Hub

Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion

Five verses of chapter 10: whoever knows the Lord's glory in truth is joined to Him by unwavering devotion, devotees find joy in speaking of Him together, and the Lord Himself gives the wisdom and the lamp of knowledge. Three readings.

In brief

  • One who knows the Lord's glory in truth is joined to Him by unwavering devotion, and the wise who know Him as the source of all worship Him with love (10.7-8).
  • Devotees whose minds and lives are given to the Lord find contentment and joy in speaking of Him to one another (10.9).
  • To those who worship steadily with love, the Lord Himself gives the wisdom that leads to Him and lights the lamp of knowledge in the heart (10.10-11).

When we see how great someone we love is, our love changes. Five verses of chapter 10 say this of the Lord: how knowing His glory in truth wakes devotion, what devotees find in speaking of Him together, and what the Lord Himself finally gives (Gita 10.7–11).

This is the eleventh stop on The Path of Devotion. The stop before it, The Devotee Dear to the Lord, drew the marks of the devotee the Lord loves. Here we see the road on which devotion grows deeper. The next stop leads to the undivided devotion of chapter 11.

There are three readings of this topic. The simple reading starts from an everyday difficulty: prayer that feels dry, and no one to talk to. The detailed reading takes the five verses in order. The deeper reading takes up the hard questions, two streams of commentators and objections to the Lord's giving. Three ideas return throughout: glory, the wisdom of discernment and satsang, the company of the wise.

Read at your level

Same topic, three depths. Pick the one that fits you today; you can switch any time.

Start with Simple →

Simple New to this topic. Plain words, one idea at a time. Prayer Feels Dry and No One to Talk To? What the Gita Says Truly seeing the Lord's greatness turns devotion from habit into steady love (10.7-8). 6 min · Read → In Depth Know the basics. Verse by verse, with reasons. Gita 10.7-11 Verse by Verse: How Knowing the Lord's Glory Becomes Devotion One who knows the Lord's glory in truth is joined to Him by unwavering devotion (10.7), and the wise who know Him as the source of all worship Him with love (10.8). 12 min · Read → Deeper Want the text itself: Sanskrit terms, commentary, close reading. Gita 10.7-11: Knowing the Lord's Glory, Loving Worship and the Wisdom He Gives, a Close Reading The first knowing is a sight of the Lord's glory that turns the devotee (10.7-8); the last is the wisdom of discernment that carries him to the Lord, and the Lord gives it (10.10-11). So the movement is one path that deepens, not a circle. 17 min · Read → Quick summary Short on time. The whole topic in a few minutes. Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion: Quick Summary One who knows the Lord's glory in truth joins Him by unshakable devotion, and the wise who know Him as the source of all worship Him with love (10.7-8). 10 min · Read →

Key shlokas

Concepts

Part of these learning paths

Related topics