Gita: Bhakti Yoga

Summary of Gita Bhakti Yoga

2006-04-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to all.

The chapter started with question of Arjuna to Lord Krishna on which form of meditation is better, whether meditation on form-god or formless-god. Arjuna learned about the Nirguna Brahman through the scriptures and also saw the Virat form of the Lord. So having known both he wanted to know which one is the Ultimate form of meditation. The Ultimate form of meditation is meditation on the formless god, but it is not easy for a person who has the identification with the body to meditate on the formless god. Hence those who have the mind controlled can easily meditate on the formless god.

The meditation on the form god will be very helpful in getting the mind controlled. The meditation on the form god is characterized by the following:
Complete surrender to the lord: One should surrender completely to the lord by offering all actions unto the lord. When all the actions are offered to the lord, the doer ceases to exist and hence will have peaceful single-pointed mind
Constant thought of the lord: The complete surrender to lord is aided by the constant thought of the lord. When one has the constant thought of the lord and offering of everything to the lord, then whatever that is experienced or perceived will only be the lord and thus the mind will be controlled.
Knowing the god as the Ultimate Goal: The complete surrender and the constant thought of the lord will be meaningful when one knows the lord as the Ultimate goal.

The mind by nature is extroverted and hence the mind has to be controlled and turned inwards. A person who practices the above mentioned characteristics will have mind controlled and hence could easily turn the mind inward to realize ones own nature of Bliss. Thus when one turns the mind inwards and concentrates on the Lord as ones own Self, he realizes “I am Brahman” and all that exist is nothing but that Ultimate Reality of Brahman. Thus the meditation finally leads one to the Ultimate Knowledge of ones own identity with Brahman.

Krishna then mentions the practices that are to be followed to realize ones own nature of Self. When one constantly thinks about the lord, then everything, whatever been experienced in the world, will become that lord. Thus when everything is perceived as the lord, the intellect gets the firm conviction that everything that exists in the world is only lord. Thus when one gets that firm conviction that whatever exist in the world is only lord, all delusions vanish and hence will be easy for such a person to meditate on the lord as ones own Self. But it may not be possible for one to constantly think about the lord as the mind by nature has lot of ripples and hence one has to constantly practice to think about the lord and thus by such constant practice the thought of the lord becomes easier. Even by constant practice if one couldn’t think of the lord the entire time then one has to offer all the work to the lord and has to do actions for the sake of the lord and give up the expectation of the results of the action. When the work is done for the sake of the Lord and the fruits of the actions are renounced, the mind gets controlled of all anxieties and thus becomes peaceful. When the mind becomes peaceful, the mind can easily think of that lord all the time. Having said these practices Krishna said that greater than the practice is Jnaana, Jnaana leads to the dhyaana or constant contemplation, constant contemplation results in the renunciation of fruits of action, and renunciation of fruits of action gives the peace of mind.

Krishna then gives the qualities of a real devotee. A real devotee is one whose mind is controlled, who has the constant thought of the Reality as one own Self. Krishna previously mentioned that to meditate on the lord of ones own Self, one should have the mind controlled. A real devotee, who meditates constantly on the Self, will have the mind controlled. Since the mind is controlled they will not be affected by anything that happens around him. He will always have the mind fixed on ones own Self and hence perceives the Self everywhere. When everything is seen as ones own Self, then he will be free from all the agitations that will disturb his mind and hence he is free from mental agitations like joy, fear, anxiety etc. Since for a real devotee who constantly meditates on the Self, sees only the Self everywhere and hence there is nothing that he would desire to possess and hence are free from all the desires, he doesn’t have any hatred towards anything, doesn’t grieve for anything. He is also free from all good and evil because to experience the good and evil there should be an experiencer, but a real devotee who sees everything as one own Self stays only as a witness to whatever happens and hence is not an experiencer of good and evil. Hence such a realized person doesn’t have any good and evil. He sees everything as one, same to both who sees him as friend and enemy, who is same in honor and dishonor, censure and praise. These are the characteristics of a real devotee and these qualities that are mentioned by Krishna are not different from the qualities of Sthithaprajna or man of steady wisdom which he mentions in chapter 2. The man of Steady wisdom is the one who had realized one own nature of Self sees nothing but the Self everywhere and the qualities such a realized person is same as the qualities of the Real devotee. Thus the path of devotion leads one to the Ultimate Knowledge of “I am Brahman”.

Let us try to be a true devotee by having constant thought of Reality, offering everything to the Reality and there by realizing ones own nature of the Self.

Prostrations to Guru and Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 20

2006-04-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word meaning:
Ye: who
Thu: indeed
Dharmyamrutham: immortal
Idam: this
Yathaa uktam: as declared (above)
Paryupaasatae: follow
shradDhaanaa: endued with faith
math paramaaha: regarding Me as their Supreme
Bhakthaaha: devotees
Thae: they
Ateeva: exceedingly
Mae: to Me
Priayaha: dear

They indeed, who follow this “Immortal Dharma” (Law of Life) as described above, endowed with faith, regarding Me as their Supreme Goal – such devotees are exceedingly dear to Me

Immortal Dharma Prescribed above:
Till the previous sloka Krishna gave the way of how one has to live their life as the characteristics of the Real devotee. Mere scriptural learning alone will help one to realize ones own Self, one has to live on whatever one has learnt from the Scriptures. Thus it is necessary to follow whatever is learned through the scriptures with faith. One should have the faith on the Reality which the scriptures expel, because unless the Reality is known very clearly without any doubts one can apprehend the direct experience of the Self.

