Bg 12.5
kleśo ’dhika-taras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ dehavadbhir avāpyate
Bg 12.6-7
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi sannyasya mat-parāḥ
ananyenaiva yogena māṁ dhyāyanta upāsate
teṣām ahaṁ samuddhartā mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt
bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha mayy āveśita-cetasām
Translation
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.
6. But those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me, regarding Me as the Supreme Goal, meditating on Me with single-minded devotion (YOGA) . . .
7. For them, whose minds are set on Me, verily I become, ere-long, O Partha, the Saviour, (to save them) out of the ocean of finite experiences; the SAMSARA.
Commentary
After explaining how the goal reached by all meditators is one and the same Supreme Perfection, Lord Krishna tries to compare the two incomparable 'Paths', both of equal efficacy and merit. He says "GREATER IS THE TOIL OF THOSE WHOSE THOUGHTS ARE FIXED ON THE UNMANIFEST." This declaration, when read as such and in itself, is not only an advocacy of the 'Path-of-Devotion' to a PERSONAL GOD, but almost amounts to a positive condemnation of meditation upon the Formless. Such an erroneous and misleading interpretation will render the Geeta a scripture that contradicts the 'eternal wisdom' of the Upanishads. And yet, there are vocal champions of devotion (Bhakti), who quote this half stanza to beguile the faithful!
The first line is commented upon and elucidated by the following line in the stanza. Lord Krishna explains why it is hard ordinarily for seekers to contemplate upon the Formless. "THE UNMANIFEST IS VERY HARD INDEED FOR THE EMBODIED TO REACH." The crucial word in the stanza is 'embodied.' It is often very directly understood to mean "all those who have a physical structure." The absurdity of such an understanding would become evident if we follow the natural corollary of such an interpretation. If all those who are having a physical body can meditate only upon the form of the Lord, then it follows that pure meditation upon the Formless is to be undertaken only after the body is dropped and the seeker is dead.
Shri Shankaracharya, therefore, clearly explains that the "EMBODIED" means "those who are attached to their bodies." Sunk in flesh, if one personality lives only a life of sensuality and satisfaction of one's body-cravings, one will find it too difficult to take to steady and continuous meditation upon the subtle theme of the Infinite, Formless and All-pervading. An old man whose vision is lost and whose hands are shaky, may find it very difficult to thread a needle; so too, a mind and intellect agitated, panting and restless, suffering from desire-plays, are not vehicles that can successfully fly beyond the frontiers of names and forms to the endless Spiritual Glory.
In short, to the majority of us, meditation upon the Lord, as expressed in the Universe, is easier and more profitable. Man can worship the myriad forms through service undertaken in a spirit of worship and divine dedication. By doing so, the body-attachments and sense-appetites get purged from his inner make-up and his mind ecomes subtle enough to conceive and contemplate upon the Formless and the Imperishable Unmanifest.
EVEN THOUGH, LATER ON, WE SHALL MEET WITHIN THIS CHAPTER, THE WAY OF LIFE PRESCRIBED FOR MEN CONTEMPLATING UPON THE 'UNMANIFEST, ' HEREUNDER WE SHALL FIND THE DISCIPLINES IN LIFE FOR A STUDENT WHO IS TRYING TO STEADY THE MIND THROUGH HIS DEVOTION FOR THE 'MANIFEST-LORD':
Here Krishna prescribes certain definite conditions to be faithfully followed by all meditators upon the Form-of-the-Lord, and concludes that those who are following His instructions fully, will be saved from their mortal limitations, by the Lord Himself, on whose Form they are contemplating. A careful study of these conditions will show us how the devotee grows mentally to stature so divine and high that, thereafter he needs no help from anyone at all. But, in the beginning, a seeker needs some assurances from his teacher in order to instil in him the required self-confidence to start his practices.
THOSE WHO WORSHIP ME, RENOUNCING ALL ACTIONS IN ME --- To renounce all our actions to an INSTITUTION, to an IDEA or to a POWER, is to end our individual limitations and identify ourselves with that for which we renounce. Thus, an ordinary man, as ambassador of his country, becomes a mighty personality in the foreign courts, because he talks, acts, thinks and expresses the will of an entire people. Similarly, when a devotee of the Infinite Lord surrenders himself totally at His feet and acts as a messenger, or as a representative of the Will of the Lord, he becomes, not only divinely 'dynamic,' but in and through his own activities, aware of the presence and grace of the Universal Spirit.
REGARDING ME AS THE SUPREME GOAL --- A dancer never forgets the rhythm of the drum which accompanies her steps. A musician is ever conscious of the background hum. Similarly, a devotee is advised not take up religion as a part-time entertainment, or as a temporary escapism, but to consider the Lord as the Supreme Goal to be achieved in and through life. In short, we are advised that in order to ascend to the Higher summits of cultural perfection, it is necessary that we direct all our contacts, transactions, and experiences in our life, towards the achievement of this cumulative goal of Self-Perfection, as symbolised in the Lord of our heart.
