Bhagavad Gita · 12.11 · The Yoga of Devotion·11 of 20
अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः।सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान् ॥
athaitad apy aśhakto ’si kartuṁ mad-yogam
āśhritaḥ sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān
Sanskrit recitation
Many paths, one devotion · 12.1–12.12 · Teaching
Translation
If you are unable to do even this, then, resort to union with Me and renounce the fruits of all actions with self-control.
Meaning
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and their fruits to Me is My Yoga.Yatatmavan The man of discrimination who has controlled all the senses, who has withdrawn the senses from sound, touch, form, taste and smell.Now the Lord eulogises the renunciation of the fruits of all actions in order to encourage the aspirants to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.
After Swami Sivananda
Many paths, one devotion· 12.1–12.12→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 12.1Arjuna said, "Which of them are better versed in Yoga—those who steadfastly worship You, or those who worship the imperishable and the unmanifested?"
- 12.2The 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."
- 12.3Those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the omnipresent, the unthinkable, the immovable, and the eternal.
- 12.4Having restrained all the senses, being even-minded everywhere, and intent on the welfare of all beings, they verily come unto Me.
- 12.5Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the unmanifested, for the goal of the unmanifested is very hard for the embodied to reach.
- 12.6But to those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me, regarding Me as the supreme goal, meditating on Me with single-minded yoga.
- 12.7To those whose minds are set on Me, O Arjuna, verily I soon become the savior out of the ocean of Samsara.
- 12.8Fix your mind on Me, and your intellect in Me. Then you will certainly live in Me alone hereafter.
- 12.9If you are unable to fix your mind steadily on Me, then seek to reach Me through the yoga of constant practice, O Arjuna.
- 12.10If 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.
12.11If you are unable to do even this, then, resort to union with Me and renounce the fruits of all actions with self-control.
- 12.12Better 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.
Word-by-word→
- api
- even
- asi
- you are
- atha
- if
- etat
- this
- kuru
- do
- kartum
- to work
- tataḥ
- then
- mad-yogam
- with devotion to me
- aśhaktaḥ
- unable
- sarva-karma
- of all actions
- āśhritaḥ
- taking refuge
- phala-tyāgam
- to renounce the fruits
- yata-ātma-vān
- be situated in the self
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