Regarding Me as their Supreme Goal:
Whether one meditates on the form or formless god, the important thing to be kept in mind is the Reality. This can be reached by constant thought of the Reality and offering all that is done to the Reality.

Krishna says such a Real devotee is exceedingly dear to Me.

Om Tat Sat iti Srimad Bhagavad-Gitasu Upanishatsu
Bhrama-vidyaayaam yoga Shaastrae Sri Krishnaarjuna Samvaadae
Bhakti-yogo naama dvaadashodhyaayaha

Hari Aum

Thanks,Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verses 18 and 19

2006-04-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word Meaning:
Samaha: (who is) the same
Shatrau: to foe
Cha: and
Mitrae: to friend
Ca: and
thaTha: also
maana apamaanayoho: in honor and dishonor
sheetha-ushna-suKha-duKhaeshu: in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain
samaha: the same
sanga vivarjithaha: free from attachment

He, who is the same to foe and friend, and also in honor and dishonor, who is the same in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, who is free from attachment..

Word Meaning:
thulya nindhaa sthuthihi: to whom censure and praise are equal
mauni: silent
santhustaha: contended
yena kinchit: with anything
anikethaha: homeless
sThira mathihi: steady minded
Bhakthimaan: full of devotion
Mae: to Me
Priyaha: dear
Naraha: that man

To whom censure and praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, homeless, steady-minded, full of devotion – that man is dear to Me.

Same to friend and enemy:
Friends and enemy are only to whose minds are influenced by the duality of likes and dislikes, but for the real devotee who meditates only the non-dual Brahman there is nothing other than Brahman. Such a real devotee will be same to those who think him as a friend or an enemy.

Same to honor and dishonor:
To a Real devotee, whether people honor him or dishonor him, he does not get affected by them and thus revels only in the non-dual Brahman and hence will be every Blissful for all situations.

Same in cold and heat, pleasure and pain:
Cold and heat are for the body. A Man of Realization, who always reveling in the Self, doesn’t have identification with the body and hence are unaffected by the cold and heat. The duality of pleasure and pain are for the mind. Since the real devotee revels in the Self alone, he is not affected by the dualities of pleasure and pain.

Free from attachment:
For the real devotee who is completely absorbed in the Self see only the Self everywhere and hence they perceive nothing other than the Self. Since there is nothing other than the Self, there is no way of attachment to any object of the world.

To whom censures and praises are equal:
A person who perceive duality get affected by the words of censures and praises. But for a person who revels in the Self there is nothing that could affect his Blissful state.

Contended:
The real devotee perceives only the Self everywhere and nothing else. Hence to such a person there could be no desire of acquiring an object because there is nothing different from the Self.

Homeless:
Though the real devotees live under a roof, they always revel only in the Self and hence whether they live in a house or on platforms always rejoice in the Ultimate Bliss.

That real devotee who has steady mind on Self doesn’t have any dual perception and Krishna says “Such a real devotee is dear to Me”.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verses 17

2006-03-29T19:21:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word meaning:
Yaha: who
Na: not
Hrishyathae: rejoices
Na: not
Dveshti: fret
Na: not
Shochathi: laments
Na: not
Kaankshati: desires
shuBha-ashuBha-parityaagi: renouncing good and evil
Bhakthimaan: full of devotion
Yaha: who
Saha: he
Mae: to Me
Priyaha: dear

He who neither rejoices, nor frets, nor laments, nor desires, renouncing good and evil, full of devotion, is dear to Me.

A real devotee is one who meditates constantly on meditates on ones own Self and those people always rejoices in the Bliss Absolute. Krishna describes the characteristics of such a man of realization.

He who neither rejoices:
A person will only rejoice when he acquires something which he desires. The man of realization sees nothing but the Self in all being and hence doesn’t have any desire of acquiring anything. Since the Perfect Man know that there is nothing new to be acquired, he doesn’t rejoice for anything

Nor frets:
When a desires for an object in the world and if he gets it he will rejoice in satisfaction, on the other hand if he doesn’t get that he will worry for getting it. But for the man of Perfection who sees only the Self in everything doesn’t desire for anything. Therefore whether he gets an object or don’t get an object, he always remains in the Bliss of the Self.

Nor laments:
Whenever there is a loss of a close friend or a relative, generally people will get affected by their loss and hence grieves for that, but a Man of Realization doesn’t grieve because there is nothing to lose as everything is only Self.

Nor desires:
The Man of Realization doesn’t desire for things that he don’t possess.

Renouncing good and evil:
To experience a good or evil, there should be an experiencer. A person who sees the world as real becomes the experiencer of the good and evil and hence enjoys the happiness or sorrow. A real devotee who sees only the Self in everything knows that he is not the experiencer but only the witness of whatever happens and thus he is devoid of good and evil.

Full of devotion:
Such a real devotee will have only one thought that of the Self and hence they are full of devotion.

Krishna says “such a person is dear to Me”.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verses 16

2006-03-28T04:38:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word meaning:
Anapekshaha: (who is) free from wants
Shuchihi: pure
Dakshaha: expert
Udaaseenaha: impartial
Gatha-vyathaha: free from fear
Sarva-aaramBha-parithyogee: renouncing all undertakings or commencements
Yaha: who
Madh-Bhaktaha: My devotee
Saha: he
Me: to Me
Priyaha: dear

He who is free from wants, pure, expert, impartial, free from fear, renouncing all undertakings or commencements – he who is devoted to Me, is dear to Me.

Krishna continues his description about a real devotee.

