Verse 7.3

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 7.3:

मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद् यतति सिद्धये ।
यतताम् अपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन् मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ ३ ॥

manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye |
yatatām api siddhānāṃ kaścin māṃ vetti tattvataḥ || 3 ||

manuṣyāṇām–of men; sahasreṣu–among thousands; kaścit–someone; yatati–endeavours; siddhaye–for perfection; yatatām–of those who endeavour;api–yet even; siddhānām–of those who attain perfection; kaścit–some person; mām–Me; vetti–knows; tattvataḥ–(as I am) in truth.

Among thousands of men, one may endeavour for perfection. And among those who attain perfection, it is rare for even one to know My svarūpa in truth.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

“Even jñānīs and yogīs who are endowed with the symptoms described in the previous six chapters rarely attain knowledge of Me, complete with realization.” Saying this, Śrī Bhagavān speaks about realization of Him in this verse beginning with manuṣyānām. “Among countless living entities, one achieves a human birth, and among thousands of humans, only one strives for auspiciousness. Among thousands who endeavour thus, it is rare for one to know Me in truth and to have direct realization of My form as Śyāmasundara who holds the flute.”

The conclusion is that the bliss one experiences by realization of the transcendental form of the Lord (saviśeṣa-brahma) is thousands of times greater than the bliss experienced by realizing His impersonal aspect (nirviśeṣa-brahma).

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

In this verse, Bhagavān is showing that knowledge of Śrī Bhagavān is extremely rare.

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.14.5), this has been described:

muktānām api siddhānāṃ nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ
sudurlabhaḥ praśāntātmā koṭiṣv api mahā-mune

O great sage, among millions of such liberated and perfected persons, it is extremely rare to find a most peaceful devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa. More rare is one who has realized the sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The bliss derived from tasting the sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is millions of times greater than brahmānanda, the bliss of brahma.

Also in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.38):

brahmānando bhaved eṣa cet parārdha-guṇī-kṛtaḥ
naiti bhakti-sukhāmbhodheḥ paramāṇu-tulām api

Even when the bliss of brahma is multiplied by the number of days in Brahmā’s lifespan, it still cannot be compared to a single particle of the pleasure one attains in tasting the mellows of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness.

This is also stated in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 7.84–85):

kṛṣṇa-viṣayaka prema—parama puruṣārtha
yāra āge tṛṇa-tulya cāri puruṣārtha

Religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation are known as the four goals of life, but before love of Godhead, the fifth and highest goal, these appear as insignificant as straw in the street.*

pañcama puruṣārtha—premānandāmṛta-sindhu
mokṣādi ānanda yāra nahe eka bindu

For a devotee who has actually developed bhāva, the pleasure derived from religiosity (dharma), economic development (artha), sense gratification (kāma) and liberation (mokṣa) appears like a drop in the presence of the sea.*