Bhagavad-Gita: Chapter 7, Verse 19

Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Visnuswami

Sridhara Swami's Commentary

Such a self realised being completely devoted to the Supreme Lord Krishna is extremely rare and difficult to gain association with. This is what is being stated. The words bahunam janmanam ante is at the conclusion of many births. This means that after accumulation of merit gradually over innumerable births, the final birth indicating the last lifetime is naturally carried out with devotion to the Supreme Lord Krishna whose expansion is known as Vasudeva. When an evolved being realises that everything movable and mmovable in creation is under the control of the Supreme Lord at that time such an embodied being takes complete refuge in Him and worships Him as the ultimate consciousness existing within all beings and in all things. Such a self-realised being of unwavering devotion and unlimited vision is exceedingly rare to find.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Madhvacarya

Madhvacarya's Commentary

After the experience of many, many lifetimes one becomes aware of Lord Krishna's supreme position. The Brahma Purana states: Becoming aware after taking many, many births one resorts to the Supreme Lord. It is not that everyone who first approaches the Supreme Lord Krishna is aware of His paramount position as the Supreme controller. It is subsequently after many, many lives of approaching Him that one becomes aware of this.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Ramanuja

Ramanuja's Commentary

It takes not just a few births of performing righteous activities for one to evolve to the level of consummate spiritual wisdom enough to realise that the atma or soul is an eternal portion of the Supreme Lord and irrevocably devoted to Him. It takes innumerable births of a meritorious kind in the thousands to achieve this platform and realise this and in the final birth during the last lifetime in the material existence the enlightened jnani knower of God spontaneously perceives that they are essentially a liege to the Supreme Lord Krishna, totally dependent upon Him, and the fact that all activities of the mind and body as well as all conceptions and perceptions are only of value if they have direct relevance to Him. This is the evolved wisdom of the illuminated jnani. Vasudeva means the Supreme Lord as the cause of all causes. Such a jnani always thinks Vasudeva is my way. Vasudeva is my goal. Vasudeva is my highest attainment. Whatsoever my heart longs for that is Vasudeva to me. Vasudeva is everything to to me. Such an elevated being totally devoted to the Supreme Lord Krishna in causeless love is very rarely found in creation. It should be evident that the two natures one being matter and the body and the other being spirit and the soul in their conditions of cause and effect are both completely dependent upon the Supreme Lord for their very existence, character, personality and impulses. Thus the one who is cognisant of this reality possesses spiritual wisdom and is the jnani. That such a being is exceedingly rare is further expounded upon in the next verse.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Nimbaditya

Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary

The association with an advanced and enlightened devotee of the Supreme Lord is most difficult to achieve. This Lord Krishna indicates by the words bahunam janmanam ante meaning at the final cycle of innumerable births. All these final cycle births are meritorious, characterised by righteous actions and noble activities which were numerous. It is not possible to achieve such felicity with the meagre merits acquired from righteous activities throughout a single lifetime. To have the supreme blessing to qualify for worshipping the Supreme Lord Krishna one must have a bountiful surplus of meritorious activities over a myriad of lifetimes. Then at such a time an enlightened being with overflowing love and complete dedication based on the true understanding of the goal of life, the means to attain it and how Lord Krishna is connected to both as the omnipotent, omniscient, all pervading Supreme Being, worships Him with all their body, mind and heart. Lord Krishna should be known to be the source of the Brahman or the spiritual substratum pervading all existence and also the cause of creation, preservation and dissolution of the entire material existence. The Chandogya Upanisad III.XIV.I states: All the demi-gods that have come to worship you, are actually also you because the creator of the worlds is manifested from you. As the infinite is omnipresent the Supreme Lord is like that. An exalted being endowed with the discriminating power of this knowledge is su-durlabah meaning extremely rare, perhaps only one among millions of humans. It is stated in the Bhagavat Purana: Among those who have attained moksa or liberation from the cycle of birth and death only one of them out of millions is dedicated to the Supreme Lord Krishna.