Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 19

 Chapter 13 verse 19 

“I have thus revealed to you the nature of the field, the meaning of knowledge, and the object of knowledge. Only My devotees can understand this in reality, and by doing so, they attain My divine nature.” 

Arjuna had asked about true knowledge and what is to be known? Bhagwan first explained in detail the characteristics of a person with true knowledge and went on to explain what does the person with true knowledge obtain knowledge of? That entity which he gets knowledge of is the immutable Brahman- infinite spiritual energy which has no cause yet is the cause of the entire universe. In this verse, Bhagwan summarizes that he has explained the field of activity-kshetram, meaning of the true knowledge-jnananam, the object of knowledge-Jneyam. He also declares that only His true devotees attain this true knowledge and knows Him. I always go back to what Adi Shankara realized towards the end of his life on earth stated in bhaja govindam that if jnanam does not lead to bhakti, it is not true knowledge. That bhakti does not need to be personal form of Divine even though that aspect facilitates the human being utilize their instruments of the senses, body, mind and intellect to comprehend God. However the message is to transcend all these instruments and know Him at the ethereal level and know that he is resident in us in formless, infinite consciousness.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 18

 Chapter 13 verse 18 

“He is the source of light in all luminaries, and is entirely beyond the darkness of ignorance. He is knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the goal of knowledge. He dwells within the hearts of all living beings.” 

Continuing the definition of true knowledge, Bhagwan talks about the knowing that entity which is the source of all light and the rest of the world’s glow is just a reflection of this luminescence. He rids the universe of all darkness. He is both the knowledge in the Vedas, originator of the Vedas, entity being discussed in the Vedas and the ultimate destination or goal of the Vedas as well. When the human being becomes an efficient work horse without draining energy in expectations or attachments to results of action (karma yoga), draw their mind and intellect inwards in contemplation of the Self (raja yoga), fill that void in the mind and intellect with thought of total surrender to the Supreme entity (Bhakti yoga), true knowledge is installed in that being- jnana sprouts. Bhagwan then becomes a permanent resident in their hearts, mind and soul.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 17

 Chapter 13 verse 17 

“He is indivisible, yet He appears to be divided amongst living beings. Know the Supreme Entity to be the Sustainer, Annihilator, and Creator of all beings.” 

Bhagwan has a name “Anantha- Infinite or endless one”. That is the word which comes to mind when describing the various attributes of Bhagwan knowing which one is said to have attained true knowledge. He is at once both seen divided equally amongst all beings yet indivisible and infinite in nature. He is the creator, sustainer and annihilator of this universe and cause of all things and enables the effect of all karmas. He has set his nature’s laws and the most ardent obeyer and proponent of those laws. He is empathy and compassion personified yet is extremely just and right. He is perfect but tolerates all the imperfections in the universe to effect a particular transformation. One cannot really know him without his GRACE. So let’s SURRENDER!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 16

 Chapter 13 verse 16 

“He exists outside and inside all living beings, those that are moving and not moving. He is subtle, and hence, He is incomprehensible. He is very far, but He is also very near.” 

Continuing the contradictory qualities of the Divine which also signifies pervasiveness of the Godhead, Bhagwan says that he is both resident in all the beings-both sentient and insentient but also available in everything outside as well. He is the subtlest aspect of creation as well as the obvious grandeur as well. Since he is subtle in his disposition, he is not comprehensible by the mere body, mind, intellect complex. One has to transcend these instruments to know Him. He could be unreachable for normal being but for true devotees is easily accessible. The paradoxes continue to be illustrated. The knower has no paradox. The object to know is also not a paradox. The paradox lies in describing the indescribable.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 15

 Chapter 13 verse 15 

“Though He perceives all sense-objects, yet He is devoid of the senses. He is unattached to anything, and yet He is the sustainer of all. Although He is without attributes, yet He is the enjoyer of the three modes of material nature.” 

Paramatma is the biggest paradox of entity in the universe who has all the attributes seen in all beings but devoid of those attributes at the same time. How is that possible? It is possible since what we see is only from our vantage point and hence limited by our own narrow intellect. The universe is a reflection of the glories of the Lord and He is represented everywhere but cannot be pin pointed to one single thing. His state is that of ice which can melt into water and freeze back to ice but will not change its inherent property of colorless, odorless and tasteless matter. He is in all of us and exhibits all 3 gunas at that moment in time but is beyond those gunas in reality. You can call water a solid based on particular circumstances but one cannot define water as solid in their true nature..right? Let’s keep guessing who He really is? What we can comprehend is anyways limited right?

