The holy geeta chapter 12-bhakti yoga

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THE HOLY GEETA COMMENTARY by swami Chinmayananda T K G NAMBOODHIRI THIRUVALLA, KERALA, INDIA Presentation adapted from THE HOLY GEETA, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, July 2013 Mumbai

Transcript of The holy geeta chapter 12-bhakti yoga

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THE HOLY GEETACOMMENTARY by

swami Chinmayananda

T K G NAMBOODHIRITHIRUVALLA, KERALA, INDIA

Presentation adapted from

THE HOLY GEETA, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, July 2013

Mumbai

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THE Holy GEETA

T K G Namboodhiri

CHAPTER 12

BHAKTI YOGA

THE PATH OF DEVOTION

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INTRODUCTION Chapter 12-Bhakti Yoga

The previous two chapters had completely satisfied the sceptic in Arjuna throughdiscussion (Chapter 10) & actual demonstration (Chapter 11) of the Lord’s Cosmic-Form.Now Arjuna feels an irresistible urge to conquer the Kingdom Divine within himself. Theconcluding verse in the last chapter had indicated the secret strategy for the sureconqueror- devotion & consistency of self-application, free from all egocentricattachments- & it was assured that, “You shall enter into Me”. Arjuna is impatient toenter the field of strife & win for him the realm of glory demonstrated by his charioteer.Arjuna had a first-hand experience of Krishna & His Cosmic-Form. So his doubt is, ‘whether it is more profitable to meditate upon the Truth as unmanifest or as manifest?’.This question raises the doubt whether idol worship is justified? Can it help themeditative mind to reach the Infinite? This entire chapter tries to answer thesequestions.

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ARJUNA’S DOUBTArjuna said:12.1 Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus worship you, & also those who worshipthe imperishable, the unmanifested– which of them are better versed in Yoga?The last chapter ended with an assurance from the Lord that any seeker can realise the glory of theCosmic-Form, if only he can entertain an unwavering devotion. As a practical man of the world, Arjunaenquires here as to the form on which he should meditate.In the world there are two types of seekers; some meditate upon the manifested- form of the Infinite &others contemplate upon the unmanifested-Supreme. Both progress towards their goal, which is one &the same, but which of these two is better versed in Yoga? The manifested-form is perceptible throughour sense organs, but the unmanifested is not directly perceptible to us. Arjuna just had a vision of theDivine Cosmic-Form of the unmanifested & all-pervading Supreme. The determined prince seeks tounderstand the right path of spiritual evolution. This question expresses the great controversy that existseven today in the world. Can the Lord be meditated upon & realised ultimately through idol worship? Canany symbol represent HIM?

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THOSE WHO WORSHIP ME ARE THE BESTThe Blessed Lord said:12.2 Those who, fixing their minds on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast & endowed withsupreme faith, these, in My opinion, are the best in Yoga.Lord Krishna replies to Arjuna’s question: Those who worship Me in My manifested Form are the best inYoga. He points out three essential condition for devotion to fructify. 1) ‘Fixing their thoughts on Me’:Both our mind & intellect are nothing but thoughts. A devotee must penetrate, delve into, merge, &ultimately dissolve themselves in the Lord. 2) ‘Ever self-controlled’: The devotee must have sufficientbalance in himself to exercise regular self-control while worshipping the Lord. The art of keeping thethoughts balanced at its point-of-concentration is called self-control (Upasana). Upasana is an inward actof attunement with the Higher Principle so as to get ourselves completely merged with It. 3) ‘Withsupreme Faith’: the word Shraddha used here means belief in something that we do not know, so that wemay come to know what we believe in. Without this faculty developed in him, a devotee may not succeedin his goal of self-divinisation even after years of practice. If these 3 conditions are satisfied, a devotee isconsidered as the most steadfast in Yoga with the Lord.

