Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 7: Knowledge and Realization

Bhagavad Gita 7.19

bahūnāṃ janmanāmante jñānavānmāṃ prapadyate | vāsudevaḥ sarvamiti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ ||

At the end of many births, the person of knowledge takes refuge in me, realizing that Vasudeva is everything. A great soul like that is very rare.

Modern context

'Vasudeva is everything.' This short phrase is the heart of the chapter. It is reached at the end of many lives, which is to say, slowly, after long experience. It does not deny the world. It sees the world rightly: every face, every place, every event as a form of the one reality. The person who lives in that recognition is called a mahatma, a great soul, and rare. Rare, but not impossible. Every step in that direction counts.