WITH UNSWERVING YOGA --- All attempts with which we develop our mental attunement with any chosen State of Perfection constitute Yoga. To lift our minds from its present agitations and wasteful tendencies towards a greater goal of ampler joy and fuller wisdom is Yoga. This faculty of Yoga is in everyone of us. At all times we are practising it. But the results of Yoga will depend upon the goal towards which we are heaving forward; unfortunately, ours is not generally a Divine Goal; to strive for the sense-enjoyments is called Bhoga.
Ordinarily, our goal keeps on changing and we reach nowhere even though our struggle is consistent. If a holiday-maker has two spots in view, and he cannot come to a decision as to which place he wants to visit, then he can reach neither of them. He will be in a helpless state of confusion, travelling up and down the road, reaching nowhere, and wasting his time and energy. 'Anya' means 'other'; 'Ananya' means 'without otherness.' Krishna is advising here Ananya Yoga, meaning a Yoga in which the goal is ever steady and our mind has no sense of 'otherness' about it.
It may be noted here that mental disintegration can come both because of the 'otherness' in our goal, and because of the mind wandering into other channels of preoccupations.
Thus those (a) who have renounced all actions in Me (b) who regard Me as the Supreme Goal and (c) who, with a single-pointed mind and goal strive, are the best of My devotees, when their striving is constituted of meditation (Dhyana) and worship (Upasana). We have already indicated that Upasana is not merely meditation upon a goal, but becoming, in an active way, one with the Goal contemplated upon. At-one-ment with the goal is the meditator's aim and fulfilment.
Enumerating the conditions necessary for a devotee at his seat of meditation, Krishna assures him that he need not wonder how he will go beyond the shores of sorrows, agitations, and imperfections, which are the lot of all mortals. "I SHALL BE THEIR SAVIOUR" is a divine assurance and an infinite guarantee. It is possible that seekers may become rather impatient when even after months and years of practice, they do not come anywhere near any spiritual experience.
The Lord's assurance also indicates the time limit; He says that He will save the seeker from his own imperfection 'ere-long' (nachirat).
TO THOSE WHOSE MIND IS SET ON ME --- The mind generally takes the form of the object it contemplates upon. When an integrated mind-intellect-equipment of a devotee, through constant practice, gains the capacity of engaging itself entirely on the concept of the Lord, to the exclusion of all agitations and undivine thoughts, the entire mind assumes the stature of the Infinite. It is the mind that gives us the hallucination of our egocentric limitations, and again, it is the mind that rediscovers the Infinitude. Bondage and liberation are both for the mind. The Self is ever free; ever liberated; never bound.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
kleśo ’dhika-taras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ dehavadbhir avāpyate
Bg 12.6-7
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi sannyasya mat-parāḥ
ananyenaiva yogena māṁ dhyāyanta upāsate
teṣām ahaṁ samuddhartā mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt
bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha mayy āveśita-cetasām
Translation
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.
6. But those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me, regarding Me as the Supreme Goal, meditating on Me with single-minded devotion (YOGA) . . .
7. For them, whose minds are set on Me, verily I become, ere-long, O Partha, the Saviour, (to save them) out of the ocean of finite experiences; the SAMSARA.
Commentary
After explaining how the goal reached by all meditators is one and the same Supreme Perfection, Lord Krishna tries to compare the two incomparable 'Paths', both of equal efficacy and merit. He says "GREATER IS THE TOIL OF THOSE WHOSE THOUGHTS ARE FIXED ON THE UNMANIFEST." This declaration, when read as such and in itself, is not only an advocacy of the 'Path-of-Devotion' to a PERSONAL GOD, but almost amounts to a positive condemnation of meditation upon the Formless. Such an erroneous and misleading interpretation will render the Geeta a scripture that contradicts the 'eternal wisdom' of the Upanishads. And yet, there are vocal champions of devotion (Bhakti), who quote this half stanza to beguile the faithful!
The first line is commented upon and elucidated by the following line in the stanza. Lord Krishna explains why it is hard ordinarily for seekers to contemplate upon the Formless. "THE UNMANIFEST IS VERY HARD INDEED FOR THE EMBODIED TO REACH." The crucial word in the stanza is 'embodied.' It is often very directly understood to mean "all those who have a physical structure." The absurdity of such an understanding would become evident if we follow the natural corollary of such an interpretation. If all those who are having a physical body can meditate only upon the form of the Lord, then it follows that pure meditation upon the Formless is to be undertaken only after the body is dropped and the seeker is dead.
Shri Shankaracharya, therefore, clearly explains that the "EMBODIED" means "those who are attached to their bodies." Sunk in flesh, if one personality lives only a life of sensuality and satisfaction of one's body-cravings, one will find it too difficult to take to steady and continuous meditation upon the subtle theme of the Infinite, Formless and All-pervading. An old man whose vision is lost and whose hands are shaky, may find it very difficult to thread a needle; so too, a mind and intellect agitated, panting and restless, suffering from desire-plays, are not vehicles that can successfully fly beyond the frontiers of names and forms to the endless Spiritual Glory.