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 14

 Chapter 13 verse 14 

“Everywhere is His hands and feet, eyes, heads, and faces. His ears too are in all places, for He pervades everything in the universe.” 

What is true knowledge? It is the knowledge of the Brahman-immutable supreme consciousness. Bhagwan or paramatma or Brahman could have a form or be formless. As we saw earlier in vishwaroopa or grand cosmic form of the Lord, his form has infinite hands, feet, eyes, ears, heads and faces. That is to mean that everyone is reflected in Him and He is pervading the whole universe. That is why all offerings made by billions of people around the world reach the supreme entity and He is able to address the prayers of billions at once. He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 13

Chapter 13 verse 13 

“I shall now reveal to you that which ought to be known, and by knowing which, one attains immortality. It is the beginning less Brahman, which lies beyond existence and non-existence.” 

Arjuna had asked the question- what is true knowledge at the beginning of this chapter. Bhagwan wants to now unequivocally answer that question. He starts by perking the interest up by stating that Brahman is both without beginning and end, it is also beyond existence and non-existence. We had earlier seen that Bhagwan is the personal form of that entity for devotees or Bhaktas; paramatma is the Supreme entity all pervading both in the universe and inside as our individual soul and Brahman is the Supreme entity which is in the formless, attribute less form known to the wise only-Jnanis. The Supreme Lord is accessible to all kinds of human states the way we approach him- through knowledge, devotion, discipline or selfless effort.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 8-12

 Chapter 13 verse 8-12 

“Humility; freedom from hypocrisy; non-violence; forgiveness; simplicity; service of the Guru; cleanliness of body and mind; steadfastness; and self-control; dispassion toward the objects of the senses; absence of egotism; keeping in mind the evils of birth, disease, old age, and death; non-attachment; absence of clinging to spouse, children, home, and so on; even-mindedness amidst desired and undesired events in life; constant and exclusive devotion toward Me; an inclination for solitary places and an aversion for mundane society; constancy in spiritual knowledge; and philosophical pursuit of the Absolute Truth—all these I declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to it, I call ignorance.” 

Arjuna had asked the question from Bhagwan- What is true knowledge? Bhagwan answer is the being who has true knowledge exhibits the following behaviors or traits: 

1.       Humility: Total absence of sense of “I” or pride in any accomplishment

2.       Not a hypocrite: Their external and internal compass is always pointing the “true north”

3.       Non-violent: In both thought and action. The person does not even think ill of others or their behavior

4.       Forgiving: Other’s action don’t affect them so they don’t even have the option of forgiving since they have not taken any offense in the first place

5.       Simplicity: They are simple and straightforward in thought, speech, action and their personal needs

6.       Service to Guru:  Devotion towards their Guru or spiritual teacher is utmost and that is the source of all their other qualities

7.       Cleanliness of body and mind: To purify the mind and body requires practice and virtuous get to this state over time

8.       Steadfastness: Being firm in their true beliefs and living by “dharma”. Doing the right thing- stay as rock in principles and flow like water in terms of opinions

9.       Self control: A lot of the qualities illustrated cannot happen without controlling the mind, intellect to focus and choosing to “respond” to every situation not “react”

10.   Dispassion towards sense objects: Withdraw the body, mind and intellect from being affected by the external environment and sense objects

11.   Egoless: “I” has disappeared and the person has merged with the supreme consciousness

12.   Bearing witness to birth, disease, old age and death: Observe the cycle of life and understand that everyone has to go through them and detach oneself from the effects of this bodily cycle

13.   Non-attachment: Person is not attached in body, mind and intellect to the material world around them

14.   Detachment from family/friends and relatives: This does not mean they renounce the world and become ascetics but they are constantly aware that all worldly relationships are temporal in nature. They have the empathy, dispassion and kindness to deal with the world but stay detached

15.   Even minded: Life happens to all of us. The person with true knowledge however takes good and bad things with same attitude. They are even-minded for all pairs of opposites.