Free from wants:
The mind, by nature, is extroverted. The extroverted mind sees the objects of the world through their likes and dislikes. When an object is liked in the world then there will be a want of that object. But for a man of realization, the mind is completely under control which always contemplates on the Self. Such people see the world as ones own Self. To such a person there will be no desires or no wants.

Pure:
Generally the mind perceives the world through the influence of likes and dislikes. Such extroverted minds cannot meditate on the Self. Only pure minds which doesn’t have the dualities of like and dislike will be able to meditate on the Self. The man of realization will not have any taint of impurity in the mind as the mind is completely controlled.

Expert:
The man of realization knows very clearly the illusory nature of the world as well as the real nature of the Self. Therefore such a person revels always in the Self and is able to do actions in the world without getting affected.

Impartial:
The man of realization always be impartial to everyone, be it a person who does good to him or a person who does harm to him.

Free from fear:
The real devotee has nothing to fear about because to him there is nothing other than god. For a man the greatest fear is the fear of death and such a real devotee always revels in the Self knowing that the death is only for the body and not for the Self.

Renouncing every undertaking:
The actions done in the world are cause by the desire to do the action. The man of realization who always meditates on the Self will not have any desire to enjoy the results of action. Whatever action that is done will be offered to the lord.

Krishna says “such a devotee is dear to Me”

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verses 15

2006-03-28T04:37:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word meaning:
Yasmaat: from whom
Na: not
Udvijate: is agitated
Lokaha: the world
Lokaath: from world
Na: not
Udvijate: is agitated
Cha: and
Yaha: who
Harsha-aamarsha-Bhaya-udvaegaihi: by joy, envy, fear and anxiety
Mukthaha: freed
Yaha: who
Saha: he
Cha: and
Mae: to me
Priyaha: dear

He by whom the world is not agitated (affected), and who cannot be agitated by the world, who is freed from joy, envy, fear and anxiety - he is dear to Me.

Krishna in this sloka continues in telling about a realized person.

“He by whom the world is not agitated”:
A man of realization always meditates on the atman. So the minds of such people will always be controlled and they always have the mind turned inward and hence they are not extroverted. Such people who always revels in ones own Self are every peaceful and hence are always Blissful. Such realized person will not create any agitation to the world. In fact such people will make the agitated world quite. Whenever a person goes near such a realized person they will get the peace of mind because place around such a realized person will be very peaceful.

“Who cannot be agitated by the world”:
The mind of such a real devotee will always by introverted. The introverted mind which constantly meditates on the Self will know only Bliss and hence will always rejoice in absolute Bliss. Therefore any amount of agitation outside cannot agitate the mind of that real devotee. Such people stay only as the witness to whatever happen around him and hence will not be affected by anything that happens.

“He is completely freed from joy, envy, fear and anxiety”:
These occur to those whose minds are extroverted and who sees worldly things as real. But for a real devotee who has his mind controlled know nothing but the Self. When the real devotee constantly meditates on the Self his mind will be peaceful and hence there would be nothing that would agitate his mind.

Krishna says “Such devotee is dear to Me”.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verses 13 and 14

2006-03-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

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

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 12

2006-03-19T19:01:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word Meaning:
Sreyaha: better
Hi: indeed
Jnaanam: knowledge
aBhyaasaath: than practice
jnaanaat: than knowledge
dhyaanam: meditation
vishishyate: is better
dhyaanaath: than meditation
karma phala tyaagaha: the renunciation of the fruits of action
tyaagaath: from renunciation
shaanthihi: peace
anantharam: immediately

“Knowledge is indeed better than practice, meditation is better than knowledge, renunciation of the fruits of actions is better than meditation, peace immediately follows renunciation”

In this sloka Krishna gives a sequence of ideas to help the student to comprehend the philosophical truth properly.

Knowledge is indeed better than practice:
The practice that is mentioned here is the Sadhana. The Sadhana are very helpful for the seeker only when knows what he is doing and how it will help him out. Any amount of Sadhana will not help one until he know what he is doing. Without knowing the significance of the action the Sadhana doesn’t have any value. Therefore the knowledge about the Sadhana is very important and hence it is greater than the Sadhana.

Meditation is better than knowledge:
More important than the knowledge one should meditate upon the knowledge he has got. One can learn various things and get knowledge about them, but until he assimilates them and clearly understands the real significance of the knowledge, the knowledge will be of no use. To assimilate the learning, one has to constantly ponder on the learning continuously till he gets clear with the learning. When the learning is made straight it stays as the understanding on the learning. When there is understanding of the learning, only the then the learning will have any value.

Renunciation of the fruits of actions is better than meditation:
By renouncing the fruits of actions the ego level of one goes down. Renunciation of the fruits can happen when there is control of the mind. When an action is done, its results are due to come in the near future. When the mind ponders on the result of the action and dreams about the future, that mind cannot meditate on the knowledge that is acquired. Therefore one has to renounce the results of the action and the renunciation of the fruits of action is possible only when there is control of the mind. Thus Krishna gives greater place of importance for the renunciation of the fruits.

Peace immediately follows renunciation:
When one has renounced the fruits of action then peace immediately follows. The renunciation of the fruits of action is possible by constant thought of the lord all the time. Thus for those who has the constant thought of the lord, everything becomes only the Lord, and hence gets devoid of the identification with the actions. When one gets devoid of identification with the action then the results are also renounced. Since he has the thought of the god alone all the time, there will be nothing that will agitate him or disturb him. Such people can easily contemplate on the Lord.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 11

2006-03-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word Meaning:
aTha: if
ethadh: this
api: also
ashakthaha: unable
asi: (you) are
karthum: to do
math yogam: my Yoga
aashritaha: refuged in
sarva karma phala tyagam: the renunciation of the fruits of all actions
thathaha: then
kuru: do
yath aathmavaan: self-controlled

“If you are unable to do even this, then taking refuge in Me, self-controlled, renounce the fruits-of-all-actions.”

