Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12, Verse 10 (BG 12.10) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

# BG 12.10 — Translation of Meaning The completeness of Hindu dharma-scriptures lies in their description of diverse and extensive means for the development of the atman. From a psychological perspective, the spiritual practices taught therein reveal their profound utility to anyone who studies them with sincere inquiry. The greater one's study, the more firmly one accepts the value and relevance of this spiritual path with unwavering conviction. Our great dharma-texts nowhere contain threats such as "Accept this, or else you shall descend into hell." Whoever is prepared for intellectual discernment and scientific evaluation shall become fully assured of the excellence of the Hindu way of life. If a seeker is mentally disturbed and lacking in self-restraint, he cannot successfully practice abhyasa-yoga. Here, Lord Sri Krishna's teaching is that such seekers should not exhaust themselves in futile struggle with meditation. By forcibly stilling the mind, they may become victims of mental suppression and repression. The inner personality of a human being is far more delicate than an unopened flower bud. To hasten its blossoming is to destroy its beauty and fragrance. In nididhyasana, our effort is only to create such favorable conditions wherein our inner personality may bloom swiftly yet naturally. It is therefore necessary that if one cannot practice a particular discipline, alternative means be prescribed for one's development. If a seeker's mind occasionally turns toward trivial desires due to past impressions, restraining it is a relatively simple task. But if someone's mind is completely filled with sensory desires and is extremely extroverted, then meditation practice becomes mere pretense of meditation. The Lord teaches that such a person should abandon meditation and engage in action—but such action must be performed with the spirit of offering to the Divine. This is the meaning of the sacred utterance: "mat-karma-paramo bhava" (become devoted to action for Me). Through such karma-anushthan, even a person of extremely extroverted nature can maintain unbroken remembrance of the Divine in all daily activities. All fathers adopt this very method in nurturing their newborn children. Each son is born to his father as an unfamiliar infant. Yet within days, the father's love grows. As time passes, this love becomes so vast that the father lives entirely in his son. The reason is this: after the son's birth, whenever the father acts or gains experience, all these remain colored by the memory of his son dwelling in the background of his mind—and this is the spirit of offering toward one's child. Yogeshvara Sri Krishna here teaches an extremely practical method for ordinary people. His teaching brings a message of hope even for those among us who are highly extroverted. For the majority of seekers, this is indeed the royal path. Just as a representative of a business establishment says in practice, "We shall endeavor to fulfill your needs; we are manufacturing these goods; we are not responsible for this," and conducts himself as though he were the manager or director of that establishment, when in fact he is merely a representative—similarly, if any one of us firmly regards himself as the Divine's representative and endeavors to fulfill the Divine's will through our actions, then the remembrance of the Divine shall remain constant, and one shall discover within oneself the extraordinary power of skillful action, organizational capability, and courageous self-confidence. A student of ancient Vedic knowledge, such as Arjuna was, upon hearing this seemingly simple teaching, might harbor doubt about its actual efficacy. Orthodox people regard original ideas with suspicion, even when propounded by the greatest living person of that age or by an avatar of the Divine. For this reason, Lord Sri Krishna here assures the seekers of the power of this path, saying: "Even while performing action for Me, you shall attain perfection." In worldly practice too, when we place water on heat for the purpose of making tea, and someone asks what we are doing, we say, "I am making tea." From the standpoint of literal fact, this statement is untrue; but from the standpoint of purpose, it is entirely true—for once the water boils, making tea requires neither great effort nor much time. Similarly, through the art of offering all actions to the Divine, we shall continue to develop divine impressions in our mind even while performing our daily, practical duties. In this process, our previously accumulated desires shall gradually diminish. Thus, when the mind becomes purified, we shall become qualified for abhyasa-yoga and shall soon attain sufficient equanimity and balance, meditate upon the true atman, and become established in its nature. If someone is unable to do even this, the means for such a person are taught in the next verse.