Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12, Verse 1 (BG 12.1) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

12.1 एवम् thus? सततयुक्ताः ever steadfast? ये who? भक्ताः devotees? त्वाम् Thee? पर्युपासते worship? ये who? च and? अपि also? अक्षरम् the imperishable? अव्यक्तम् the unmanifested? तेषाम् of them? के who? योगवित्तमाः better versed in Yoga.Commentary The twelfth discourse goes to prove that Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of devotion is much easier than Jnana Yoga or the Yoga of knowledge. In Bhakti Yoga the devotee establishes a near and dear relationship with the Lord. He cultivates slowly and one of the five Bhavas (attitudes) according to his temperament? taste and capacity. The five attitudes are the Santa Bhava (the attitutde of peaceful adoration) Dasya Bhava (the attitude of servant towards the master) Sakhya Bhava (the attitude of a friend) Vatsalya Bhava (the attitude of a parent to the child) and Madhurya Bhava (the attitutde of the lover towards the beloved). The devotee adopts these attitudes towards the Lord. The last (Madhurya Bhava) is the culmination of devotion. It is merging or absorption in the Lord.The devotee adores the Lord. He constantly remembers Him (Smarana). He sings His Name (Kirtana). He speaks of His glories. He repeats His Name. He chants His Mantra (Japa). He prays and prostrates himself. He hears His Lilas (divine plays). He does total? ungrudging and unconditional selfsurrender? obtains His grace? hols communion wih? and eventually gets absorbed in Him.The devotee begins by worshipping the idols or the symbols of God. Then he performs internal worship of the Form. Ultimately he is led to the supreme worship of the allpervading Brahman (Para Puja).Thus As declared in the last verse of the previous chapter.Avyaktam The unmanifested? i.e.? incomprehensible to the senses? transcending all limiting adjuncts. The unmanifested Brahman is beyond all limitations. That which is visible to the senses is called Vyakta or manifest.The hearts of the devotees are wholly fixed on Thee. They worship Thee with all their heart and soul.There are others who worship the unmanifested Brahman which is beyond time? space and causation? which is attributeless? which is eternal and indefinable? which is beyond the reach of speech and mind. These are the wise sages.Of these two? the devotees and the men of knowledge -- who are the better knowers of Yoga (Cf.XI.55)

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

Although the philosophical discourses of the Bhagavad Gita are written in the form of dialogue, yet there has never been any neglect of the progressive development of ideas within them. Not only is there coherence of thought within each chapter, but this same coherence is also evident between one chapter and another. The previous chapter concluded with the Divine's assurance that any sincere seeker devoted to unwavering devotion can directly experience within themselves the cosmic splendor and majesty of the Divine. This challenging declaration awakened the ambition of Arjuna, the warrior prince. As a practical man of the world, he wishes to know which form of the Supreme Self he should worship. Here the question is posed with great wisdom. It is a well-known fact that in the world there are two types of seekers who are engaged in attaining the very same goal. Some seekers worship and meditate upon the Divine in the form with attributes—the manifest, embodied, and expressed form—while other seekers meditate upon the Divine without attributes, the formless and unmanifest. Both are steadfast in their devotion and progress along their respective paths. Yet the question arises: which of these two is superior—the one established in yoga or the one devoted to yoga? In philosophy, that which is perceptible to the senses is called manifest, and that which is not perceptible to proof is called unmanifest. During his student years, Arjuna was taught that the Supreme Self is unmanifest and all-pervading. Yet in the previous chapter itself, he had directly witnessed the cosmic form of the Divine. That was his personal experience. It is natural, therefore, that Arjuna, seeking guidance for spiritual development, asks an appropriate question: which of these two worshippers—those devoted to the Divine with attributes and those devoted to the Divine without attributes—is the superior seeker? The question of superiority between the Divine with attributes and without attributes remains a subject of debate even today. Can the Divine be meditated upon and realized through idol worship? Can any symbol be an indicator of the Supreme Self? Can a single wave be a symbol or representative of the ocean? First, Lord Sri Krishna, describing worship of the Divine with attributes, speaks thus: