Pujya Ramsukhdasji Maharaj

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Worship of Attributeless Absolute - Gita 12:5 Part 1

 

" Kleso dhikatarastesaam avyaktaasaktacetasaam

Avyaktaa hi gatirdukham dehavadbhravaapyate. " (Gita 12:5)

 

The difficulty in following the spiritual discipline for those whose

minds are attached to the Unmanifest is greater, for the Unmanifest

is hard to reach, by the body conscious beings. " (Gita 12:5)

 

Comments - Kleso dhikatarastesaam avyaktaasaktacetasaam - In this

verse the talks are about those spiritual aspirant whose thoughts

are set on the Unmanifest, who regard the worship of the

attributeless Absolute as superior, but whose minds has not entered

the attributeless Absolute. In order to realize Absolute, a

spiritual aspirant should possess three qualities - deep longing and

inclination, faith and qualifications. Such aspirants having heard

the glory of the Absolute, develop an inclination and having faith

start the spiritual discipline; but because of identification of the

self with the body and because of lack of dispassion, their minds do

not comprehend the Absolute. For such aspirants God has spoken

about " avyaktaasaktacetasaam " .

 

In Gita 6:27-28, the Lord explains that a Yogi who has become one

with God, with ease experiences infinite bliss i.e. the Eternal

(Brahma). But here, by the terms " greater difficulty " He explains

that the minds of the spiritual aspirants unlike those who have

become one with God, have not got absorbed in the Eternal. It means

that these aspirants are attached to their body, but having heard

the glory of worship of the Unmanifest, and regarding this worship

as superior to others, they become attached to worship of the

Attributeless. But attachment continues to remain to the body, not

to the Unmanifest, Attributeless.

 

In Gita 13:5, as well as, in several other verses, the term avyaktam

(Unmanifest), has been used for Prakriti (nature), while here in

this verse, it stands for Brahma (the Eternal or the Absolute) who

is attributeless and formless. The reason is, that Arjuna, in the

Gita 12:1, put the question pertaining to the worship of God with

attributes and form and also of Brahma the Imperishable and the

Unmanifest. So here, it stands for the Eternal or the Absolute,

rather than nature, because object of worship is God, not nature.