16.   Devotion to Supreme: When the body, mind & intellect detach it from the world of objects and things, it has to find refuge in some attachment and these people find that final refuge in the Supreme. That Supreme divine entity does not need to be thought of something external to oneself but reside in own soul consciousness.

17.   Solitude: Silence and Solitude is preferred by these persons since they realize that energy is dispensed in breaking silence and engagement with worldly objects is not helpful to advance themselves spiritually

18.   Avoid society:  They believe in just 2 being a crowd!

19.   Constancy in spiritual knowledge: It is one thing to acquire bookish knowledge and quite another to practice and live it

20.   Constant pursuit of absolute knowledge: Resident in the knowledge of Brahman or Supreme Consciousness 

Simply, anything other than this true knowledge is just ignorance!!! Beings with this true knowledge become the knower of the field- kṣhetrajña

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 7

 Chapter 13 verse 7 

“Desire and aversion, happiness and misery, the body, consciousness, and the will—all these comprise the field and its modifications.” 

What comprises the kshetra or field? The body which enables physically carrying out activities of the soul, consciousness which lends life to the body, then the various manifestations of the mind and intellect such as desire and aversion towards material things, happiness and misery-states of mind and intellect and modifications of those instruments comprise the field-kshetra.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 6

 Chapter 13 verse 6 

“The field of activities is composed of the five great elements, the ego, the intellect, the unmanifest primordial matter, the eleven senses (five knowledge senses, five working senses, and mind), and the five objects of the senses.” 

The field of activity has 24 elements divided into 5 sheaths (kosha) covering the soul: 

Annamaya Kosha: It is the gross sheath consisting of 5 gross elements-earth, water, air, fire and space 

Prāṇamaya kośha:.  It is the life air (prana) sheath, consisting of the five life air (prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna, and udāna). 

Manomaya kośha:  It is the mental sheath, consisting of the mind and the five working senses (voice, hands, legs, genitals, and anus). 

Vijñānamaya kośha:.  It is the intellectual sheath, consisting of the intellect and the five knowledge senses (ears, eyes, tongue, skin, and nose). 

Ānandmaya kośha:  It is the bliss sheath, which consists of the ego that makes us identify with the tiny bliss of the body-mind-intellect mechanism. 

24^th element is prakṛiti (the primordial form of the unmanifested material energy)

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 5

 Chapter 13 verse 5 

“Great sages have sung the truth about the field and the knower of the field in manifold ways. It has been stated in various Vedic hymns, and especially revealed in the Brahma Sūtra, with sound logic and conclusive evidence.” 

Bhagwan indicates that the description of the field and knower of the field- body, mind, intellect-field and knower is the individual soul and the Supreme Being, has been given in our Vedas, ithihaas, Upanishads and scores of other scriptural texts. Reference to Brahma Sutra could be interpreted as what sage veda vyasa himself wrote or just referring to the essence of Brahman. In other words Brahma Sutra would have meant a generic term than specifically what sage veda vyasa wrote. As well, we understand that for kali yuga, veda vyasa was the one who compiled and demarcated the Vedas, puranas. However vedas and knowledge behind the Vedas existed before veda vyasa and Krishna was aware of that and himself referred to that fact. He has stated earlier in Bhagavat Gita that he is not the one providing this knowledge. He is only stating what was available in the 3 vedas and said by ancient sages. Vedas are the most scientifically validated scripture of any major religion of the world and that is signified in what Bhagwan says-“sound logic and conclusive evidence”, both pillars of modern science. The Sanskrit word for science is vignanam- which is also the word in Sanskrit for wisdom-information perceived with real life evidence and experience turns to wisdom!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 4

 Chapter 13 verse 4 

“Listen and I will explain to you what that field is and what its nature is. I will also explain how change takes place within it, from what it was created, who the knower of the field of activities is, and what his powers are.” 

Bhagwan shows his utmost compassion by patiently explaining to Arjuna in a manner only a kind mother can care for a child. He is about to explain details of the field, what it includes and the nature of it. He would also explain how the field changes or transforms and where did it come from? Bhagwan will also explain the knower of the field and what is the expanse of that knower in the upcoming slokas.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 3

 Chapter 13 verse 3 

“O scion of Bharat, I am also the knower of all the individual fields of activity. The understanding of the body as the field of activities, and the soul and God as the knowers of the field, this I hold to be true knowledge.” 