In this sloka Krishna comes down one more level to help the devotees. In the previous sloka he told that those who couldn’t perform the yoga of practice of constant thought all the time, he asked to do actions for the sake of Him and offer the action to Him. When the action is done for the sake of the Lord and then offering the action to the Lord, the ego level goes down. If the devotee finds this also to be difficult to do the actions for the sake of the Lord, in this sloka he tells to renounce the results that come out of the action and take refuge in god.
Whatever action we do, the results are bound to come in the future. But the natural tendency is to brooding on the result and dreaming about the future. Thus here Krishna tells to renounce that expectation of the result which would come in the future and make use of the present by taking refuge in Him. Thus by doing so, results of all the actions will be taken as the Prasad from the Lord and hence one will not get affected by the results.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 10

2006-03-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word Meaning:
aBhyaasae: in practice
api: also
asamarthaha: no capable
asi: (you) are
math-karma-param: intent on doing actions for my sake
Bhava: be
Mad-arTham: for my sake
Api: also
Karmaani: actions
Kurvan: by doing
sidDhim: perfection
avaapsyasi: you shall attain

If you are unable even to practice Abhyaasa-Yoga be you intent on performing actions for My sake; even by doing actions for My sake, you shall attain perfection

In sloka 8 Krishna asked to fix the mind on the Lord, if it is found difficult then Krishna told in sloka 9 that by continuous practice this can be achieved. Here in this sloka he comes down one more level. Whatever that has been made has an habit alone stays in the mind that will be reflected in the actions we are doing. When the mind is very much extroverted and not used to meditation, then it is not possible to get rid of that strong habit extrovertedness even after much practice. So in this sloka Krishna talks about the complete surrender to the lord.
The complete surrender here Krishna mentions as doing the actions for the sake of god and offering the actions unto Him. To offer the action to the lord we need the thought of god while doing the work. So by continuous practice of thought of god and offering the action to the lord, we would be able to think of god when we don’t do any action also. Thus by complete surrender by surrendering all the actions to the lord and by continuous practice of such an attitude will help us to have the mind fixed in the lord all the time.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Nirguna Brahman Upsana and Saguna Brahman Upasana

2006-03-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Arjuna having learned the Upanshads that Brahman is without any form and having seen the Virat rupa of the lord which had everything in the world got confused whether the meditation on the formless god or form god is better. Therefore he posts the question to the Lord asking which kind of Upasana is the best whether the Saguna Brahman Upasana or Nirguna Brahman Upasana.

The compassionate lord tells at the beginning gives his opinion as Saguna Brahman Upasakas are the best. This he tells from the level of the Arjuna who had the identification with the body. He tells those who are devoted to me with the following 3 characteristics are the best Upasakas:
Complete Surrender to the Lord
Constant thought of the Lord
Knowing that Lord as the Ultimate goal.

The devotee has to completely surrender to the lord. Surrendering here means offering everything to the Lord and offering should be both bad and the good. The attitude when doing action should be as an offering to the Lord and the results that come out the actions should be taken as the Prasad from the lord.
The complete surrender is aided by the constant thought of the lord. The thought of lord should be there in the mind without even forgetting for a moment.
The basis for the surrendering completely to the Lord and having constant thought of the god is knowing that Lord as the Ultimate goal. If this is forgotten then the other two will have no meaning.

By nature the mind of the human is always extroverted. Since the mind is extroverted the experience that he gets from the world through the sense organs appears to be real and hence gets identified with those experiences and thus experiences either happiness or sorrow. The happiness that one gets out of the world is always limited because any object in the world is only limited and hence a limited object can give only limited happiness. Since one is always in search of happiness, strives hard in the world for that without knowing that the happiness it is only temporary. That which is unlimited alone can give unlimited happiness and there is only one that is infinite, the Ultimate Reality of Brahman. All the Upanishads give the knowledge about this Ultimate Reality of Brahman which is formless and which is far from the reach of the senses and the mind. Therefore for those whose minds are extroverted cannot directly meditate on the formless god and hence for those devotees Krishna told about the Saguna Brahman Upasana or the meditation on the form god. The devotion should be aided the three characteristics which Krishna had told in the 2nd sloka.
“Mayyaaveshya mano ye maam nityayuktaa upaasate
Shraddhayaa parayopetaaste me yuktatamaa mataah”

“Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, these, in my opinion, are the best in yoga”

Those who such devotion, Krishna declares, will be saved from this Samsaara in the 7th sloka and in 8th sloka also he declares that “those whose minds and intellect are always fixed in Me will live in Me”. But those who have the minds extroverted will not easy to have constant thought of the lord all the time. Hence one has to practice continuously till it becomes easy to have constant thought of lord all the time. When one has that kind of constant thought of lord all the time then everything that appears to him in the world will be the god alone and everything experience will be of god alone. Whatever we experience are only the impressions of the mind and hence one has the constant thought of lord then the mind takes the form of the lord and hence the experience will also be lord alone. When there is lord alone that is experienced then one gets devoid of likes and the dislikes. When one gets devoid of likes and dislikes then there will be nothing that can delude the mind, nothing can give sorrow.

