GITA Summary , Chapter - 12 of 18

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Hare Krishna. Pranam to all Vaishnavas,

I surrender unto the lotus feet of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, begging for His merciful blessings to, advise Gita-rahasya to His Bhaktas of this group.

GITA Summary of Chapter – 12 (Bhakti Yoga)

(Yoga Through Devotional Service )

Preface

Throughout the Gita, personal devotion to Krishna is recommended as the highest form of spiritual realization. In this chapter , Krishna explains, Bhakti-yoga .

 

 

· SHOULD ONE WORSHIP ‘PERSONAL GOD’ OR FORMLESS ‘ IMPERSONAL BRAHMAN ’ ?

 

The devotee who worships a ‘Personal God ‘ is known as ‘Personalist’ . One who meditates upon the formless ‘Impersonal Brahman’ is called ‘Impersonalist’.

Krishna declares here “ The devotee who faithfully worships Me as Personal God,I s the best Yogi .”

 

· REASONS FOR WORSHIPING KRISHNA AS ‘PERSONAL GOD’.

 

A devotee directly worships Krishna as ‘Personal God ‘ and attains Him by following the simple process of Bhakti-yoga. Whereas, an ‘Impersonalist’ follows another path whcih is troublesome and difficult . He doesn’t surrender to Krishna and tries an indirect process, to understand the unmanifested Brahman through vedic literatures like Upanisads , learn the language, understand the non-perpetual feelings and realize all the processes. Krishna says in Gita "After many births the man of wisdom seeks refuge of Me , knowing that Vasudeva is all."

It is very difficult for an embodied soul to realize that he is not the body. Therefore, a devotee accepts the ‘Deity’ of Krishna as worshipable and it suits the natural bodily conception in the mind.

‘Saguna worship’ of Deity in the temple, is not ‘Idol worship’. The ‘Arca-vigraha’ of Krishna, though represented by material qualities such as stone, wood or oil paint, is not actually material but Krishna’s incarnation. The ‘Arca-vigraha’ can accept the services of the devotee and establish a reciprocal relationship with him. A devotee has to stand for just a few

minutes in front of the ‘Arca-vigraha’ , with his body, mind, food, words and karma purity, to receive Krishna’s grace in the form of radiant spiritual energy .

 

 

· BHAKTI-YOGA

 

Bhagavan Sri Krishna instructs, Bhakti-yoga to His disciple Uddhava :

(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.11.34 - 41)

 

“My dear Uddhava, one can give up false pride and prestige by engaging in the following devotional activities. One may purify oneself by seeing, touching, worshiping, serving, and offering prayers of glorification and obeisances to My form as the Deity and to My pure devotees. One should also glorify My transcendental qualities and activities, hear with love and faith the narrations of My glories and constantly meditate on Me. One should offer to Me whatever one acquires, and accepting oneself as My eternal servant, one should give oneself completely to Me. One should always discuss My birth and activities and enjoy life by participating in festivals, such as ‘Janmashtami’ which glorify My pastimes. In My temple, one should also participate in

festivals and ceremonies by singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and discussing Me with other devotees . One should observe all the regularly celebrated annual festivals by attending ceremonies, pilgrimages and making offerings. One should also observe religious vows such as Ekadasi and take initiation by the procedures mentioned in the Vedas, Pancaratra and other, similar literatures. One should faithfully and lovingly support the installation of My Deity, and individually or in cooperation with others one should work for the construction of temples and cities as well as flower gardens, fruit gardens and special areas to celebrate My pastimes. One should consider oneself to be My humble servant, without duplicity, and thus should help to clean the temple, which is My home. First one should sweep and dust thoroughly, and then one should further cleanse with water and cow dung. Having dried the temple, one should sprinkle scented water and decorate the temple with mandalas.

One should thus act just like My servant. A devotee should never advertise his devotional activities ; therefore his service will not be the cause of false pride. One should never use lamps that are offered to Me for other purposes simply because there is need of illumination, and similarly, one should never offer to Me anything that has been offered to or used by others. Whatever is most desired by one within this material world, and whatever is most dear to oneself — one should offer that very thing to Me. Such an offering qualifies one for eternal life.”

The process of Bhakti-yoga is very simple ; One can devote himself in his occupation and engage at the same time in chanting the holy names of Krishna – The holy names of Krishna and Krishna Himself are non-different . Therefore, when a devotee chants Krishna’s names, Bhagavan’s internal potency is dancing

on the tongue of the devotee. This process is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita and in other Vedic literatures. Varaha Purana says that , Bhagavan never fails to liberate His sincere devotees of all their sinful reactions.

 

Bhakti-yoga is the purification of the senses which are contaminated by material association. When purified, the senses come in direct contact with Krishna, the Supreme God . Such an express God-realization cannot be achieved by any other religious process .

Summary

Sloka 1arjuna uvaca :

evam satata-yukta ye / bhaktas tvam prayupasateye capy aksaram avyaktam / tesam ke yoga-vittamah(Arjuna asked: The steadfast devotees worship You as ‘Personal God’ . Others worship the formless ‘Impersonal Brahman’. Which one of these two has the best Yoga?)

Sloka 2

sri bhagavan uvaca :

mayy avesya mano ye mam / nitya-yukta upasatesraddaya parayopetas / te me yuktatama matah(Bhagavan said: Those steadfast devotees who worship with supreme faith by fixing their mind on Me as ‘Personal God’ , I consider them to be the best Yogis.)