Arjuna had earlier asked about true knowledge and Bhagwan answers that question in this sloka saying that he is the knower of all fields of activity and true knowledge for any human being is to realize that knower of the field of activity is the individual as well as supreme soul-divine supreme being and the field itself is body, mind and intellect.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 2

 Chapter 13 verse 2 

“The Supreme Divine Lord said: O Arjuna, this body is termed as kṣhetra (the field of activities), and the one who knows this body is called kṣhetrajña (the knower of the field) by the sages who discern the truth about both.” 

Bhagwan responds to Arjuna’s specific question about the different between field of activities and knower of the field. He says the field of activity is the body of the being itself or the material world itself. By extension, one can think of the field of activity as body, mind and intellect complex of all of us. The knower of the field is both the individual soul which is being referred here as kṣhetrajña but also the immutable Divine being who knows it all known as Bhagwan or paramatma or Brahman.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 13 verse 1

 Chapter 13 verse 1 

“Arjuna said, “O Keshava, I wish to understand what are prakṛiti and puruṣha, and what are kṣhetra and kṣhetrajña? I also wish to know what is true knowledge, and what is the goal of this knowledge?” 

The first 6 chapters of Bhagavat Gita is about Karma Yoga and second 6 chapters were about bhakti yoga and the last 6 chapters is going to be about Jnana yoga. Arjuna having heard in detail how to be a true devotee and gain mastery over action without expecting any particular fruit of action is interested in further knowledge of living a meaningful life with understanding of right way of life. Arjuna asks Bhagwan 4 questions: 

1.       What are prakriti  and purusha?

2.       What  are Kshetra and kṣhetrajña?

3.       What is true knowledge?

4.       What is the goal of that knowledge?

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 20

 Chapter 12 verse 20 

“Those who honor this nectar of wisdom (immortal dharma) declared here, have faith in Me, and are devoted and intent on Me as the supreme goal, they are exceedingly dear to Me.” 

In the annals of history and specifically sanatana dharma history, it has been seen that beings who grow out of their attachment to body, mind and intellect and surrender their entire instrument to Divine without doubt always reach the portals of the Divine. God’s Grace is earned verily by these “devotees”. I believe (still a belief since it is not an experiential reality for me) that the four paths enumerated in the Bhagavat Gita is not a parallel path but merge one to another. I don’t know which one is superior or the ultimate since from chapter 12, definition what a bhakta or “true devotee” matches very much with traits of a jnani, ashtanga yoga expert or karma yogi. All these I feel are labels for different paths but they all have to culminate in surrender to the divine or Self whichever you submit yourself to. As I said, it is not an experiential reality yet for me and that’s why I call it a belief. In this sloka, Krishna Bhagwan calls these 35 gems to be a darling of Krishna or Supreme as the immortal Dharma. This is the ageless dharma stipulated for a human being. Any human being who is able to exhibit these 35 qualities has fulfilled their dharma and attains moksha or enlightenment.

 

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 18-19

 Chapter 12 verse 18-19 

“Those, who are alike to friend and foe, equipoised in honor and dishonor, cold and heat, joy and sorrow, and are free from all unfavorable association; those who take praise and reproach alike, who are given to silent contemplation, content with what comes their way, without attachment to the place of residence, whose intellect is firmly fixed in Me, and who are full of devotion to Me, such persons are very dear to Me.” 

Who are Bhagwan’s true devotees? Continuing on the qualities which mark true devotees from last few slokas: 

25. Those don’t meet a single stranger, friend or foe since all beings are equal to them. Their sense of self does not arise from interactions with others. They realize the world provides experiences which are a projection of their own mind and intellect.

26. Those who don’t react to either honor or dishonor since it happens only to the body, mind and intellect and they have surrendered those instruments to the divine

27. They don’t let their bodily sufferings affect them. If afflicted by bodily disease, they take it in their stride as just part of what they need to go through as consequence of past karma. Countless examples of this state are Ramakrishna paramahamsa, ramana maharishi etc.,

28. They don’t react to joy or sorrow as well. Since their mind and intellect again are residing in divine not worldly vicissitudes.

29. They always engage in satsang- good company and shun bad company

30. They take praise and scorn alike since they realize that those are directed at the body, mind, intellect complex and identifies the person not the soul which is already dear to Krishna

31. They remain mostly in silent contemplation since words are not superior to silence to comprehend the Ultimate

32. They don’t pursue worldly things and are very content with what comes their way. Adi Shankara urged us to treat hunger as a disease and treat it. Kabir asked that he only get enough to satisfy his hunger and feed the sadhu who comes calling for alms-nothing more!

33. They are homeless since they consider their body as well as the material home they reside in as temporary existences and don’t attach themselves to both possessions. Several examples of true bhaktas exist in sanatana dharma history. Maharaja Bali, Kannapa nayanar, Ekalavya, Bhodendra swamigal etc., come to mind

34. Their buddhi-intellect is already surrendered to divine

35. Finally they are steadfast in their devotion to the Supreme

These are the 35 behaviors of those who are very dear to Krishna. They are the darling of Krishna and their true devotees.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 17

 Chapter 12 verse 17 

“Those who neither rejoice in mundane pleasures nor despair in worldly sorrows, who neither lament for any loss nor hanker for any gain, who renounce both good and evil deeds, such persons who are full of devotion are very dear to Me.” 

Who are Bhagwan’s true devotees? Continuing on the qualities which mark true devotees from last few slokas: 

21. Those who neither rejoices in worldly pleasures or sorrows-living like lotus leaf on water!

22. Those who feel that both worldly material or status loss or gain is very temporary and don’t react to them

23. Those who don’t claim doer ship to any action-good or evil. They are in constant “inaction” mode since everything they do is done without expecting a particular result. Of course they don’t even commit evil actions due to other qualities which make them a great devotee!

24. The quantum of devotion in these beings keeps increasing by the second. Ever expansive devotion and love for everyone around is the nature of these devoted beings

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 16

 Chapter 12 verse 16

 “Those who are indifferent to worldly gain, externally and internally pure, skillful, without cares, untroubled, and free from selfishness in all undertakings, such devotees of Mine are very dear to Me.”

 Who are Bhagwan’s true devotees? Continuing on the qualities which mark true devotees from last few slokas:

 16. Those who don’t rejoice or get dejected due to worldly gain and loss

17. Those who are pure hearted and as well pure in their actions- no lust, greed, anger, jealously, ego etc.

18. Those who are 100% engaged in their action, skillful, mindful and alert at their actions and hence do a thorough job of anything they embark on

19. Beings who don’t stress about outcome of actions since they have surrendered their will to Divine and don’t worry about result of action. No care; No worries!

20. Selfless in all their undertakings

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 15

 Chapter 12 verse 15 

“Those who are not a source of annoyance to anyone and who in turn are not agitated by anyone, who is equal in pleasure and pain, and free from fear and anxiety, such devotees of Mine are very dear to Me.” 

Who are Bhagwan’s true devotees? Continuing on the qualities which mark true devotees from last 2 slokas: 

1.       Those who don’t cause annoyance to others

2.       Those who don’t get annoyed/agitated by others

3.       Those who display equanimity in pleasure and pain

4.       Fearless

5.       Does not feel anxious

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 13-14

 Chapter 12 verse 13-14 

“Those devotees are very dear to Me who are free from malice toward all living beings, are friendly, and compassionate. They are free from attachment to possessions and egotism, equipoise in happiness and distress, and ever-forgiving. They are ever-contented, steadily united with Me in devotion, self-controlled, firm in conviction, and dedicated to Me in mind and intellect.” 

Who are Bhagwan’s true devotees? Devotion to the supreme opens up so many great qualities in beings such as:

1.      No malice to any being on earth and love towards all beings

2.       Epitome of love and compassion to everyone

3.       No attachments to objects, things or anything worldly

4.       No attachment to the “I-ness ” or detach themselves from their “ego”

5.       Equipoise in happiness and distress

6.       Forgiving. In fact they don’t think of others as separate from themselves

7.       Contented

8.       Surrendered to the Bhagwan

9.       Self aware, controlled and clear in their actions

10.   Firm control of the mind, intellect

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 12

 Chapter 12 verse 12 

“Knowledge is indeed better than religious practice; meditation is better than knowledge; renunciation of the fruits of action is better than meditation; peace happens immediately follows renunciation” 

