The Yoga of Devotion

Arjuna said, "Which of them are better versed in Yoga—those who steadfastly worship You, or those who worship the imperishable and the unmanifested?"

The twelfth discourse goes to prove that Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of devotion is much easier than Jnana Yoga or the Yoga of knowledge. In Bhakti Yoga the devotee establishes a near and dear relationship with the Lord. He cultivates slowly and one of the five Bhavas (attitudes) according to his temperament, taste and capacity. The five attitudes are the Santa Bhava (the attitutde of peaceful adoration) Dasya Bhava (the attitude of servant towards the master) Sakhya Bhava (the attitude of a friend) Vatsalya Bhava (the attitude of a parent to the child) and Madhurya Bhava (the attitutde of the lover towards the beloved). The devotee adopts these attitudes towards the Lord. The last (Madhurya Bhava) is the culmination of devotion. It is merging or absorption in the Lord.The devotee adores the Lord. He constantly remembers Him (Smarana). He sings His Name (Kirtana). He speaks of His glories. He repeats His Name. He chants His Mantra (Japa). He prays and prostrates himself. He hears His Lilas (divine plays). He does total, ungrudging and unconditional selfsurrender, obtains His grace, hols communion wih, and eventually gets absorbed in Him.The devotee begins by worshipping the idols or the symbols of God. Then he performs internal worship of the Form

The Blessed Lord said, "In My opinion, those who fix their minds on Me, worship Me ever steadfastly, and are endowed with supreme faith, are the best in Yoga."

Those devotees who fix their minds on Me in the Cosmi Form, the Supreme Lord and worship Me, ever harmonised and with intense and supreme faith, regarding Me as the Lord of all the masters of Yoga, who are free from attachment and other evil passions -- these, in My opinion, are the best versed in Yoga.They spend their days and nights in worshipping Me. They have no other thoughts except those,of Myself. They live for Me only. Therefore it is indeed proper to say that they are the best Yogins.Are not the others, those who contemplate the imperishable, formless, attributeless, alityless Supreme Brahman, the best of Yogins Listen now to what I have to say regarding them.

Those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the omnipresent, the unthinkable, the immovable, and the eternal.

Anirdesyam That which cannot be actually shown or which cannot be defined -- the Akshaa or Satchidananda Para Brahman is beyond the reach of the mind and speech. Why can It not be defined Because It is unmanifested. It does not have the four alities of manifested beings, vi.z, Jati (caste such as Brahmana, Kshatriya, etc.), Guna (attributes such as blueness, whiteness, tallness, shortness, etc.), Kriya (reading, walking, etc.), and Sambandha (like the relation between father and son).The unmanifest Incomprehensible by any of the organs of knowledge not manifest to any of the organs of knowledge.Upasana (worship) means sitting near. It is approaching the chosen ideal or object of worship by meditating on it, in accordance with the teachings of the scriptures and the spiritual preceptor, and dwelling steadily in the current of that one thought like a threat of oil poured from one vessel to another. It means continous and uninterrupted contemplation of God.The imperishable Brahman is omnipresent, pervading everything like the ether. It is unthinkable, because It is unmanifest. Whatever is visible to the senses can be thought of by the mind also. That which can be grasped by the organs of knowledge can be thought of by the mind also. But the Supreme Being is invisible to the senses and so cannot be grasped by the organs of knowledge and is, therefore, unthinkable

Having restrained all the senses, being even-minded everywhere, and intent on the welfare of all beings, they verily come unto Me.

Those who are free from likes and dislikes (attraction and repulsion) can possess,equanimity of mind. Those who have destroyed ignorance which is the cause for exhilaration and grief, through the knowledge of the Self, those who are free from all kinds of sensual cravings through the constant practice of finding the defects or the evil in sensual pleasures can have evenness of mind. Those who are neither elated nor troubled when they get desirable or undesirable objects can possess evenness of mind.The two currents of love and hatred (likes and dislikes) make a man think of harming others. When these two are destroyed through meditation on the Self, the Yogi is intent on the welfare of others. He rejoices in doing service to the people. He plunges himself in service. He works constantly for the solidarity or wellbeing of this world. He gives fearlessness (Abhayadana) to all creatures. No creature is afraid of him. He becomes a Paramahamsa Sannyasi who gives shelter to all in his heart. He attains Selfrealisation. He becoes a knower of Brahman. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman.By means of the control of the senses the Yogi closes the ten doors (the senses) and withdraws the senses from the sensual objects and fixes the mind on the innermost Self

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.

Worshippers of the Saguna (qualified) and the Nirguna (unqualified) Brahman reach the same goal. But the latter path is very hard and arduous, because the aspirant has to give up attachment to the body from the very beginning of his spiritual practice.The embodied Those who identify themselves with their bodies. Identification with the body is Dehabhimana. The imperishable Brahman is very hard to reach for those who are attached to their bodies. Further, it is extremely difficult to fix the resltess mind on the formless and attributeless Brahman. Contemplation on the imperishable, attributeless Brahman demands a very sharp, onepointed and subtle intellect. The Upanishad says Drisyate tu agraya buddhya sukshmaya sukshmadarsibhih -- It is seen by subtle seers through their subtle intellect.He who meditates on the unmanifested should possess the four means. Then he will have to approach a Guru who is well versed in the scriptures and who is also established in Brahman. He will have to hear the Truth from him, then reflect and meditate on It.He who realises the Nirguna (attributeless) Brahman attains eternal bliss or Selfrealisation or Kaivalya (Moksha) which is preceded by the destruction of ignorance with its effects. He who realises the Saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes) goes to Brahmaloka and enjoys all the wealth and powers of the Lord

But to those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me, regarding Me as the supreme goal, meditating on Me with single-minded yoga.

Ananya Yoga Unswerving Yoga exclusive, having no other objects of worship or support save the Lord Samadhi.Even in Bhakti Yoga one should not abandon actions. He must perform actions but he will have to dedicate the merits or the fruits to the Lord. (Cf.IX.27)

To those whose minds are set on Me, O Arjuna, verily I soon become the savior out of the ocean of Samsara.

Mortal Samsara The round of birth and death. The devotee who does total, unconditional, and ungrudging selfsurrender to the Lord, who places himself completely at the mercy of the Lord, and who fixes of actions by offering them to the Lord and who thus destroys any power in the actions to bear fruit, and who has abandoned even the idea of liberation, is soon lifted by the Lord from the mortal plane to the abode of Immortality.I redeem such persons who have become Macchitta i.e., mind united with Me, from the ocean of the mortal world or worldly life, without delay. (Cf.X.10.11XII.6and7)

Fix your mind on Me, and your intellect in Me. Then you will certainly live in Me alone hereafter.

Fix thy mind means thy purposes and thoughts in Me the Lord in the Cosmic Form. Give up entirely all thoughts of sensual objects. Fix in Me thy intellect also -- the faculty which resolves and determines.What will be the result then Thou shalt undoubtedly live in Me as Myself. O Arjuna, of this there is no doubt whatsoever.The Yoga of meditation is described in this verse. (Cf.VIII.7X.9XI.34XVIII.65)

If you are unable to fix your mind steadily on Me, then seek to reach Me through the yoga of constant practice, O Arjuna.

Abhyasa Yoga Abhyasa is constant practice to steady the mind and fix it on one point the practice of repeatedly withdrawing the mind from all sorts of sensual objects and fixing it again and again on one particular object or the Self. The constant effort to separate or detach oneself from the illusory five sheaths and identify oneself with the Atman is also Abhyasa. If you are not able to fix your mind and intellect wholly on the Lord all the time, then do it for some time at least. If your mind wanders much, try to fix it on the Lord through the continous practice of remembrance. Resort to the worship of the images of God, feeling His Living Presence in them. This will also help you.Why did Lord Krishna address Arjuna by the name Dhananjaya here Surely there is some significance. Arjuna conered many people and brought immense wealth for the Rajasuya Yajna performed by Yudhishthira. For such a man of great powers and splendour, it is not difficult to conquer this mind, and obtain the spiritual wealth of knowledge of the Self. This is what Lord Krishna meant when He addressed Arjuna by the name Dhananjaya.

If you are unable to practice even this Abhyasa Yoga, be intent on doing actions for My sake; even by doing actions for My sake, you will attain perfection.

Even if thou doest mee actions for My sake without practising Yoga thou shalt attain perfection. Thou shalt first attain purity of mind, then Yoga (concentration and meditation), then knowledge and then ultimately perfection (Moksha or liberation). Serving humanity with Narayana Bhava (feeling that one is serving the Lord in all) is also doing actions for the sake of the Lord. such service should go hand in hand with worship of God and meditation.If you are not able to practise the Yoga of meditation mentioned in verse 8 or the Yoga of constant practice mentioned in verse 9, hear the glorious stories connected with the Lord by attending religious discourses, conducted by the devotees of the Lord, sing Kirtan and the praises of the Lord.Practise the nine kinds of Bhagavata Dharma (the nine modes of devotion). viz., (1) hearing the Lilas (glorious and divine sports) of the Lord (Sravana), (2) singing His Names (Kirtana), (3) constant remembrance of the Lord and constant repetition of His Names or Mantras (Smarana), (4) service of His feet (Padasevana), (5) offering flowers in worship (Archana), (6) doing prostrations to the Lord (Vandana), (7) becoming His servant (Dasya), (8) friendship with Him (Sakhya), and (9) doing total selfsurrender to the Lord (Atmanivedana). (Cf.III.19XI.55)

If you are unable to do even this, then, resort to union with Me and renounce the fruits of all actions with self-control.

