Bhakti Yoga

अर्जुन उवाच । एवं सततयुक्ता ये भक्तास्त्वां पर्युपासते ये चाप्यक्षरमव्यक्तं तेषां के योगवित्तमाः ॥...

Arjuna asked: Those devotees who worship you as the one without attributes (formless) and those who worship you as the one with attributes (with form); which of these are better versed in Yoga?

श्रीभगवानुवाच । मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते श्रद्धया परयोपेतास्ते मे युक्ततमा मताः ॥ ...

The Blessed Lord said: Those who have fixed their minds on Me and worship me with total dedication and faith, them I consider perfect in Yoga.

ये त्वक्षरमनिर्देश्यमव्यक्तं पर्युपासते । सर्वत्रगमचिन्त्यं च कूटस्थमचलं ध्रुवम् ॥ १२.३ ॥

But those who worship the formless, the Indefinable, the Imperishable, the Unmanifest, the Omnipresent, the Unthinkable, the Unchangeable, the Immovable, the External- Having controlled all of the senses, always evenminded, thinking of the welfare of all beings, they also come to Me.

संनियम्येन्द्रियग्रामं सर्वत्र समबुद्धयः । ते प्राप्नुवन्ति मामेव सर्वभूतहिते रताः ॥ १२.४ ॥

But those who worship the formless, the Indefinable, the Imperishable, the Unmanifest, the Omnipresent, the Unthinkable, the Unchangeable, the Immovable, the External- Having controlled all of the senses, always evenminded, thinking of the welfare of all beings, they also come to Me.

क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् । अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ॥ १२.५ ॥

However, the worship of God without form is very difficult for the embodied because it is very hard to set the mind on the unmanifest, i.e. the one not capable of being recognized with the aid of the senses.

ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्पराः । अनन्येनैव योगेन मां ध्यायन्त उपासते ॥ १२.६ ॥

But those who worship Me, dedicating all actions to Me, regarding Me as the Supreme Goal, meditating on Me with single-mindness.

तेषामहं समुद्धर्ता मृत्युसंसारसागरात् । भवामि न चिरात्पार्थ मय्यावेशितचेतसाम् ॥ १२.७ ॥

These worshippers’ thoughts are set on Me; hence O Arjuna, I become their saviour from the wheel of birth and death.

मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय । निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ॥ १२.८ ॥

Therefore, fix your mind on Me alone, let your thoughts reside in Me. You will hereafter live in Me alone. Do not have any doubt about it.

अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम् । अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनंजय ॥ १२.९ ॥

If you are not able to set your mind on Me, O Arjuna, then wish to reach Me by the Yoga of constant practice.

अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव । मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ॥ १२.१० ॥

If you are unable to perform the Yoga of constant practice, then be intent on doing your actions for My sake; thus, performing actions for My sake, you will attain perfection.

अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः । सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान् ॥ १२.११ ॥

If you cannot do actions for My sake, then taking refuge in Me, renounce (abandon) all the fruits of action by controlling yourself.

श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते । ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् ॥ १२...

To gain spiritual knowledge is better than to practise Yoga; Meditation is better than Knowledge, abandoning the fruit of action is better than meditation because peace immediately follows the abandoning of the fruits of action.

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च । निर्ममो निरहंकारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥ १२.१३ ॥

The Lord describes the divine qualities of a devotee: He who hates no one, who is friendly and compassionate to all, who is free of egoism, balanced in pain and pleasure and forgiving. He who is ever content, ever steady in meditation, self-controlled and firmly committed with mind and intellect fixed on Me, that devotee is dear to Me.

संतुष्टः सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चयः । मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥ १२.१४ ॥

The Lord describes the divine qualities of a devotee: He who hates no one, who is friendly and compassionate to all, who is free of egoism, balanced in pain and pleasure and forgiving. He who is ever content, ever steady in meditation, self-controlled and firmly committed with mind and intellect fixed on Me, that devotee is dear to Me.

यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः । हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥ १२.१५ ॥

He who does not harm anyone in the world and from whom the world is not agitated, and he who knows no joy, envy, fear and anxiety, that devotee is dear to me.

अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः । सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥ १२.१६ ॥

He who is free from desires, who is pure, expert, unconcerned, free from pain, selfless in all of his actions, he who is thus devoted to Me, is dear to Me.

यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न काङ्क्षति । शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्यः स मे प्रियः ॥ १२.१७ ॥

He who neither rejoices (obtaining the desirable objects), nor hates (the undesirable objects), nor grieves (losing his beloved objects), nor desires (his beloved objects), free from the notions of good and evil, full of devotion, he is dear to Me.

समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः । शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु समः सङ्गविवर्जितः ॥ १२.१८ ॥

He who is the same to enemy and friend and also in honour and dishonour, in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, and who is free from attachment-

तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् । अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः ॥ १२.१९ ॥

He who is neutral in censure and praise, He who is silent, content with anything (in the world), does not claim any residence as his home, he who is steady-minded, full of devotion; that man is dear to Me.

ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते । श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः ॥ १२.२० ॥

They who follow this immortal law as described above, endowed with faith, looking upon Me as their supreme goal and being devoted, are extermely dear to Me.