and striving (yatna)—in 'māmāśritya yatanti ye' is to convey that a person should exert effort according to the Shastras and consider Bhagavan as the cause of the success of that endeavor. Those who strive by taking refuge in Bhagavan are superior. They believe that their spiritual practices (sādhana-bhajan) are being accomplished solely by the grace of Bhagavan. When they endeavor by taking refuge in Bhagavan, they come to know the complete nature (samagra svarūpa) of Bhagavan. Those who strive for their own liberation without taking refuge in Bhagavan also attain knowledge of Bhagavan's nature, but they do not realize His complete nature. Individuals who walk the path by taking refuge in Bhagavan understand the true essence of Brahman, Adhyatma, and Karma. They know that everything is indeed the very form of Bhagavan, and there is no other reality (sattā) apart from Him.