This is the easiest path. If thou art unable to perform actions for My sake, if thou canst not even be intent on My service, if thou art unable to practise the Bhagavata Dharmas, if thous wishest to do actions impelled by personal desires, then do thou perform them (for your sake from a sense of duty) renouncing them all in Me and also abandon the fruits of all actions, at the same time practising selfcontrol.In verse 8 the Yoga of meditation is prescribed for advanced students in verse 9 the Yoga of constant practice if one finds that, too, to be difficult, the performance of actions for the sake of the Lord alone has been taught in verse 10 and those who cannot do even this are asked to abandon the fruits of all actions.Madyogam My Yoga. Surrendering all actions and their fruits to Me is My Yoga.Yatatmavan The man of discrimination who has controlled all the senses, who has withdrawn the senses from sound, touch, form, taste and smell.Now the Lord eulogises the renunciation of the fruits of all actions in order to encourage the aspirants to practise the Yoga of renunciation of the fruits of actions.

Better indeed is knowledge than practice; better than knowledge is meditation; better than meditation is the renunciation of the fruits of actions: peace immediately follows renunciation.

Theoretical or indirect knowledge of Brahman gained from the scriptures is better than the practice (of restraining the modifications of the mind or worship of idols or selfmortification for the purpose of control of the mind and the senses) accompained with ignorance. Meditation is better than theoretical knowledge. Renunciation of the fruits of actions is bettern than meditation. Renunciation of the fruits of all actions as a means to the attainment of supreme peace or Moksha is merely eulogised here by the declaration of the superiority of one over the other to encourage Arjuna (and other spiritual aspirants) to practise Nishkama Karma Yoga, to create a strong desire in them to take up the Yoga of selfless action, in the same manner as by saying that the ocean was drunk by the Brahmana sage Agastya even the Brahmanas of this age are extolled because they are also Brahmanas.Desire is an enemy of peace. Desire causes restlessness of the mind. Desire is the source of all human miseries, sorrows and troubles. Stop the play of desire through discrimination, dispassion and enquiry into the nature of the Self then you will enjoy supreme peace.Renunciation of the fruits of actions, is prescribed for the purification of the aspirants heart. It annihlates desire, the enemy of wisdom. The sage, too, renounces the fruits of actions. It has become natural to him to do so.

He who hates no creature, is friendly and compassionate to all, is free from attachment and egoism, is balanced in pleasure and pain, and is forgiving.

Lord Krishna gives a description of the nature of a Bhagavata or a sage in the following eight verses. These eight verses are called Amritashtakam.The devotee who is established in God bears illwill to none. He looks on all with love and great compassion. He regards all beings as himself. He does not hate even a single being, not even the creature which gives him intense pain. He who entertains mercy towards suffering people and tries to relieve their sufferings is a man of Karuna. He puts himself in the position of the sufferer and feels the pain himself. Mercy is a divine attribute. God is allmerciful. If you wish to hold communion with the Lord, and if you desire to attain Godhead, you must also become allmerciful.The perfect devotee offers full security of life (Abhayadana) to all beings. He is a Paramahamsa Sannyasi. The devotee only can really understand the mysterious ways of the Lord. He beholds the Lord everywhere. He sees the Lord in all creatures. That is the reason why he has eal vision. He is like the sun or the river. The sun sheds its light eally on a palace or a cottage. Anyone can drink the water of a river. A river enches the thirst of cows as well as tigers and lions. The idea of mineness and Iness never arises in the devotees mind. He has no sense of mine and thine. He is indifferent to pleasure and pain. He is not attached to pleasant objects

Ever content, steady in meditation, self-controlled, possessing firm conviction, with the mind and intellect dedicated to Me, he, My devotee, is dear to Me.

He knows that all that comes to him is the fruit of his own actions in the past and so he is ever contented. He does not endeavour to attain the finite or perishable objects. He fixes his mind and intellect on the Supreme Being or the Absolute, attains eternal satisfaction and stands adamant like yonder rock, amidst the vicissitudes of time.Contentment ever dwells in the heart of My devotee. Like the ocean which is ever full, his heart is ever full as he has no cravings. He is ever cheerful and joyous. He has a feeling of fullness whether or not he gets the means for the bare sustencance of his body. He is satisfied with a little thing and he does not care whether it is good or not. He never grumbles, complains or murmurs when he does not obtain food and clothing which are necessary for the maintenance of the body. His mind is ever filled with Me through constant and steady meditation.Yogi He who has evenness of mind always. He has controlled all the senses and desires. With a firm determination he has fixed his mind and intellect on Me in a spirit of perfect selfsurrender. He is endowed with a firm conviction regarding the essential nature of the Self

He whom the world does not agitate, and who cannot be agitated by the world, and who is freed from joy, anger, fear, and anxiety—he is dear to Me.

