GitaChapter 7Verse 26

Gita 7.26

Jnana Vijnana Yoga

वेदाहं समतीतानि वर्तमानानि चार्जुन । भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन ॥

vedāhaṁ samatītāni vartamānāni cārjuna | bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni māṁ tu veda na kaścana ||

In essence: Krishna knows all beings across all time—past, present, future—yet remains unknowable by ordinary knowledge, for the Infinite cannot be grasped by the finite.

A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply

Sadhak-Guru Dialogue

Sadhak: "Krishna says no one knows Him. But surely the great sages, the realized masters—don't they know?"

Guru: "They know Him through union, not through comprehension. There's a difference."

Sadhak: "What's the difference?"

Guru: "Comprehension means grasping with the mind—containing the object within your knowledge. Union means dissolving into—becoming one with what you can never stand outside of and grasp. The sage knows Krishna by becoming inseparable, not by understanding."

Sadhak: "So the statement 'no one knows Me' remains true even for the liberated?"

Guru: "In one sense, yes. The finite mind never comprehends the infinite—it merges into it. But in merging, the question of knowing dissolves. Who would know whom?"

Sadhak: "It seems unfair that Krishna knows everything about me but I can't know Him."

Guru: "Is it unfair that the ocean knows every wave completely while no wave can know the entire ocean?"

Sadhak: "The wave IS the ocean though."

Guru: "Exactly. And that's the resolution. You can't know Krishna as an object outside yourself. But you can realize you are not outside. Then knowing transforms into being."

Sadhak: "But Krishna speaks of past, present, and future beings. Does He see my future?"

Guru: "He sees what you call future because He isn't bound by time's flow. For Him, all moments are present. It's not prediction—it's perception from a vantage point you don't yet occupy."

Sadhak: "Does that mean my choices are predetermined?"

Guru: "No—your choices are genuinely yours. But Krishna sees all possibilities and actualities simultaneously. Free will and divine omniscience aren't contradictory; they operate on different levels. Your choices are free; His seeing is complete."

Sadhak: "This is beyond my mind to grasp."

Guru: "Good. The mind's admission of its limit is the beginning of wisdom. You cannot think your way to Krishna. But you can love your way there."

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🌅 Daily Practice

🌅 Morning

Begin meditation with a contemplation of being fully known. Before trying to know or reach the Divine, simply sit with the recognition: 'I am completely known. Nothing about me is hidden from the Infinite—my thoughts, my past, my future, my deepest secrets.' Let this create not fear but relief. You don't need to explain yourself to God; you are already utterly transparent. Rest in being known rather than striving to know.

☀️ Daytime

Throughout the day, when you catch yourself trying to 'figure out' the Divine or grasp spiritual truth intellectually, pause. Remember: 'I cannot know the Infinite with my mind.' This isn't frustrating resignation—it's liberation from an impossible task. Instead of mental grasping, shift to relational presence. You may not comprehend God, but you can relate to God. Let your day be punctuated by moments of relating rather than analyzing.

🌙 Evening

Reflect on the intimacy of being completely known across time. The Divine knows your past—every mistake, every triumph. Knows your present—this very moment of reflection. Knows your future—what you will become. Sit with this total knowing and ask: 'How does being fully known change how I live?' Often we hide from ourselves. But nothing is hidden from Krishna. Let this inspire authenticity—there's no point pretending before the one who sees all.

Common Questions

If no one can know Krishna, what's the point of spiritual practice? Why seek what can never be found?
The verse says no one can know Krishna through ordinary knowledge—as an object of comprehension. But there's another way: through love, devotion, and ultimate union. Seeking transforms into finding not when you grasp the Divine but when you release the grasper. The point of practice isn't to accumulate knowledge about Krishna but to remove the barriers to direct experience. You don't find Krishna; you discover you were never separate.
If Krishna knows the future, does that mean fate is fixed and my choices don't matter?
Krishna's omniscience doesn't cause your choices—it perceives them. Imagine watching a movie you've seen before: you know what the characters will do, but your knowledge doesn't make them do it. Now imagine seeing all of time at once, as Krishna does. He knows your choices not because He determines them but because He sees beyond time's apparent sequence. Your choices remain genuinely free; His vision is simply not limited by before and after.
If the Divine knows me completely and I can never fully know It, isn't the relationship fundamentally unequal?
Yes—and that inequality is the nature of the infinite-finite relationship. But here's the mystery: the Infinite chooses to be known partially, through devotion. Krishna says elsewhere that to His devotees, He reveals Himself. So while comprehensive knowing is impossible, intimate relationship isn't. A child cannot comprehend their parent fully, but they can love fully. The relationship's inequality doesn't prevent profound intimacy—it shapes its character.