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THOSE WHO WORSHIP THE UNMANIFEST12.3 Those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, theomnipresent, the unthinkable, the unchangeable, the immovable & the eternal…Imperishable: All those having forms & qualities are perishable. The Imperishable, hence has no qualities& is not perceivable by our senses. Indefinable: When a thing is imperceptible, it cannot be defined &distinguished from other things. All-pervading: The Infinite having no qualities, unmanifest & indefinable,must be all –pervading & existing everywhere. Unthinkable: That which can be conceived by our mindbecomes the object of feelings & thoughts. Since all objects are perishable, the Imperishable mustnecessarily be Inconceivable, Incomprehensible, & Unthinkable. Unchanging: The Self, the Consciousness,remains unchanged even though it is the substratum on which all changes take place. Immovable: A thingcan never move in itself; it can do so only to a point in space & time where it is not already present. TheInfinite is all-pervading & there is no point in space or time where it is not. So the Infinite cannot move.Eternal: Perishable objects are conditioned by time & space. But the Supreme, the substratum of all, at alltimes & in all places, is the One that supports the very play of time & space, & therefore, these twocannot condition the Infinite. All these descriptions indicate the Eternal substratum of the ever-changingUniverse of names & forms. Meditation upon the Lord, in this unmanifested form demands 3 unavoidableconditions, given in the next verse.

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HOW TO WORSHIP THE UNMANIFEST12.4 Having restrained all the senses, even-minded everywhere, rejoicing ever in thewelfare of all beings—verily they also come into Me.Here Lord Krishna explains the three unavoidable conditions demanded of devotees meditating on the Unmanifest:“Having restrained all the senses.”: The thoughtless mortal dissipates all his vital energies through sense-enjoyments. A seeker mustnecessarily curtail such dissipations & redirect the energies so conserved for the higher flight. Through the sense-organs the outerworld disturbs our mind & through the organs-of-action our mind gushes out into the world of objects. Both disturb our equipoise &steady balance. So a meditator who wants to succeed must cultivate the habit of controlling his senses.“Always equanimous”: Here the Lord stresses on our intellectual equanimity in all conditions & experiences. In the world-of-change,a seeker must discover his own balance & equipoise, by controlling his intellectual evaluations, mental attachments & physicalcontacts with the world outside. One with the right sense of discrimination, can see the golden chord of beauty that holds togetherall that is enchanting & grotesque constituting the outer world. A seeker must develop this Sama-Buddhi.“Intent on the welfare of all beings”: A seeker should ever be self-dedicated in serving, at this best, all beings. In all his daily contactswith the outside, the seeker should be ever devoted in tirelessly serving the entire living kingdom. Love for all beings should be hiscreed.Thus, if the meditators, fixing their minds upon the Imperishable, the Unmanifest, are able to control their sense-organs, keepthemselves equanimous & make it their nature to serve others, they too, “reach Me alone”. They too reach the same goal, theSupreme Self. Whether the devotee is seeking his spiritual unfoldment through meditation upon a personal or an impersonal God,the result achieved remains the same. The same general rules of conduct in their dealing with the world are clearly prescribed herefor both of them.

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THE UNMANIFEST IS HARDER TO WORSHIP12.5 Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the ‘Unmanifest’; for the goal, the‘Unmanifest’, is very hard for the embodied to reach.Lord Krishna tries to compare the two ‘paths’ both of equal efficacy & merit. He says, “ Greateris the toil of those whose thoughts are fixed on the Unmanifest”. Then He explains why it is hardordinarily for seekers to contemplate upon the Formless. “The Unmanifest is very hard indeedfor the embodied to reach”. The “embodied” here means ‘those who are attached to the bodies’& not ‘all those who have a body’. If one lives only a life of sensuality & satisfaction of body-cravings, it will be too difficult for him for a steady & continuous meditation on the Formless &All-pervading Infinite. To the majority of us, meditation upon the Lord, as expressed in theuniverse, is easier & more profitable. Man can worship the myriad forms through serviceundertaken in a spirit of worship & divine dedication. Then, his body attachments & sense-appetites get purged & his mind becomes subtle enough to conceive & contemplate upon theFormless & the Imperishable Unmanifest.

