NITAAI-Veda.nyf > Soul Science God Philosophy > Gita Summary > 12 Bhakti Yoga |
Title: Chapter 12 Bhakti Yoga
User: Bhushan Nityananda dasa Date: 2007-06-11 19:43:07
C H A P T E R T W E L V E
Arjuna: O Krishna, I
realize that I am more attached to Your
two-armed form. I now want to confirm that the path of bhakti is the best path.
Therefore who are considered better, those who worship the impersonal Brahman
or devotees who worship You?
Krishna: Those who fix their minds on My personal form
and are always worshipping Me with great faith are the most perfect,
Arjuna. These devotees are the best
because bhakti is the quickest process for attaining Me. But those who worship the all-pervading,
impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth, by controlling the senses and
being equal to everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all at last
achieve Me.
Arjuna: Why are they inferior, Krishna, if they will
also achieve you?
Krishna: Because those who are attached to My
impersonal feature have to experience more difficulty, Arjuna. It also takes
them a longer time to obtain their goal.
However, whatever one can obtain by karma and jnana is easily and
quickly obtained by My devotees. My
unalloyed bhaktas do not even think of crossing this material world, therefore
I personally uplift them without their desiring it. They make no endeavour to elevate themselves
other than devotional service to My lotus feet.
Those unalloyed devotees
renounce all activities that are obstacles to My devotion. They only hear about and remember Me and
engage in pure devotional service. In
this mood they meditate on My pastimes, their minds fully engaged in Me. I quickly uplift such devotees from the ocean
of birth and death --- for I cannot tolerate delay. I come on Garuda and personally pick them up
and take them away. Other yogis take the
path of light or darkness, but I do not care for this process for My pure
devotees. Bhakti does not depend on
prescribed duties or anything else. Devotees attain Me by nothing more than
devotion and chanting.
Arjuna: Then why should I fight, Krishna?
Krishna: Because your fighting is devotional service,
Arjuna. How many times must I tell
you? Just fix your mind upon Me and
engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus
you will live in Me always without a doubt.
Not like the misra-bhaktas who gradually come to Me. They only see My aisvarya feature.
Arjuna: Krishna, it's difficult to fix the mind and
intelligence on You. What will be the
result if I cannot do it?
Krishna: If you are not able to directly remember Me
without deviation, Arjuna, then bring your mind back again and again. Fix it on My form. Practising like this is called abhyasa-yoga
or sadhana-bhakti. The mind is like a
river which flows to filthy areas, but control it with dams. Bring it to the ocean of My form and swim in
this ocean of rasa. You are called
Dhananjaya because you fought with enemies and obtained wealth. Now, fight with the enemy of your mind and
obtain the wealth of meditation.
Arjuna: My mind flickers like the wind, Krishna, I
don't have the strength to control it.
What should I do?
Krishna: If you cannot perform abhyasa yoga, Arjuna,
and your mind is influenced by ignorance then you need to work for Me.
Arjuna: What type of work, Krishna?
Krishna: Build temples, Arjuna, make gardens, clean My
temple, hear and chant, pick flowers, or perform puja. All these services are directly related with
devotion. By performing these activities
for My sake your mind will become attached to My form and glories. Even if you cannot remember Me while working,
you will still attain prema. However, if
you think you are a famous aristocrat, and you cannot perform menial service
for Me, then you can perform yoga and renounce the fruits of whatever
activities you perform and give them to Me.
Still, if you cannot do this, then engage yourself in the cultivation of
knowledge. Better than knowledge,
however, is meditation and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits
of action because that will bring peace of mind.
Arjuna: Krishna, what are the qualities of one who
has obtained that peace through devotional service?
Krishna: One is not envious but is a kind friend to
all living beings. There is no sense of proprietorship or false ego in such a
person . One is equal in both happiness
and distress, tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in
devotional service with determination. Such a devotee is very dear to Me. He has these good qualities because his mind
is surrendered to Me. That devotee is
not disturbed by anyone and never puts others into difficulty. He is equipoised in happiness, distress, in
fear or anxiety.
My devotee who is not
dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert in
philosophy, who does not take sides, and does not feel disturbed even when
disrespected by others is very dear to Me.
One who does not become elated if he gets a son or a disciple, who
neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious
things is very dear to Me. One who is
equal to friends and enemies, who is equi-poised in honour and dishonour, heat
and cold, fame and infamy, who is always free from contaminating association,
who is always silent and satisfied with anything, who is not attached to his
residence, who is fixed in knowledge, and engaged in devotional service, is
very dear to Me.
These qualities are born
from devotion not from the mode of goodness.
If someone has even one of these qualities he is dear to Me. Beginners who are aspiring for these
qualities are better than the perfected ones on other paths. Devotees who follow sadhana are dear to Me,
but those who have these qualities are very dear to Me. Those who follow this imperishable path of
devotional service and who completely engage themselves with faith, making Me
the supreme goal are very, very dear to Me.