ॐ श्री परमात्मने नमः !!
॥ द्वादशोऽध्यायः ॥
अर्जुन उवाच ।
एवं सततयुक्ता ये भक्तास्त्वां पर्युपासते ॥
ये चाप्यक्षरमव्यक्तं तेषां के योगवित्तमाः ॥१२-१॥
Arjuna said:
Those devotees who, ever-steadfast, thus worship Thee, and those also who worship the Imperishable, the Unmanifested – which of them are better versed in Yoga?
Thus: as declared in the last verse of the preceding chapter 11-55.
The Unmanifested: Avyakta: i.e., That which is incomprehensible to the senses, as devoid of all Upadhis.
श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते ॥
श्रद्धया परयोपेतास्ते मे युक्ततमा मताः ॥१२-२॥
The Blessed Lord said:
Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast, and endowed with supreme Sraddha, they in My opinion are the the best versed in Yoga.
ये त्वक्षरमनिर्देश्यमव्यक्त पर्युपासते ॥
सर्वत्रगमचिन्त्यं च कूटस्थमचलं ध्रुवम् ॥१२-३॥
संनियम्येन्द्रियग्रामं सर्वत्र समबुद्धयः ॥
ते प्राप्नुवन्ति मामेव सर्वभूतहिते रताः ॥१२-४॥
But those also, who worship the Imperishable, the Omnipresent, the Unthinkable, the Unchangeable, the Immovable, the Eternal – having subdued all the senses, even-minded everywhere, engaged in the welfare of all beings – verily, they reach only Myself.
Worship: Upasana is approaching the object of worship by way of meditating on it, in accordance with the teachings of the Sastras and the Guru, and dwelling steadily in the current of that one thought, even as a thread of oil poured from one vessel to another.
Unchangeable: Kutastha – lit., remaining like a mass. He who is seated in Maya as its Witness.
क्लेशोधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् ॥
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ॥१२-५॥
Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the Unmanifested; for the goal of the Unmanifested is very hard for the embodied to reach.
The embodied: Those who are attached to, or have identified themselves with, their bodies.
No comparison between the worshippers of the conditioned and unconditioned Brahman is meant here – since by the context, both reach the same goal. The path of the conditioned Brahman is described as superior only because it is easier. The path of the unconditioned Brahman is harder, because of the necessity of having to abandon all attachment to the body, from the very beginning of the practice.
ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्पराः ॥
अनन्येनैव योगेन मां ध्यायन्त उपासते ॥१२-६॥
तेषामहं समुद्धर्ता मृत्युसंसारसागरात् ॥
भवामि न चिरात्पार्थ मय्यावेशितचेतसाम् ॥१२-७॥
But those who worship Me, resigning all actions to Me, regarding Me as the Supreme Goal, meditating on Me with single-minded Yoga – to these whose mind is set on Me, verily, I become ere long, O son of Prtha, the Saviour out of the ocean of the mortal Samsara.
Mortal Samsara: The round of birth and death.
मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय ॥
निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ॥६-८॥
Fix thy mind on Me only, place thy intellect in Me; (then) thou shalt no doubt live in Me hereafter.
Mind: Manas – purpose and thought.
Intellect: the faculty which resolves and determines.
Live in Me: as My Self.
अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम् ॥
अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय ॥१२-९॥
If thou art unable to fix thy mind steadily in Me, then by Abhyasa-Yoga do thou seek to reach Me, O Dhananjaya.
Abhyasa-Yoga: the practice of repeatedly withdrawing the mind from the objects to which it wanders, and trying to fix it on one thing.
अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव ॥
मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ॥१२-१०॥
If also thou art unable to practise Abhyasa, be thou intent on doing actions for My sake. Even by doing actions for My sake, thou shalt attain perfection.
अर्थतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः ॥
सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान् ॥१२-११॥
If thou art unable to do even this, then taking refuge in Me, abandon the fruit of all action, being self-controlled.
In the preceding Slokas – first, the concentration of the mind on the Lord is enjoined; in case of inability to do that, Abhyasa Yoga is advised; if one finds that to be too hard, the performance of actions for the sake of the Lord alone, has been taught. Those who cannot do this even, who want to do things impelled by personal or other desires, are directed to give up the fruits of those actions to the Lord – i.e., not to anticipate, dwell, or build on, or care for, the results, knowing them to be dependent upon the Lord. Those who cannot control their desire for work are taught to practise indifference to the effects thereof.
श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते ॥
ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्तागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् ॥१२-१२॥
Better indeed is knowledge than (blind) Abhyasa; meditation (with knowledge) is more esteemed than (mere) knowledge; than meditation the renunciation of the fruit of action; peace immediately follows renunciation.
Renunciation of the fruit of all actions, as a means to the attainment of Bliss, is merely extolled here by the declaration of the superiority of one over another. Wherefore? Because it constitutes a common factor which immediately precedes Peace, both in the case of the man of wisdom who is steadily engaged in devout contemplation, and also of the ignorant one who, unable to tread the paths taught before, takes it up as the easiest means of Bliss.
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च ॥
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समुदःखसुखः क्षमी ॥१२-१३॥
सन्तुष्टः सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चयः ॥
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥१२-१४॥
He who hates no creature, and is friendly and compassionate towards all, who is free from the feelings of “I and mine”, even-minded in pain and pleasure, forbearing, ever content, steady in meditation, self-controlled, and possessed of firm conviction, with mind and intellect fixed on Me – he who is thus devoted to Me, is dear to Me.
यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः ॥
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥१२-१५॥
He by whom the world is not agitated and who cannot be agitated by the world, who is freed from joy, envy, fear, and anxiety – he is dear to Me.
अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः ॥
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥१२-१६॥
He who is free from dependence, who is pure, prompt, unconcerned, untroubled, renouncing every undertaking – he who is thus devoted to Me, is dear to Me.
Free from dependence: on the body, the senses, the sense-objects, and their natural connections.
Prompt: able to decide rightly and immediately in matters demanding prompt action.
Every undertaking: calculated to secure objects of desire, whether of this world or of the next.
यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न कांक्षति ॥
शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान् यः स मे प्रियः ॥१२-१७॥
He who neither rejoices, nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, renouncing good and evil, full of devotion, he is dear to Me.
Hates: Frets at receiving anything undesirable.
Grieves: at parting with a beloved object.
Desires: the unattained.
समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः ॥
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु समः सङ्गविवर्जितः ॥१२-१८॥
तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् ॥
अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः ॥१२-१९॥
He who is the same to friend and foe, and also in honour and dishonour; who is the same in heat and cold, and in pleasure and pain; who is free from attachment; to whom censure and praise are equal; who is silent, content with anything, homeless, steady-minded, full of devotion – that man is dear to Me.
Content with anything, homeless: content with the bare means of bodily sustenance. Says the Mahabharata:
येन केनचिदाच्छन्नो येन केनचिदाशितः ॥
यत्रक्वचनशायी स्यात्तन्देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः ॥
“Who is clad with anything, who is fed on any food, who lies down anywhere, him the gods call a Brahmana.” – Santi Parva
ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते ॥
श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः ॥१२-२०॥
And they who follow this Immortal Dharma, as described above, endued with Sraddha regarding Me as the Supreme Goal, and devoted – they are exceedingly dear to Me.
॥ इति भक्तियोगो नाम द्वादशोऽध्यायः ॥
Harih Harah!!