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MY DEVOTEES12.6 But those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me, regarding Me as the Supreme Goal,meditating on Me with single-minded devotion…Here Krishna prescribes certain conditions to be followed by His devotees. A careful study of these conditions showsus how the devotee grows mentally to a high stature from where he needs no further outside help.“Those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me.” : To renounce all our actions in the Lord is to end all ourindividual limitations & identify ourselves with the Supreme. An ordinary man, as ambassador of his country,becomes a mighty personality in the foreign country, because he talks, acts & expresses the will of the entire peopleof his country. Similarly, when a devotee of the Infinite Lord surrenders himself totally at His feet & acts as amessenger of the Lord, he acquires a ‘divine’ dynamism & authority.“Regarding Me as the Supreme Goal.”: A devotee is advised not to take up religion as a part-time entertainment, butto consider the Lord as the Supreme Goal to be achieved in & through his life. He is asked to direct all his contacts,transactions & experiences in his life, towards the achievement of this Goal of Self-Perfection.“With unswerving Yoga.”: All actions to attune our mental faculties with a chosen state-of-perfection is Yoga. Theresult of Yoga will depend upon the goal we set. Our routine actions are attuned to achieve sense-enjoyments(Bhoga). Ordinarily, our goal keeps on changing. Krishna is advising here ‘Ananya Yoga’, meaning, a Yoga in which thegoal is ever steady, & our mind has no sense of ‘otherness’.Thus, those who have renounced all actions in Me, who regard Me as their Supreme Goal, & who, with a single-pointed mind & goal strive, are the best of My devotees.

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I AM THE SAVIOUR OF MY DEVOTEES12.7 For them, whose minds are set on Me, verily I become, ere-long, O Partha, theSaviour, (to save them) out of the ocean of finite experiences; the SAMSARA.“ I shall be their Saviour.”: The Lord here, assures His devotees that they need notwonder how they will go beyond the sorrows of the world. It is His Divine assurance &infinite guarantee that He will save them from the sea of Samsara, from their ownimperfections, but “before long”, not immediately. They have to go through therequired steps of purification & identification, before they can be liberated.“To those whose mind is set on Me.”: It is the mind that gives us the hallucination of ouregocentric limitations. When an integrated mind-intellect-equipment of a devotee,through constant practice, engages itself entirely on the concept of the Lord, the entiremind assumes the stature of the Infinite. The devotee thus rediscovers his own Infinitenature. Bondage & liberation are both for the mind. The Self is ever free, ever liberated,never bound.

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FIX YOUR MIND & INTELLECT ON ME12.8 Fix your mind on Me only, place your intellect in Me; then (thereafter) you shall nodoubt, live in Me alone.Meditation is a subtle art of bringing both the head & the heart together to the same Enchanting Form ofthe Lord. This art is explained here.“Fix thy mind on Me alone.”: Mind can contemplate only on something conditioned by the senses. So, bymeditation upon the enchanting form of Lord Krishna, the human mind can readily be made to restentirely at His feet. Besides, our intellect must also be engaged in our endeavour.“Place the intellect in Me.”: Geeta rightly advises that the devotee must bring his discriminating intellectto pierce through the stony idol of the Lord & contact the pulsating Truth it represents. Thus the devoteewill be able to contact the cosmic total-intellect of the Lord.“Thereafter you shall live in Me.”: We are the sum total of what we think & what we feel. If our minds areresting on the Lord & our intellects have dived into the very depths of the Infinite, our individualities end& we merge to become one with the Infinite. Therefore Lord Krishna says that such a devotee shall live inHim.

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ABHYASA-YOGA12.9 If you are unable to fix your mind steadily upon Me, then by the Yoga of constantpractice, seek to reach Me, O Dhananjaya.In the technique of self-unfoldment declared by the Lord, in the last verse, the seeker has to fix his mindtotally at the feet of the Lord, & bring his intellect to play upon the significance of the Form-Divine. Thisrequires an extremely subtle intellect & single-pointedness of mind. If the seeker is unable to do this, theLord kindly offers another method.“Pursue the Yoga-of-constant practice.”: Then the only practical method would be to pursue the Yoga ofconstant practice (Abhyasa-Yoga). This was earlier described (in 6.26) as “wherever the mind wandersrestless, from there, let him subdue it & bring it under the sway of the Self alone”. The Lord advises us togather all the rays of the mind, whenever they wander away from their main point of concentration, &focus them all again & again on the Divine-Form. That the mind runs away is not in itself such a tragedy asthat when the meditator himself gets abducted by the mind. Krishna is only advising us not to get enticedby the mind from our divine pursuit. For this, the meditator must develop a capacity to stand by himself &in himself, apart from his wandering mind. In order to control the mind, the meditator must stand apartfrom his mind, identifying himself with the Self. By striving hard in Abhyasa-Yoga for a length of time, ourmind gets well disciplined so that we may pursue the direct method of contemplation on the Self.