There are 2 major parts of our Vedas- karma khanda and jnana khanda. Karma khanda instructs on how to perform rituals, fire sacrifices etc and Jnana khanda illustrates how to purify body, mind and intellect to realize your immutable soul or Brahman. A container with filthy water first needs to be emptied out and cleaned before fresh water can be filled in that. Likewise all of us start with mundane rituals of life but that engages our body, mind and intellect into non evil activity. Once the path is clear for receiving spiritual knowledge and our body-mind-intellect complex is ready for that knowledge, then that bookish knowledge is obtained. Once that knowledge is obtained which I don’t call jnana but pragnyapanam (information) since the knowledge of Brahman is not experiential. The way to convert that “information” into “experiential knowledge” is to go inward and control the mind through mindful meditation. Once after rigorous meditation is done to control the mind of current and previous vasanas and hence unwanted emotions/feelings, it is time to rid the intellect of thoughts or not dwell on those thoughts. Then we reach a stage where action is done without desire for particular results and that state of renunciation of desires or dedication of all action to the divine ultimately leads to eternal bliss, peace and state of Brahman.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 11

 Chapter 12 verse 11 

“If you are unable to even work for Me in devotion, then try to renounce the fruits of your actions and be situated in the self.” 

There are 3 actions suggested by Bhagwan to attain him- Be devoted to him 100%, do all actions as a service to Him and finally if both cannot be done due to lack of deep devotion, just do your actions without expecting any particular fruits of the action and always be conscious of thy self. Being established in the self, one cannot do undharmic activities and hence all actions purify the mind and intellect thereby gaining Godliness.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 10

 Chapter 12 verse 10 

“If you cannot practice remembering Me with devotion, then just try to work for Me. Thus performing devotional service to Me, you shall achieve the stage of perfection.” 

Bhagwan is providing options for Arjuna and all of us to reach Him through different paths which are suitable for one’s own construction of their body, mind and intellect. For those who cannot engage in bhakti yoga-surrender to Divine in complete devotion, he urges them to perform all action without expecting results different from what Bhagwan is willing to reward. In other words, the outcome of each action is not determined or desired by the individual but all action is done as a dedication to Divine.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 9

 Chapter 12 verse 9 

“If you are unable to fix your mind steadily on Me, O Arjuna, then practice remembering Me with devotion while constantly restraining the mind from worldly affairs.” 

The new born child does not know immediately to talk, walk and find their food themselves. They crawl, walk and then run. Likewise, beings cannot immediately fix their mind on the divine and that act needs a lot of practice. But they say “Practice makes perfect” and that perfection is what all of us needs to strive for. Controlling the mind from external stimuli is very hard but not impossible. With the mind and intellect starting to focus all the time on divine by surrendering all thoughts and feelings to Him, one gets the wisdom to detach themselves from their emotions, feelings and thoughts.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 8

 Chapter 12 verse 8 

“Fix your mind on Me alone and surrender your intellect to Me. There upon, you will always live in Me. Of this, there is no doubt.” 

The mind is responsible for all our feelings and emotions. It is what regulates how what emotions sense objects and the world of objects bring forth in us. Without controlling the mind, surrender to divine pursuits is not possible. Once the mind is controlled, the additional challenge is the intellect which is the seat of all thoughts which discern the feelings and emotions of the mind and rationalizes in a thought which could lead to action of a particular kind. Hence surrendering both mind and intellect to Divine pursuits is the only way to attain Him in personal form.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 6-7

 Chapter 12 verse 6-7 

“But those who dedicate all their actions to Me, regarding Me as the Supreme goal, worshiping Me and meditating on Me with exclusive devotion, O Partha (son of pritha dynasty), I swiftly deliver them from the ocean of birth and death, for their consciousness is united with Me.” 

This is an amazing set of slokas which enumerate the convergence of the 4 paths laid out in Bhagavat gita to reach the Divine. Jnana yoga, Karma Yoga, Astanga or Raja yoga and Bhakti yoga. When the being develops wisdom to perform all actions for Him, be in constant remembrance of Him, his meditative state always is for Him, then the individual consciousness merges with the supreme consciousness. The ultimate destination of all 4 paths is Brahman or Paramatma or Bhagwan. All of those 3 definitions denote the same entity. As Adi Shankara says in his bhaja govindam, there is no use of theoretical knowledge or information, if it does not convert into wisdom to understand that complete devotion to Supreme is the only way to rid ourselves from this cycle of birth and death.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 5

Chapter 12 verse 5 

“For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifest, the path of realization is full of tribulations. Worship of the unmanifest is exceedingly difficult for embodied beings.” 