Harsha Joy, exhilaration of the mind when one obtains an object of desire. This is indicated by hair standing on end, tears flowing down the face, etc.Amarsha Anger. Some say that it is a mixture of jealousy and anger.Udvega Anxiety, worry, sorrow, discomfiture.The knower of Brahman or the devotee of the Lord never injures any creature in thought, word and deed. He gives security of life to all creatures. Therefore, no creature is afraid of him. The sage feels that the world is his body, his own Self. How can he be afraid of the world then He never hurts others and is not hurt by the words or deeds of others.The mental modifications of joy, envy, fear and anxiety leave the sage or devotee of their own accord, just as the beasts and birds leave the forest when it is on fire.Such a sage or devotee is dear to Me. How can I describe him

He who is free from wants, pure, expert, unconcerned, and free from pain, renouncing all undertakings and commencements, he who is devoted to Me is dear to Me.

He is free from dependence. He is indifferent to the body, the senses, the objects of the senses and their mutual connections. He has external and internal purity. External purity is attained through earth and water (washing and bathing). Inner purity is attained by the eradication of likes and dislikes, lust, anger, jealousy, etc., and through the cultivation of the virtues -- friendship (towards eals), compassion (towards those who are inferior) and complacency (towards superiors).Daksha Prompt, swift and skilful in all actions expert. He is able to decide rightly and immediately in matters that demand prompt attention and action.Udasina He who does not take up the side of a friend and the like (in a controversy) he who is indifferent to whatever happens.Gatavyathah He who is free from pain. He is not troubled even if he is beaten by a wicked man. He is not pained or afflicted by any result of any action or any happening.Sarvarambhaparityagi He habitually renounces all actions calculated to secure the objects of enjoyment, whether of this world or of the next. He has abandoned all egoistic, personal and mental initiative in all actions, mental and physical. He has merged his will in the cosmic will. He allows the divine will to work through him. He has neither preference nor personal desire and so he is swift, prompt and skilful in all actions

He who neither rejoices nor hates, nor grieves nor desires, renouncing both good and evil, and who is full of devotion, is dear to Me.

What is described in verse 13 is dealt with at length in this.He does not rejoice when he attains the desirable objects. He does not hate when he gets the undesirable objects. He does not grieve when he parts with his beloved objects. He does not desire the unattained.Subhasubhaparityagi Here is a further description of Sarvarambhaparityagi of verse 16. He who has renounced good and evil actions which produce pleasure and pain is a devotee of the Lord.Such a devotee or knower of Brahman, who is My own Self, is dear to Me. (Cf.VII.17IX.29)

He who is the same to foe and friend, and also in honor and dishonor, who is the same in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, and who is free from attachment.

The ordinary man of the world is ruled by the pairs of opposites, honour and dishonour, cold and heat and pleasure and pain but a Yogi or a sage or a devotee (Bhagavata) has a balanced mind. He has poise or equanimity. He is not at all swayed by the blind forces of attraction and repulsion.He who does wrong to others is a foe. He who does good to others is a friend.The devotee or the sage has no attachment for objects of any kind.

He to whom censure and praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, homeless, of a steady mind, and full of devotion; that man is dear to me.

He is neither elated by praise nor pained by censure. He keeps a balanced state of mind. He has controlled the organ of speech and so he is silent. His mind also is serene and silent as he has controlled the thoughts also. He is ite content with the bare means of bodily sustenance. It is said in the Mahabharata (Santi Parva, Moksha Dharma) Who is dressed in anything, who eats any kind of food, who lies down anywhere, him the gods call a Brahmana or a liberated sage or Jivanmukta.He does not dwell in one place. He has no fixed abode. He is homeless. He regards the world as his dwelling place. His mind is ever fixed on Brahman. (Cf.VII.17IX.29XII.17)

They who follow this immortal Dharma, endowed with faith and regarding Me as their supreme goal, are exceedingly dear to Me.

The Blessed Lord has in this verse given a description of His excellent devotee.Amrita Dharma Amrita is the lifegiving nectar. Dharma is righteousness or wisdom. Dharma is that which leads to immortality when practised. The real devotees regard Me as their final or supreme refuge.Above Beginning with verse 13.A great truth that should not go unnoticed is that the devotee, the man of wisdom and the Yogi have all the same fundamental characteristics.Priyo hi Jnaninotyartham (I am exceedingly dear to the wise man) (VII.12) has thus been explained at length and concluded here thus, Te ativa me priyah (they are exceedinlgy dear to Me).He who follows this immortal Dharma as described above becomes exceedingly dear to the Lord. Therefore, every aspirant who thirsts for salvation, and who longs to attain the Supreme Abode of the Lord should follow this immortal Dharma with zeal and intense faith.