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T K G Namboodhiri

PERFORM ACTIONS FOR MY SAKE12.10 If you are unable even to practise Abhyasa-Yoga, be you intent on performingactions for My sake; even by doing actions for My sake, you shall attain perfection.As a compassionate teacher, Lord Krishna here offers another alternative for self-development. InHinduism, there is no ‘do it, or else to hell’ sort of threat. If a meditator is agitated & wild in his mentalpersonality he will be incapacitated even to perform the Abhyasa-Yoga. Here, Lord Krishna advises himnot to struggle hard & thereby bring about avoidable mental repressions. Meditation is only an attemptto create the necessary conditions, most favourable for the blossoming of the greater man in us. So analternative is offered. For a man who cannot even concentrate, the Lord suggests that he surrender all hisactions unto the Lord in a spirit of dedication. In doing so, he will be forced to remember the Lord allthrough his day’s activities. This path is suitable for an ordinary average man, even to the most extrovertamong us. If we entertain in our mind the firm idea that we are the agents of the Divine, executing Hiswill in all our external activities, we will then be made to contemplate on the Lord continuously, & we willdraw from ourselves miraculous powers of efficiency & confident courage in our actions. To clear anydoubts about the efficacy of this simple unorthodox method, Sri Krishna assures Arjuna, in the secondline, that “even by doing actions for My sake you shall attain perfection.”.

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RENOUNCE THE FRUITS OF ALL ACTIONS12.11 If you are unable to do even this, then taking refuge in Me, self-controlled,renounce the fruits of all actions.Even to seekers who are extremely agitated(Rajasic), with low impulses(Tamasic), belonging to the lowestconceivable type, the Geeta has a ‘path’ to advise. If sell-dedication unto the Lord, in all activities, isimpossible, such individuals are advised here an equally powerful alternative, viz., “Abandon the fruits-of-actions, & taking refuge in Me, be self-controlled” in all actions.In a socialistic scheme of national life, a worker, who works only for ‘higher wages, with less hours ofwork, & with maximum inefficiency’ is a criminal who deserves to be punished. This attitude is reflectedin Krishna’s condemnation of all those who work in the world merely for the fruit-pay or wages. Today’swork gives result only after some time. So if we waste our present time worrying about a future outcome,our actions will be less efficient & successful. Even though this fact is well known, most of us waste ourPRESENT chances, opportunities & time in brooding over the FUTURE. Krishna urges us here only to curbthese wasteful imaginations & live vitally, sincerely, fully & dynamically in the PRESENT. Even this act canintegrate our personality & make it single-pointed & strong.Nowhere in the world’s spiritual literature do we see such an exhaustive treatment of the different ‘paths’for self-development, as in the Geeta.

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RENUNCIATION OF THE FRUITS OF ACTION IS THE BEST12.12 ‘Knowledge’ is indeed better than ‘practice’; ‘meditation’ is better than ‘knowledge’; ‘renunciationof the fruits of actions’ is better than ‘meditation’; peace immediately follows renunciation.Here Krishna systematises & arranges in a descending order, the various techniques of self-development He gave in the previousverses. Paradoxically, ‘renunciation of fruits of action’ prescribed for the seeker of lowest calibre, is proclaimed here as the bestmethod!“Knowledge is better than practice”: Spiritual practices are not mere physical acts, but involve the intellect in understanding the‘why’ & ‘how’ of the acts. This knowledge of the psychological, intellectual & spiritual implications of our practices is greater inimportance than the physical acts.“Meditation is superior to Knowledge”: More important than mere knowledge is meditation upon the knowledge so gathered. Toconvert our learning into understanding, a process of intellectual assimilation is needed. This is possible only through long,subjective, independent ponderings by the seeker. This is meditation, which is better than mere knowledge of the techniques.“Renunciation of fruits of action is better than meditation”: Meditation leads to a better understanding of the knowledge. This ispossible only with a calm & quiet mind, not disturbed by anxiety about the future. Since all fruits of actions definitely belong to thefuture, anxiousness about them will disturb our minds. So meditation becomes impossible. Hence Krishna gives more importance to‘renunciation of fruits of actions’ than meditation.He adds, how this renunciation eliminates our anxiety & brings peace & equipoise. “Peace immediately follows renunciation”. Thenthe seeker can meditate upon the knowledge of the Shastras & understand the ways of self-development.