In short, to the majority of us, meditation upon the Lord, as expressed in the Universe, is easier and more profitable. Man can worship the myriad forms through service undertaken in a spirit of worship and divine dedication. By doing so, the body-attachments and sense-appetites get purged from his inner make-up and his mind ecomes subtle enough to conceive and contemplate upon the Formless and the Imperishable Unmanifest.
EVEN THOUGH, LATER ON, WE SHALL MEET WITHIN THIS CHAPTER, THE WAY OF LIFE PRESCRIBED FOR MEN CONTEMPLATING UPON THE 'UNMANIFEST, ' HEREUNDER WE SHALL FIND THE DISCIPLINES IN LIFE FOR A STUDENT WHO IS TRYING TO STEADY THE MIND THROUGH HIS DEVOTION FOR THE 'MANIFEST-LORD':
Here Krishna prescribes certain definite conditions to be faithfully followed by all meditators upon the Form-of-the-Lord, and concludes that those who are following His instructions fully, will be saved from their mortal limitations, by the Lord Himself, on whose Form they are contemplating. A careful study of these conditions will show us how the devotee grows mentally to stature so divine and high that, thereafter he needs no help from anyone at all. But, in the beginning, a seeker needs some assurances from his teacher in order to instil in him the required self-confidence to start his practices.
THOSE WHO WORSHIP ME, RENOUNCING ALL ACTIONS IN ME --- To renounce all our actions to an INSTITUTION, to an IDEA or to a POWER, is to end our individual limitations and identify ourselves with that for which we renounce. Thus, an ordinary man, as ambassador of his country, becomes a mighty personality in the foreign courts, because he talks, acts, thinks and expresses the will of an entire people. Similarly, when a devotee of the Infinite Lord surrenders himself totally at His feet and acts as a messenger, or as a representative of the Will of the Lord, he becomes, not only divinely 'dynamic,' but in and through his own activities, aware of the presence and grace of the Universal Spirit.
REGARDING ME AS THE SUPREME GOAL --- A dancer never forgets the rhythm of the drum which accompanies her steps. A musician is ever conscious of the background hum. Similarly, a devotee is advised not take up religion as a part-time entertainment, or as a temporary escapism, but to consider the Lord as the Supreme Goal to be achieved in and through life. In short, we are advised that in order to ascend to the Higher summits of cultural perfection, it is necessary that we direct all our contacts, transactions, and experiences in our life, towards the achievement of this cumulative goal of Self-Perfection, as symbolised in the Lord of our heart.
WITH UNSWERVING YOGA --- All attempts with which we develop our mental attunement with any chosen State of Perfection constitute Yoga. To lift our minds from its present agitations and wasteful tendencies towards a greater goal of ampler joy and fuller wisdom is Yoga. This faculty of Yoga is in everyone of us. At all times we are practising it. But the results of Yoga will depend upon the goal towards which we are heaving forward; unfortunately, ours is not generally a Divine Goal; to strive for the sense-enjoyments is called Bhoga.
Ordinarily, our goal keeps on changing and we reach nowhere even though our struggle is consistent. If a holiday-maker has two spots in view, and he cannot come to a decision as to which place he wants to visit, then he can reach neither of them. He will be in a helpless state of confusion, travelling up and down the road, reaching nowhere, and wasting his time and energy. 'Anya' means 'other'; 'Ananya' means 'without otherness.' Krishna is advising here Ananya Yoga, meaning a Yoga in which the goal is ever steady and our mind has no sense of 'otherness' about it.
It may be noted here that mental disintegration can come both because of the 'otherness' in our goal, and because of the mind wandering into other channels of preoccupations.
Thus those (a) who have renounced all actions in Me (b) who regard Me as the Supreme Goal and (c) who, with a single-pointed mind and goal strive, are the best of My devotees, when their striving is constituted of meditation (Dhyana) and worship (Upasana). We have already indicated that Upasana is not merely meditation upon a goal, but becoming, in an active way, one with the Goal contemplated upon. At-one-ment with the goal is the meditator's aim and fulfilment.
Enumerating the conditions necessary for a devotee at his seat of meditation, Krishna assures him that he need not wonder how he will go beyond the shores of sorrows, agitations, and imperfections, which are the lot of all mortals. "I SHALL BE THEIR SAVIOUR" is a divine assurance and an infinite guarantee. It is possible that seekers may become rather impatient when even after months and years of practice, they do not come anywhere near any spiritual experience.
The Lord's assurance also indicates the time limit; He says that He will save the seeker from his own imperfection 'ere-long' (nachirat).
TO THOSE WHOSE MIND IS SET ON ME --- The mind generally takes the form of the object it contemplates upon. When an integrated mind-intellect-equipment of a devotee, through constant practice, gains the capacity of engaging itself entirely on the concept of the Lord, to the exclusion of all agitations and undivine thoughts, the entire mind assumes the stature of the Infinite. It is the mind that gives us the hallucination of our egocentric limitations, and again, it is the mind that rediscovers the Infinitude. Bondage and liberation are both for the mind. The Self is ever free; ever liberated; never bound.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
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