When one fixes the mind on the lord alone they have senses controlled and hence will have the mind single pointed. Those who have the senses controlled alone will be able to apprehend the Nirguna Brahman. Krishna in the 4th sloka tells that those who have the controlled senses, seeing oneness in everything, rejoices ever in the welfare of all the beings and worship that Ultimate Reality which is the substratum, which is the Supreme cause for the world are the best Upasakas. Whatever we perceive in the world are only the impressions of the mind. It is only Consciousness which gives life to the mind because mind is as inert as the body. Mind cannot have the separate existence apart from the Brahman and hence the mind is also Brahman. Any experience of the world is through the sense which are acted upon by the mind. Since it is Consciousness that lights up the mind and hence the senses, whatever that is experienced through the sense organs are also nothing but the Consciousness. When the mind that is concentrated on the form god, whose senses are controlled are told that it is Consciousness that is the cause for all and hence when the mind is introverted then one realizes one owns nature of Self which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. Liberation and bondage are only for the mind. When the mind is extroverted it is bondage and when the introverted always it is liberation.

Thus when one concentrates on the Supreme Cause, merges into the cause as the Upanishad tells “Brahmavit brahmaiva Bhavati” the knower of Brahman verily becomes brahman. When one thus concentrates on Brahman which the scriptures tells he gets the knowledge that “Consciousness which is the Supreme Cause of the world, which is not affected by anything in world, which is the substratum of the world, that Consciousness I am”.
Therefore the Saguna Brahman Bhakti are only an aid to Ultimate Knowledge of “Aham Brahmasmi”.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 9

2006-03-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word Meaning:
aTha: If
chittam: the mind
samaaDhaatum: to fix
na: not
shaknosi: are able
mayi: in Me
sThiram: steadily
abhyaasa yogena: by the Yoga of constant practice
thathaha: then
maam: Me
ichchaa: wish
aapthum: to reach
Dhananjaya: O Dhananjaya

If our are unable to fix your mind steadily upon Me, then by the Yoga of constant practice seek to reack Me, O Dhananjaya.

In the previous sloka Krishna declared the techniques to reach the Lord. It is mentioned in the previous sloka that one has to fix the mind in the Lord only. But it is not easy for everyone as the natural tendency of the mind is to outward. It is not easy to concentrate on a particular thing straight away as one should have the single-pointed mind and the subtle intellect to really live in Lord. By nature the mind will always extroverted. Understanding this limitation, one should continuously practice control the mind. This is what Krishna says aBhyaasa Yoga.
Initially it is not possible for devotee to have constant thought of god all the time. Therefore one should practice it without giving up. One should make the conscious effort of bringing the mind back to the Lord if it goes out. On doing such practice continuously, concentration develops and hence thinking of the lord becomes as easy as breathing and hence will reach a stage when we cannot remain without the thought of god. Till one reach that stage, one has to practice continuously without bothering much on the failures. This is what Krishna says in the sloka as aBhyaasa yoga.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 8

2006-03-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word Meaning:
Mayi: on Me
Eva: only
Manaha: the mind
Aadhatsva: fix
Mayi: in Me
BuDhim: thy intellect
Niveshaya: place
Nivasishyasi: thou shall live
Mayi: in Me
Eva: alone
Atha urDhvam: hereafter
Na samshayaha: no doubt

“Fix your mind on Me only, place your intellect in Me; then, (thereafter) you shall, no doubt, live in Me alone”

In the last sloka Krishna told about the conditions for the bhakta who meditate on the form god. In this sloka he declares so clearly about the result of having such devotion.
The important characteristics of bhakti as told by Krishna are

Complete surrender to the lord
Constant thought of the lord
Knowing lord as the Ultimate goal

The complete surrender to lord is supported by the constant thought of the lord all the time. So here Krishna says the way of having the constant thought of lord

Fix your mind in me: the mind is always wandering and always has the doubting nature. So by fixing the mind on the lord, the senses get controlled. When there is no thought of the lord, the mind wanders around. But when the mind is made to concentrate on the Lord, the mind is controlled and slowly the doubts vanishes

Place the intellect in me: The intellect has the power determining things. When the mind is concentrated on the lord, slowly all the doubts vanishes, when the doubts one gets the conviction in the intellect that everything is god alone and nothing other than the god.

When the mind and intellect are in god alone then everything that is seen or experienced, will also be lord only. Whatever that is experienced is only the reflection of the mind and hence when the mind and the intellect is placed in the lord, then whatever is experienced will also be lord only.

You shall live in Me: This is the result of having the continuous thought of the lord. When one gets the firm conviction in the intellect everything lord alone then the everything even the world itself will be experienced as lord only and lives in the Lord only.

No doubt: This is the assurance given by Krishna to Arjuna and to other seekers. When one has constant thought of god at all periods of time he will definitely live in the Lord and there is no doubt in that.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verses 6 and 7

2006-03-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word Meaning:
Ye: who
Tu: but
Sarvaani: all
Karmaani: actions
Mayi: in Me
Samnyasya: renouncing
Matparaaha: regarding Me as the Supreme Goal
Ananyaena: single minded
Evea: even
Yogena: with yoga
Maam: Me
Dhyaayanthaha: meditating
Upaasatae: worship

But those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me, regarding Me as the Supreme Goal, meditating on Me with single-minded devotion

Theshaam: for them
Aham: I
samuDhaartha: the savior
mrtyu saagaraath: out of the ocean of the mortal samsaara
Bhavaami: become
Na chiraath: ere long
paarTha: O Partha
mayi: in Me
aaveshitha chethasaam: of those whose minds are set

For them, whose minds are set on Me, verily I become, ere-long, O Paartha, the savior, (to save them) out of the ocean of finite experiences; the samsaara

In this sloka Krishna gives the definite conditions for the meditators on Form-god and declares very clearly that those devotees who satisfy those conditions will be saved from the samsaara.

