THE 7-TH CHAPTER OF "SHREE BHAGAVAD-GITA" IS PURELY PANCHARATRIKA WITH ALLUSIONS TO VASUDEVA, IN THE VERSE 7.19 OM VISHNUPAD SHREE RAMANUJACHARYA EXPLAINS "VASUDEVAH SARVAM" AND "VASUDEVA-SHESHA" SIDDHANTAS (ALONG WITH PRAPATTI-SIDDHANTA, OF COURSE!):
बहूनां जन्मनाम् अन्ते ज्ञानवान् मां प्रपद्यते |
वासुदेवः सर्वम् इति स महात्मा सुदुर्लभः
bahUnAM janmanAm ante j~nAnavAn mAM prapadyate |
vAsudevaH sarvam iti sa mahAtmA sudurlabhaH
Translation: "At the end of many births, the man of knowledge finds refuge in Me, realising that 'Vasudeva is all'. It is very hard to find such a great-souled person".
Tika by OM VishnuPad Shree RamanujAcharya: "Further after passing through innumerable auspicious births, one gets the knowledge:
"I find my sole joy as a shesha of Vasudeva. I find my essence, existence and activities to be dependent on Him. He is superior over all others on account of His innumerable auspicious attributes".
Consequent to this knowledge he resorts to Me (Vasudeva), i.e., meditates on Me, realising:
"Vasudeva Alone is my highest end and also the means for attaining it, and whatever other desire remains in the mind, He alone is all that too for me".
Such a great-souled person, i.e., great-minded man is hard to find. It is very hard to find such persons in this world.
This is the only meaning of the statement that "Vasudeva is all", because of the topic having been begun with the statements:
"For I am very dear to the man of knowledge..." ("Shree Bhagavad-Gita", 7.17)
and
"For he, integrated, is devoted to Me alone as the highest end..." ("Shree Bhagavad-Gita", 7.18)
It is so, also because that jnanin whose traits are given here, possesses the same qualities as the man of knowledge described earlier.
For, it has been said that the two Prakrtis, the animate and the inanimate, have their sole essence in being the Shesha (dependants) of the Supreme Person in the verses beginning with:
"Earth, water..." ("Shree Bhagavad-Gita", 7.4)
and ending with:
"Ego-sense, thus My Prakriti is divided eightfold. This is my lower (Prakriti), but know that which is other than this (lower nature) and forms the life-principle to be the higher Prakriti". ("Shree Bhagavad-Gita", 7.4-5)
Then take the text beginning from:
"I am the Origin and Dissolution of the whole universe. There is nothing higher than Myself, O Arjuna!" ("Shree Bhagavad-Gita", 7.6-7)
and ending with:
"Know that all the states of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are from Me Alone. But I am not in them. They are in Me". ("Shree Bhagavad-Gita", 7.12)
It has been declared in the above-mentioned Verses that the two Prakritis, both in their states of cause and effect, depend upon Vasudeva for their essence, existence and activities and that the Supreme Person is Superior to everything in all respects.
Therefore the knower of this truth alone is here spoken of as a man of knowledge or as one knowing "All this is Vasudeva".
Cited from
"SRI RAMANUJA GITA BHASYA"
Devanagari and English Rendering -
translation by Swami Adidevananda
