Chapter 12: Bhakti Yoga; The Yoga of Devotion

Maa Radha Shyamasundar sharanam!

Maa Bhagavad Gita sharanam!

Verse 12.1: Arjuna asks, who is considered to be best? Those who are engaged in Your bhakti (devotional service), or those who worship the impersonal Brahman?

Verse 12.2: Shri Krishna says, I consider them to be the best who meditate on My personal form and are always engaged in worshipping Me with divine faith.

Verse 12.3,4&5: Those who fully controlling their senses, equal-minded towards all, and devoted to the welfare of all living beings, worship the all-pervading, unchanging, eternal impersonal Brahman, they too come to Me. However, for them whose minds are attached to the impersonal feature of the Supreme, making spiritual progress is difficult.

Verse 12.6&7: On the other hand, those who exclusively depend upon Me, surrendering all their actions to Me, meditating on Me with single-minded devotion, their mind is fixed on Me, to them I speedily deliver from the ocean of birth and death.

Verse 12.8: Fix your mind on Me, engage your intellect on Me, and you will come to live with Me, without a doubt.

Verse 12.9: O Arjuna, if you can not steadily fix your mind on Me, then seek Me with the practice of devotional service and sincere desire.

Verse 12.10: If you can not practice bhakti yoga (devotional service), then just try to work for Me. By working for Me you will attain perfection.

Verse 12.11: If you are unable to work for Me with right mind and intellect, then give-up the desire for rewards/fruits of your actions.

Verse 12.12: Knowledge is better than miss-judged action, meditation on God is superior to knowledge, and renunciation of the rewards/fruits of actions is even superior to meditation, as divine peace and happiness are immediately attained by such renunciation.

Verse 12.13&14: One who is non-envious, friendly, and compassionate towards all living beings; free from the feelings of 'I' and 'mine', ever-contented, has firm resolve, and has offered his mind and intellect to Me - such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.

Verse 12.15: One who does not put others in difficulty and in-turn who is not disturbed by anyone; who is equipoised in happiness and distress, fear and anxiety, is very dear to Me.

Verse 12.16: One who has no material desires, is internally and externally pure, is wise and impartial, and who renounces the sense of doer in his actions - such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.

Verse 12.17: One who neither rejoices nor grieves, nor hates, nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious - such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.

Verse 12.18&19: One who is equal to friends and enemies, equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and pain, fame and blame; free from material desires, satisfied with whatever he gets, not attached to his place of residence, fixed in wisdom, and engaged in devotional service - such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.

Verse 12.20: Those who follow this imperishable path of devotional service and engage themselves with divine faith, making My service as their supreme goal, are very very dear to Me.

Maa Bhagavad Gita sharanam!

Shri Giridhar Gopal sharanam!