Renouncing all actions in Me: Renouncing all actions means renouncing the identification with the action. Any action requires a doer, and this doer only enjoys the results of the action. But by surrendering all the actions to the lord, the doer vanishes and it is only Lord that exist. Renouncing all actions here mean renouncing the identification with the action.

Regarding Me as the Supreme Goal: It is important that one has to know that the Lord as the Ultimate Goal. Therefore complete surrender can really happen only when there is God as the Ultimate goal.

Constant thought of God: Complete Surrender can be supported by the constant thought of the Lord. Whether the situation is good or bad there should be constant remembrance of the Lord. this is what Krishna says as “Ananya Yoga”, one should always have single pointed devotion to the lord all the time.

Thus those who have renounced all the actions to the Lord, those who have the lord as the Ultimate goal and those who have constant thought of lord, Krishna tells in the sloka, will be saved from the samsaara.

Saved from Samsaara: As long as there is doer, there will be actions and the results will be enjoyed by the doer. Because this the doer gets bonded on to the action he does and thus goes from birth to birth enjoying the results of those actions. Therefore when there is complete surrender to the lord, offering all the actions unto the lord, having constant thought of lord and knowing Lord as the Ultimate goal, everything becomes the lord, when everything becomes lord, the doer vanishes. When the doer vanishes then there is none to experience the results of the action and thus one overcomes the birth-death cycle.

To those whose mind is set on Me: whatever we concentrate on, the mind takes the form of that object. When the form god is concentrated hard then the mind takes the form of the object and thus whatever is seen or experienced in the world will only be the lord. when everything becomes lord, there will be no differentiation and thus there will no likes or dislikes. Both bondage and the liberation are for the mind and hence by practicing the mind concentrating on the Lord takes the form of the lord. On constant practice of such concentration the differentiation between the Lord that is worshiped and the devotee vanishes and hence all the limitations vanishes and thus realizes the Self is ever free never was bound.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 5

2006-03-06T03:24:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word Meaning:
Kleshaha: the trouble
aDhikatharaha: is greater
tesham: of those
avyaktha aasaktha chethasaam: whose minds are set on the Unmanifested
avyaktha: the Unmanifested
hi: for
gathihi: goal
dhuKhaam: with pain
dehavadbhihi: for the embodied
avaapyatae: is reached

“Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the “Unmanifest”; for the goal, the Unmanifest is very hard for the embodied to reach”

In the previous sloka Krishna told about the Para Bhakti, and in this sloka he tells “who will find difficulty in meditating on the unmainfested god”. Krishna says those who know that Unmanifested form of god is the Ultimate Reality but still have the identification with the body finds it difficult to meditate on the Unmanifested form of god.

To meditate on the unmanifested god, one has to control the senses, have to turn the mind inwards. But the nature of the mind is extroverted and hence will have the identification with the body. Those who have the identification with the body it is difficult to meditate on the unmanifested god. Therefore for them the form god will be useful and the worship as told by Krishna in sloka 2 with constant thought, total surrender and keeping in the mind the lord as the Ultimate goal will soon realize the body is temporary. Thus those who sees the body and the world as real will find meditating on form god useful in building concentration. By doing so the identification with the body goes away and hence will be in a position to apprehend the real nature of the Self which is Ultimate Reality of Brahman.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 3 and 4

2006-03-02T02:33:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Word meaning:
Ye: who
Tu: verily
Aksharam: imperishable
Anirdeshyam: the indefinable
Avyaktam: the unmanifested
Paryupaasatae: worship all the time
Sarvatragam: the Omnipresent
Achintyam: the unthinkable
Cha: and
Kutastham: the unchangeable
Achalam: the immovable
Dhruvam: the eternal

Samniyamya: having restrained
Indriya graamam: the senses organs
Sarvatra: everywhere
samayuDhayaha: even-minded
te: they
praapnuvanti: obtain
maam eva: only me
sarva Bhootha hithae: in the welfare of all beings
rataaha: rejoicer.

“Those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the omnipresent, the unthinkable, the Unchangeable, the Immovable and the Eternal”
“Having restrained all the senses, even-minded everywhere, rejoicing ever in the welfare of all beings – verily they also come unto Me.”

In the previous sloka the essential conditions required for the devotee to contemplate on the manifested god is told by Krishna and in these two verses he gives the condition for the devotee to contemplate on the Unmanifested god. Here in the sloka the description of that Unmanifested god or the Nirguna Brahman is told by Krishna

Aksharam – imperishable: anything that has form will perish at one point in time, nirguna Brahman has got no qualities and hence cannot perish. Anything that has qualities can be perceived but that which doesn’t have any qualities are beyond the perception.

Anirdeshyam – the indefinable: anything that can be perceived through the sense organs alone can be defined. That which is beyond all the sense organs cannot be defined

Sarvatragam – the omnipresent: the nirguna Brahman is the Supreme Cause for that which seems to be manifested. The cause will always pervade the effect and hence the Supreme Cause pervades the effect as the substratum. All that seems to exist, exist in Brahman.

Achintyam – unthinkable: if a mind perceives something, it becomes an object. Any object is prone to perish but Brahman is imperishable and that which is the subject cannot be thought of.

Kutasthaha – Unchanging: Brahman is the substratum of the seemingly appearing world. Therefore that which is the substratum stays as the mere witness of the changing world without getting affected. Kuta means anvil. When the hammer strikes the anvil, it remains without any change but allows the iron rod to get changed.