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MY DEVOTEE IS DEAR TO ME12.13 He who hates no creature, who is friendly & compassionate to all, who is free from attachment &egoism, balanced in pleasure & pain, & forgiving..12.14 Ever content, steady in meditation, self-controlled, possessed of firm conviction, with mind &intellect dedicated to Me, he, My devotee, is dear to Me.In these & the following 5 verses, Lord Krishna enumerates the characteristic features of a man-of-Perfection, & thereby prescribes the correct mode of conduct & the way of life for all seekers. TheYogeswara has painted thus the picture of a true devotee.Eleven noble qualities are indicated in these two verses; each of them declares a moral phase in thecharacter of a man-of-Perfection. One who has realised that the Spirit everywhere is one & the same, &that Spirit in All alone is his own Self, cannot afford to hate anyone, because there is no one other thanhimself. His attitude to all living creatures will be friendly & compassionate. He cannot regard anything ashis own as he is completely free from egoism. Even-minded in pain & pleasure, he remains supremelyunaffected even when beaten or abused. Always content, he discovers infinite joy in himself. Steadfast inhis meditation, self-controlled & firm in his resolve, he lives on joyously, his mind & intellect ‘evercentered on Me’. The Lord says that “such a perfect, devoted Yogi is dear to Me”.

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ONE UNAFFECTED BY THE WORLD IS DEAR TO ME

12.15 He by whom the world is not agitated (affected), & who cannot be agitated by theworld, who is freed from joy, envy, fear & anxiety- he is dear to Me.Here the Lord enumerates three more qualities of a real devotee:

“He by whom the world is not agitated”: A man-of-Perfection will not create any agitations in the world around him.By the intrinsic divinity in him, he creates an atmosphere of serene joy & endless peace around him. The worldirresistibly rushes to such a saint to bask in his joy & peace.

“Who cannot be agitated by the world”: The world, however chaotic, revolting & vengeful it may be, cannot createany agitations in a man-of-Perfection. The floating reeds dance on the surface of the sea but the lighthouse that isbuilt on a firm rock foundation, stands erect & motionless. Similarly, a true devotee cannot be disturbed by worldlyagitations, because he always observes the changeless substratum, supporting the changing world.

“He is completely freed from all emotions”: Joy, envy, fear & anxiety cause inward agitations in men. Ever peacefulwith himself & the world, the devotee is unaffected by these emotions, & deals with them with equanimity.

Such a devotee is dear to Me.

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PURE, ALERT, UNCONCERNED & UNTROUBLED DEVOTEE12.16 He who is free from wants, pure, alert, unconcerned, untroubled, renouncing all undertakings– hewho is thus devoted to Me, is dear to Me.Six more subtler characteristics of a true devotee are give here.“Free from dependence”: A true devotee no more depends upon either the objects of the world, or their relationshipwith himself. He draws his inspiration, equanimity & joy from a source within himself.“Who is Pure”: One who is aspiring to reach perfection will be clean not only in his body & relationship with others,but even in the condition & arrangement of his belongings around him. Without external purity, internal purificationremains only a hope.“Alert & Unconcerned”: Mental agility & intellectual vigour are natural for an integrated person. He is ever on his toesto spring forward to activity. A true devotee is ‘unconcerned’ in the sense that he economises on his mental energy,by neglecting small unimportant pinpricks of life.“Free from trembling”: Once victimised by a desire for an object, one becomes tremulous in fear that his desire maynot be fulfilled. A true seeker is never disturbed by such desires & agitations.“Renouncing every undertaking”: Here the Lord is not promoting idleness by remaining actionless, but only asking forabandoning the ‘doership’ & egoistic attachment to results in doing any required activity. A seeker must renounce thisegoistic sense of self-importance & work on in this world.“Such a devotee is dear to Me”.

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DEVOTEE RENOUNCING GOOD & EVIL12.17 He who neither rejoices, nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, renouncing good &evil, full of devotion, is dear to Me.Another six qualities of a devotee are given here.“He who neither rejoices”: He is not overjoyed when an object of his desire has been attained or an eventhas gone according to his plan.“Nor hates”: He does not hate undesirable things or circumstances.“Neither grieves, nor desires”: A man-of-Perfection is one whose beloved object, the Self, can never beapart from him. He has no sense of attachment with any other object. Having attained the Self, he has nomore any desire for anything that he has not attained. So no grief.“Renouncing good & evil”: Happenings around the world can be either good or evil depending uponwhether it arouses joy or sorrow in us. But to one who is living away from the realm of the dualisticexperiences, none of such happenings can have an effect.“He who is such a devotee is dear to Me”.

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EQUANOMOUS & DETACHED DEVOTEE12.18 He who is same to foe & friend, & also in honour & dishonour, who is the same incold & heat, & in pleasure & pain, who is free from attachment…Here the Lord enumerates another 5 qualities in a true devotee.“Equal to foe & friend”: Our psychological reaction to another is termed as foe or friend. A man-of-Perfection does not identify himself with his mental estimation of things or beings. So he maintains auniformity of attitude to his friends & foes.“And so too in honour & dishonour”: Our intellect judges a situation as honourable or dishonourablebased on our habits. A change in circumstances may change this labelling with time & place. Theseintellectual perturbations do not affect a true devotee.“Who is the same in heat & cold”: Heat & cold are the experiences of the body. This idiom represents alltypes of experiences of the body, & they cannot disturb a man-of-Perfection.The above three terms comprehend the entire possibility of experiences in life; physical, mental &intellectual. In all of them, a true devotee is unagitated because he “Is free from Attachment” to &identification with the matter equipment—body, mind & intellect. He is thus a master of them all.

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SILENT, CONTENTED, STEADY-MINDED DEVOTEE12.19 To whom censure & praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, homeless, steady-minded, full of devotion-that man is dear to Me.Lord Krishna gives here another 5 qualities of a devotee.“To whom censure & praise are equal”: To a great devotee, full of transcendental & blissful experiences of the Divine,the worldly censure or praise has no significance or importance at all. He realises that praise & censure are inthemselves nothing more than the passing fancy of those who express them.“He is silent”: A true seeker of wisdom becomes a man of few words, both physically & mentally.“Content with anything”: The policy of contentment, where one is contented with whatever reaches him, accidently,unasked & unexpected, is the only intelligent attitude to be taken up by all sincere seekers, to strive for & to achievethe diviner goal of life.“Homeless”: The man of spiritual realisation is one who is trying to pull down all his conditionings & striving to freehimself from all sense of possession & material shackles. So even a permanent shelter will be a distraction. His onlyshelter is the feet of the All-Pervading.“Stead-fast in his goal & full of devotion”: A true devotee is steady in his resolve to attain his goal, & is full of devotionto the Supreme. That man is dear to Me.In these previous verses, Lord Krishna has enumerated thirty six characteristics of a seeker-of-Perfection- hisrelationship with the world outside, his psychological life & his intellectual evaluation of the world of beings &happenings.

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FOLLOW THIS IMMORTAL DHARMA12.20 They indeed, who follow this ‘Immortal Dharma’ (Law of Life) as described above,endowed with faith, regarding Me as their Supreme Goal—such devotees areexceedingly dear to Me.Lord Krishna concludes this chapter of Bhakti Yoga:“This Immortal Law prescribed above”: The gist of Sanatana Dharma is given in theverses of this chapter. To realise the Self & live in that wisdom at all our personalitylevels-physical, mental & intellectual-is the fulfilment of life. A Hindu must be able todigest them properly, assimilate them fully, & become Perfect. The Lord says that hemust be ‘endowed with faith’.“Such devotees are supremely dear to Me”: A devotee who develops the 36 qualitiesmentioned in previous verses, is divinely reassured that he will gain the Supreme Loveof the Lord.

END OF CHAPTER 12-THE YOGA OF DEVOTION