Path of worshipping Brahman-formless, unmanifest, attributeless aspect of Divine is filled with trial and tribulations and the onus is entirely on the aspirant. It is comparable to a baby monkey who has to cling on to mother monkey for its survival but the mother doesn’t protect the baby. It is the responsibility of the baby to cling on to the mother for dear life when she jumps from one tree or one branch to another. On the other hand, the worship of the personal form is compared to a cat which handles its kitten through its teeth. All the kitten does is surrender completely to the whims of the mother cat and the mother uses same sharp teeth she kills its prey with for transporting her kitten from one place to another without hurting the kitten. Hence Bhagwan says that worshipping the formless also eventually leads to Him alone but it is a more difficult path to tread.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 3-4

 Chapter 12 verse 3-4 

“But those who worship the formless aspect of the Absolute Truth—the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the all-pervading, the unthinkable, the unchanging, the eternal, and the immoveable—by restraining their senses and being even-minded everywhere, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all beings, also attain Me.” 

Having indicated in the previous verse that it might be easier for the multitude of beings to pray to a personal form of the Divine, it is completely acceptable to meditate and pray to the formless version of the absolute Truth. It is said that veda vyasa called out 3 forms of divine- Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagwan. Brahman is the formless, imperishable, indefinable, unmanifest, unthinkable, unchanging, eternal and immovable aspect of the Universes which is the essence of all Vedas and Upanishads and is usually incomprehensible for the average human being. Paramatma is the recognition of a supreme soul different from our own individual souls and there is effort made to merge into paramatma through effort and devotion through countless lives. Finally Bhagwan is the personal form of divine which is highly relatable through deep devotion, love and feeling of closeness and friendship with the Lord rather than a distance from the Supreme Soul or Immutable Truth concept. “To each one their own” is sanatana dharma concept. It was also pointed out that the most suited form of Divine worship in kali yuga (present times) is devotion towards Bhagwan’s name and “nama smaranam”.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 2

 Chapter 12 verse 2 

“The Blessed Lord said: Those who fix their minds on Me and always engage in My devotion with steadfast faith, I consider them to be the best yogis.” 

What is a human being designed to do easily? Perceive things which they can process through the 5 senses they have been given. The innate ability of the human being is to live their lives deepy engaged in the world of perception, feelings and thoughts. It is more difficult to process and imagine the formless and unseen. Therefore Bhagwan Krishna in his infinite compassion and wisdom, states that the best yogi (human being who unites the body, mind, intellect towards understanding one’s own self) is the one who fixes their minds on Him and surrenders all their activities, thoughts and feelings to Him. It is great advise which can be followed by multitudes of humans. It is however not the only way to attain enlightenment or ultimate goal of human kind. This will be revealed in further slokas.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 12 verse 1

 Chapter 12 verse 1 

“Arjuna inquired: Between those who are steadfastly devoted to your personal form and those who worship the formless Brahman, who do you consider to be more perfect in Yoga?” 

Chapter 12 is a more familiar chapter for me personally related to the Sanskrit slokas itself since this was part of the curriculum a fellow teacher and I taught 8^th graders for a couple of years at Chinmaya mission in Bentonville, AR. I didn’t say I understood or internalized the meaning of this chapter but just more familiar with the slokas based on repetition only. Having said that, let us get into the question Arjuna is asking Bhagwan. Bhagwan had mentioned in earlier chapter that it is very difficult to see his divine vision for mere mortals and it is only through devotion to him and surrender of all their work to him that they attain him. Arjuna now wants to know who is superior, is it the being who worships his personal form or the one who dwells on his formless Brahman? This question arises within Arjuna since he couldn’t comprehend the formless Brahman and liked the more personal form himself and being full of desire to excel in everything, he wants to know where he himself ranks in Bhagwan’s devotees as well. We see this happen all the time in the corporate world. Everyone wants to know what it takes to succeed and how others have made it. We all want to know how we will be measured and what is the best path. No harm in wanting to know. We shall see what Bhagwan’s answer is!