Achalam – Immovable: anything that is limited by space alone moves. Space is all-pervading, there is no place where is no space. Since space pervades all places it is immovable. In the similar way since Brahman all-pervading it is immovable.

Dhruvam – eternal: Brahman is imperishable, which is substratum is eternal as well. Eternal is that which exist beyond time and space. Brahman is the substratum in the seemingly appearing world and hence it is all-pervading, since the world exist in Brahman it is beyond time also as substratum was there before the creation of the world, even when the world is seen and even if the world vanishes. In the rope-snake example, when the snake is seen in the rope, even before the snake is seen the rope existed, even when the snake is seen the rope exist and even after the perception of the snake vanishes the rope exist. Thus the snake that is seen is only an illusion in the rope which is substratum. In the similar way Brahman is the substratum for the world and hence the world that is seen is only an illusion in the Reality.

There are many srutti quotes to support this description of the Nirguna Brahman.

Isavasya Upanishad says,
“sa paryagaat sukram akaayam avrinam
Asna viram shuddham apaapavidham
Kavihi manisheehi paribooh suyamboohu
Yaathaathathyatho arthaan shashvatheebyaha samaabhyaha”

Brahman is all-pervading, self-luminous, without subtle body, without wounds, without sinews, pure (without ignorance), without any sin, seer beyond the time and space, controller of the mind, above all, that is self-existent. The Self or He has allotted duties rightly to the eternal creators (during the start of creation).

Mandukya Upanishad says that,

“naanthaha prajnam nabahishprajnam na ubhyayathaha prajnam
na prajnaanaGhanam na prajnam naaprajnam
adhrishtyam avyavahaariyam agraahyam alakshnam
achintyam avyapadeshyam ekathma pratyayasaaram
prapancha upashamam shaantham shivam advaitam
chathurtham manyanthae sa aathma sa vijnaeyaha”

“It is not that which is conscious of the internal subjective world, nor that which is conscious of the external world, nor that which is conscious of both, nor which is mass of consciousness, nor that which is simple consciousness nor is it unconsciousness. It is unseen by any sense-organ, beyond empirical dealings, incomprehensible by the mind, uninferable, unthinkable, indescribable, essentially by of the Self alone, negation of all phenomena, the peaceful, the auspicious and the non-dual. This is what is considered as the fourth Turiya. This is the Atman and this is to be realized.”

Upasana: Shankara in his commentary says “Upasana, meditation, means approaching an object of meditation as presented by the scriptures, and making it an object of one's own thought and dwelling on it uniterruptedly for long by continuing the same current of thought with regard to it-like a line of pouring oil.”

Krishna the characteristics of those bhaktas who worship the unmanifested Brahman.

Having restrained all the senses: By nature the sense organs are extroverted. That extroverted senses cannot apprehend the nirguna Brahman because Brahman is the subject. Therefore one has to turn the mind inward by controlling the senses. The basic desire of everyone is happiness, but that happiness which the sense organs bring are not permanent and hence will go away in one point of time because any object which we experience through the sense organs are only limited and the limited objects can give only limited pleasure. That which is Real, which is eternal alone can give eternal bliss. Brahman alone is Real and that which is of the nature of Bliss alone can give eternal Bliss. To contemplate on Brahman one has to control all the senses and have to turn the mind extroverted mind inward.

Always equanimous: The seeker has to see equanimity in all the situations and in all conditions. When the mind and the sense organs are withdrawn from the external world, the mind will be able to contemplate effectively on the nirguna Brahman. Whatever that is perceived through our sense organs is only Brahman as Brahman is the substratum of everything. When the person sees the Self in all the beings then there will no discrimination at all. There will be nothing that can give sorrow and there is nothing that can delude one as there is only Self that will be seen. Shankara interprets this as “being even-minded-the even-minded are those whose minds remain equipoised in getting anything desirable or undesirable”.

In Isavasya Upansishad ,
“yasthu sarvaani bhoothaani aathmanayevaanupashyathi
sarvaBhoothaeshu cha aathmaanam thatho na vijugupsathae”

“He who sees the all beings in the Self itself and the Self in all beings, feels no hatred by virtue of this realization.”

Intent on the welfare of all beings: knowing that everything is Brahman alone, one has to work for the welfare of all the beings.

Reach me alone: when there is constant contemplation on the unmaniefested which is the substratum of all that is existing, which Imperishable, Unchanging, by control of the sense organs and by equanimity to all the situations will realize ones own nature as the Ultimate Reality of Brahman. Thus “reach me alone” means here realizing the ones nature of Brahman. The knower of Brahman verily becomes Brahman says one of the Upanishad “Brahmavit Brahmaiva Bhavati”. Therefore the Bhakti finally converge in Jnaana only.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 2

2006-03-02T02:15:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Verse 2:

“Sri Bhagavaan Uvaacha:
Mayyaaveshya mano ye maam nityayuktaa upaasate
Shraddhayaa parayopetaaste me yuktatamaa mataah”

Word Meaning:
Mayi: on me
Aaveshya: fixing
Manaha: mind
Ye: who
Maam: me
Nitya yukthaaha: ever steadfast
Upasatae: worships
shraDhayaa: with faith
parayaa: with supreme
upetaaha: endowed
te: they
me: of me
yuktha thamaaha: the best versed in yoga
mathaha: in my opinion

“Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, these, in my opinion, are the best in yoga”

Arjuna posted the doubt to Krishna on which type of devotion is correct in the previous verse. Krishna starts answering his question. Those who has the constant thought of the Lord, who is ever steadfast, who has supreme faith knowing Lord as the Ultimate goal, Krishna says that to his opinion, are best versed in yoga. It will be difficult for a seeker who is attached to his body to meditate on the unmanifest form of god because it will be a mere intellectual thought that the world is just the manifestation of the unmanifested. Therefore initially it would be very useful for the seeker to concentrate on the form god as form of god also looks as real as the world. So here Krishna talks from the level of Arjuna saying that according to Krishna’s opinion those who meditate on the form god is best versed in yoga. Also here he tells three important characteristics of bhakta who meditates on form god

ever steadfast and worshipping
constant thought of god
supreme faith

Ever worshipping:
Worshipping here means the complete surrender to the lord knowing that he is the all-knowing and all-pervading. The seeker should surrender completely to the Lord. There is only one that protects and controls the entire world which is none other than the Lord and hence one has to surrender completely to that lord. Surrendering is not only during the tough times but surrendering at all the situations. Many mahatmas life can be taken as an example for the complete surrender to the Lord. Any action that is done should be offered to the lord as it is only the Lord that works and this body is only the mere instrument to do the action. Therefore we have to surrender this sense of doership also to the lord. Any action that is done will have result associated with that and the results whether it is good or bad should be taken as the Prasad of the lord. When this kind of complete surrender is there, then ego of the devotee vanishes as to him it is only the Lord that works through him

Constant thought of god:
The complete surrender is supported by the constant thought of the Lord. One should have the thought of the Lord at all times without forgetting even for a moment. When the devotee has the constant thought of the Lord, his mind is complete soaked in the thought of Lord and hence completely merges into the Lord. When there is such constant remembrance of Lord, everything will be lord. Since everything that is sees is only Lord there will be nothing in the world that would give him sorrow and such devotee will always rejoice in Bliss in the thought of Lord.

Supreme Faith:
The supreme faith here means knowing that God alone as the Ultimate goal. Complete surrender to the Lord and constant remembrance of the lord is possible only when we realize that god alone exist and everything is god alone and knowing that as the Ultimate goal. God as the Ultimate goal here means realizing our nature of God which is Bliss Absolute.

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Gita: Bhakti Yoga - Verse 1

2006-03-02T01:58:00.000-08:00

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru and Prostrations to all

Bhakti is devotion or Pure Love on the God. That love on the real object of God who is full of Bliss is devotion. The love on other transient objects cannot give eternal happiness because of its limitations but the love towards the god which is the Ultimate Reality, which is of the nature of Eternal Bliss, can give eternal happiness. Here, the devotee complete surrenders to the Lord and has the constant thought of lord alone. Let us all sincerely try to be a true devotee and always try to have a constant thought of god. Let us all learn 12th chapter of Gita which is about Bhakti Yoga.

In 11th Chapter, Arjuna gets the direct experience of the divine grace in the Cosmic form being the source and support of all that exist. He saw everything exist in that Cosmic form, past present and future and realized that there is only one god on which all that is seen exist. Krishna also says that this vision cannot be had through any amount of austerities, study, sacrifices, but can be experienced only by pure devotion. Krishna in the last sloka of 11th chapter says that

“Matkarmakrinmatparamo madbhaktah sangavarjitah;
Nirvairah sarvabhooteshu yah sa maameti paandava”

“He who does all actions for Me, who looks upon Me as the Final Goal, who is devoted to me who is free from attachments, who shows no enmity towards any creature O Son of Pandu, enters into Me”

So it is the clear declaration from Krishna to all seekers that those who have the true devotion, with complete surrender, constant thought of god and knowing that God alone as Ultimate goal will be liberated.

As it is mentioned that those who are devoted to the Lord completely will be liberated, Arjuna gets a doubt whether to follow the devotion towards form god or formless god.

Verse 1:

“Arjuna Uvaacha:
Evam satatayuktaa ye bhaktaastwaam paryupaasate;
Ye chaapyaksharamavyaktam teshaam ke yogavittamaah”

Word Meaning:
Evam: in this way
Satatayuktaaha: ever-steadfast
Ye: who
Bhakthaaha: devotees
Twam: You
Paryupaasatae: worship everywhere all the time
Ye: who
Cha: and
Api: again
Aksharam avyaktam: the Imperishable Unmanifest
Tesham: of them
Ke: who
Yogavittamaaha: greater knowers of Yoga

“There are Thy ever-steadfast devotees who love and worship Thee in the above way (as the Divine Person); there are again others who contemplate on the Thee as the Imperishable Unmanifest- which of these has a greater Understanding of Yoga”

Arjuna asks a question whether form worship is real or not. As it is well known that the characteristics of a real devotee are complete surrender and constant thought of god. In the first line of the sloka Arjuna tells as “Paryupaasate” – worships everywhere all the time. All the entities of the world exist in the Cosmic form of lord and hence the world is all pervaded by the Lord. This world that seems to be real now is manifested from an unmanifested. The Unmanifested god which is the Ultimate Reality of Brahman is the Supreme cause and from that the world seems to be manifested.

So here Arjuna asks about two types of Bhaktas:
Devotees who meditates on the form of the Lord, contemplates on the form god as the all pervading and all knowing.
Devotees who meditate on the formless god that from which the world has come that, which is the Imperishable, that which is the substratum of the seemingly appearing world.

The bhakti in which there is difference between the devotee and the god is called Apara Bhakti. The bhakti in which the difference between the god and the devotee is completely vanished is called Para Bhakti. So the question of Arjuna to Krishna is which type of Bhakti is real whether it is Apara Bhakti or Para Bhakti.

Thanks,
Rajesh