Gita 7.3

Sadhak: "This verse seems discouraging. Is spiritual realization really so rare?"

Guru: "It's not meant to discourage but to calibrate expectations and inspire humility. Most seekers underestimate the journey's depth. They read a few books, have some experiences, and assume they understand. This verse is Krishna being honest: the path is long, the attainment rare, don't fool yourself with premature conclusions. It's discouraging only if you wanted a shortcut; it's liberating if you want the truth."

Sadhak: "But if hardly anyone achieves this, why try at all?"

Guru: "Because the striving itself transforms you, regardless of final attainment. A mountain climber may never summit Everest but becomes stronger, more resilient, more alive in the attempt. Also: you don't know if you're the 'one in thousands.' The statistics describe populations, not individuals. You might be born with accumulated merit from past lives, placing you much closer than average. Strive as if realization is possible—because for you, it might be."

Sadhak: "What's the difference between 'siddhi' (perfection) and knowing Krishna 'tattvataḥ' (in truth)?"

Guru: "Siddhi can mean various accomplishments: mastery of meditation, psychic powers, control of body and mind, even liberation from rebirth. But knowing Krishna tattvataḥ means knowing the ultimate ground of reality as it truly is—not just escaping bondage but recognizing what you're escaping into. You might perfect meditation without knowing Who witnesses the meditation. You might attain liberation without knowing the nature of what's liberated."

Sadhak: "'Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu'—among thousands of humans. Why don't more people seek spiritual perfection?"

Guru: "Because the seeking arises from suffering that has matured into wisdom. Most suffering produces more grasping, not renunciation. Only when you've exhausted worldly solutions, when pleasure has revealed its emptiness, when ambition has achieved and still not satisfied—only then does the soul turn toward what's beyond. Most people are still trying the world's promises. Eventually, everyone arrives at seeking; it just takes many lifetimes for most."

Sadhak: "Is this verse describing inevitable failure for most, or is it a call to intensify effort?"

Guru: "Both, and neither. It's not saying 'you will fail' but 'don't underestimate what's required.' It's not saying 'try harder' but 'try deeper.' The solution isn't more effort (which is still ego-driven) but more surrender, more receptivity, more willingness to be transformed rather than to achieve. The ones who know Krishna tattvataḥ aren't necessarily the ones who tried hardest but the ones who surrendered most completely."

Sadhak: "Does this mean spiritual practice is ultimately futile without grace?"

Guru: "Practice and grace aren't opposites—they're dance partners. Practice prepares you for grace; grace completes what practice cannot. Without practice, you can't receive grace fully. Without grace, practice remains incomplete. The rare ones who know tattvataḥ have practiced with devotion AND received grace. They didn't earn it through practice alone, but practice made them available."

Sadhak: "How does one move from being a 'striver' to one who 'knows in truth'?"

Guru: "Stop trying to move. The very effort to 'get there' maintains separation. The ones who know tattvataḥ have stopped seeking Krishna 'over there' and recognized Him 'right here.' It's less about achieving a new state and more about recognizing what's always been present. The seeker dissolves into the sought. This can't be done; it can only be allowed. Practice removes obstacles; grace reveals what was always true."

Sadhak: "If I'm not one of the rare ones, is my practice worthless?"

Guru: "Never worthless. Every moment of genuine practice purifies, prepares, accumulates merit. If not this life, then next. The soul's journey spans countless births. Your practice now shapes who you'll be when you take your next form. Moreover, you can't know from inside the journey where you stand. The breakthrough might be one moment away. Practice without attachment to result, but practice with full engagement."

Sadhak: "What does 'knowing Krishna in truth' actually feel like? Can you describe it?"

Guru: "All descriptions fail, but pointers help. Imagine you've been searching your whole life for home, and suddenly realize you never left it. Imagine looking for your glasses while they're on your face. Imagine the wave recognizing it was always ocean. There's profound relief, absurd humor at the cosmic joke, infinite peace, and boundless love. Not an experience that comes and goes but a recognition of what remains through all experiences. The search ends not by finding but by dissolving the seeker."