Slokas 3-4ye tv aksaram anirdesyam / avyaktam paryupasatesarvatra-gam acintyanca / kutastham acalam dhruvamsanniyamyendriya-gramam / sarvatra sama-buddhayahte prapmuvanti mam eva / sarva-bhuta-hite ratah(But, those who fully worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the perception of the senses, the all-pervading, inconceivable, unchanging, fixed and immovable--the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth--by controlling the various senses and being equally disposed to everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all, also attain Me.)Sloka 5kleso' dhikataras tesam / avyaktasakta-cetasamavyakta hi gatir duhkham / dehavadbhir avapyate(For those whose minds are attached to the un-manifested (Impersonal Brahman) , experience great

difficulty because it is very troublesome for the embodied being to attain steadiness in that which is the formless un-manifested ) .

Sloka 6-7ye te sarvani karmani / mayi sannyasya mat-parahanayenaiva yogena / mam dhyayanta upasatetesam aham samuddarta / mrtyu-samsara-sagaratbhavam ina cirat partha / mayy avesita-cetasam(But, to those who worship Me as the ‘Personal God’ , surrendering all actions to Me ; setting Me as their supreme goal, and meditating on Me with single minded devotion; I give swift deliverance from this ocean of birth and death.)Sloka 8mayy eva mana adhatsva / mayi buddhim nivesayanivasisyasi mayy eva / ata urddhvam na samsayah(Therefore fix your mind on Me, and

establish your intelligence in Me alone; thereafter you will abide solely in Me. There is no doubt about it.)

Sloka 9atha cittam samadhatum / na saknosi mayi sthiramabhyasa-yogena tato / mam icchaptum dhananjaya(O Arjuna , If you can not steadily fix the mind on Me, then seek to attain Me through the yoga of repeated Spiritual practice (such as a suitable ‘Ritual’ or ‘Deity worship’.)Sloka 10abhyase 'py asamartho'si / mat-karma-paramo bhavamad-artham api karmani / kurvan siddhim avapsyasi( If you are unable even to do any spiritual practice, then be intent on performing your duty just for Me. You shall attain perfection by doing your prescribed duty for Me (without any selfish motive — just as an instrument to serve and please Me.)Sloka 11athaitad apy asakto 'si / karttum mad-yogam asritahsarva-karma-phala-tyagam / tatah kuru

yatatmavam( If you are unable to do your duty for Me, then just surrender unto My will, and renounce the attachment to, and the anxiety for, the fruits of all your works (by learning to accept with equanimity , all results as My grace .)Sloka 12sreyo hi jnanam abhyasaj / jnanad dhyanam visisyatedhayanat karma-phala-tyagas / tyagac chantir anantaram(The transcendental knowledge of scriptures is better than mere ritualistic practice; meditation is better than scriptural knowledge; renunciation of selfish attachment to the fruits of work is better than meditation; by such renunciation of selfish motives, one can attain peace of mind.)

Slokas 13-14advesta sarva-bhutanam / maitrah karuna eva canirmamo nirahankarah / sama-duhkha-sukhah ksamisantustah satatam yogi / yatatma drdha-niscayahmayy arpita-mano-buddhir / yo mad-bhaktah sa me priyah(One who is not envious but friendly to all living entities ; who is free from false ego as well as the attitude of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ ; who is equal in both happiness and distress ; who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in My ‘bhakti’ with determination by having his mind and intelligence fixed on Me--such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.)Sloka 15yasman nodvijate loko / lokan nodvijate ca yahharsamarsa-bhayodvegair / mukto yah sa ca me priyah( The one who neither disturbs

anyone in the world , nor is himself disturbed by others ; who is free from mundane happiness, intolerance, fear and anxiety ; is certainly dear to Me.)Sloka 16anapeksah sucir daksa / udasino gata-vyathahsarvarambha-parityagi / yo mad-bhaktah sa me priyah(My devotee who is who is not dependent on mundane activities ; who is internally and externally pure, expert, impartial, and free from anxiety and distress; is very dear to Me. )Sloka 17yo na hrsyati na dvesti / na socati na kanksatisubhasubha-parityagi / bhaktiman yah sa me priyah(One who neither rejoices nor grieves, who neither laments nor desires ; who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things--such a devotee is very dear to Me.)Sloka 18-19samah satrau ca mitre ca / tatha manapamanayohsitosna-sukha-duhkhesu /

samah sanga-vivarjitahtulya-ninda-stutir mauni / santusto yena kenacitaniketah sthira-matir / bhaktiman me priyo narah(One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy ; who is always free from contaminating association, always silent and satisfied with anything ; who doesn't care for any residence ; whose intelligence is fixed in Me in full devotion --such a person is very dear to Me.)Sloka 20ye tu dharmamrtam idam / yathoktam paryupasatesraddadhana mat-parama / bhaktas te'tiva me priyah(But those devotees who set Me as their supreme goal ; who faithfully and carefully engage in the above mentioned nectar of Bhakti-yoga ; are the most dear to Me. )Thus ends the Twelfth Chapter Bhakti-yoga of Srimad Bhagavad-gita, which gives pleasure to the bhaktas and is accepted

by all saintly persons.

Ohm Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya!!!

SriKrishnaDasa Rajeev

(To Continue in next part ..)

NB - : GITA chapters 1 to 12 are saved in the Folder, ‘Gita’ in ’s FILES. The chapter-wise summary of remaining (6) chapters of Bhagavad Gita , will be posted in (6) parts, in the coming days.

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