Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verses 13 and 14

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all





Word Meaning:
Advesta: not hating
Sarva Bhoothaanaam: to all creatures
Maitra: friendly
Karunaha: compassionate
Eva: even
Ca: and
Nirmamaha: without ‘mine’-ness
Nirahankaaraha: without egoism
Sam dhuKha suKha: balanced in pleasure and pain
Kshami: forgiving.

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

Santhusha: contented
Sathatham: ever steady in meditation
Yogi: practitioner
Yataatmaa: self-controlled
druDa nishchayaha: possessed of firm conviction
mayi apirtha manobhuDHihi: with mind and intellect dedicated to Me
yaha: who
madh-Bhakthaha: my devotee
saha: he
me: to me
priyaha: dear

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

In these two slokas Krishna gives the characteristics of Perfect devotee. Perfect devotee is one who always has the constant thought of the Lord. Those devotees who always have constant thought of the lord never hate any being in the world because they see only the lord in all the being. When they see the lord in all the beings there will be no hatred and hence would be very friendly and compassionate to all other living beings.

Without mine-ness and without egoism:
Perfect devotee will have a thought of the Lord all the time who is one own nature of the Self and hence to him all actions are done by the Lord through him. Therefore there is sense of ownership and egoism

Balanced in pleasure and pain:
Pleasure and pain are the dualities which come from likes and dislikes of the mind. When one perceives only lord everywhere there will be nothing that will be seen different from the lord and hence there will be no like or dislike. Therefore such person will be balanced in the pleasure and pain.

Ever content:
A perfect devotee who sees only lord in every being is completely satisfied. Only when one sees duality based on the likes and dislike one either desire to possess or don’t desire. But when there is only lord there will be no desire at all.

Ever steady in meditation, practitioner possessed of firm conviction with mind and intellect dedicated to me:
A perfect devotee will have always constant contemplation on the lord and never get away from the practice and always has the firm conviction that there is only Lord and everything is only the lord and that lord which is ones own nature of the Self alone exist.

Krishna says, “such a perfect, devoted yogi is dear to me”.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh