Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14, Verse 26 (BG 14.26) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

14.26 माम् Me? च and? यः who? अव्यभिचारेण unswerving? भक्तियोगेन with devotion? सेवते serves? सः he? गुणान् Gunas? समतीत्य crossing beyond? एतान् these? ब्रह्मभूयाय for becoming Brahman? कल्पते is fit.Commentary A Sannyasi or even a Karma Yogi who serves Him (the Isvara? Narayana Who abides in the hearts of all beings) with unswerving devotion? is endowed with the knowledge of the Self. He then goes beyond the three alities and becomes fit to become Brahman? for attaining liberation or release from birth and death.He attains to the knowledge of the Self through the grace and mercy of the Lord. To these everharmonious devotees worshipping Me in love? I give the Yoga of discrimination by which they come unto Me. Out of pure compassion for them? dwelling within their Self? I destroy the ignorancorn darkness by the shining lamp of wisdom. (Chapter X. 10 and 11)Avyabhicharini Bhakti The devotee constantly meditates on the Lord. He has exclusive devotion to the Lord alone. He has no other thought save that of his Lord. His mind is filled with the thoughts of the Lord. His thoughts flow towards the Lord like the continuous flow of oil from one vessel to another. There is Sajatiya Vritti Pravaha? i.e.? unbroken flow of the one thought of God. There is total abandonment of thoughts of sensual objects. Constant thinking of God is the sure means for crossing beyond the three alities of Nature.

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Modern

The Bhagavad Gita, being a practical scriptural text on dharma, does not merely expound principles. After the discussion of each principle, it describes the practice through which a seeker can attain perfection. One who serves Me through unwavering devotional yoga attains supreme love and devotion to the Divine. Our mind naturally becomes absorbed in what we cherish. Our entire nature is nourished by our thoughts. As the thought, so the mind—this is the law. Therefore, through one-pointed contemplation of the infinite nature of the atman, the limited and mortal ego dissolves, and one becomes established in one's true nature. It is true that unbroken contemplation of the Supreme Self cannot be sustained with equal steadiness and intensity at all times. In the condition in which we find ourselves today, we lack the capacity to hold the mind steady in meditation for extended periods. Knowing this limitation of seekers, the Lord reveals a means by which we can maintain remembrance of the Divine for long duration. And that means is service. In the Third Chapter, it has been explained that actions of service performed with the feeling of offering to the Divine become worship of the Divine. This makes clear that idol worship or chanting alone is insufficient. The Teacher of the Gita expects of His devotees that they do not confine their dharma merely to the prayer room or temples. They should follow dharma in their daily life, in their work, and in their dealings with people. Unbroken remembrance of the Divine and the practice of service remove the distractions of the mind and prepare it for the subtler practice of meditation. The qualities of darkness and passion diminish, and in that same measure, the quality of purity increases. Such a seeker, predominant in the quality of purity, becomes fit for the practice of meditation. For such a seeker, the experience of the atman is not far away. The highest aspirant, having experienced the nature of Brahman, becomes Brahman itself. Just as the dreamer, upon waking, becomes the waking person. Listen—how does this seeker become Brahman?