Main Points of the Discourse:
- Thoughts about the Divine with form and without form. (1-5)
- The excellence of Bhakti Yoga. (6-8)
- Different spiritual practices. (9-12)
- The qualities of the Bhakta. (13-20)
Verses 1 to 20
- Arjuna said- Thus, those who worship You, ever steadfast, and also those who meditate on the unmanifest Imperishable Brahman of the two types of seekers, who are superior knowers of yoga? (12.1)
- The Blessed Lord said: With mind established in Me, ever steadfast in their devotion, endowed with the highest faith, those who worship Me, they are in my opinion, the best of yogis. (12.2)
- Those who, having restrained well all the senses, even-minded everywhere, rejoicing in the welfare of all beings, meditate on the indefinable, eternal, all-pervading, and Imperishable Brahman – they attain Me alone. (12.3 & 12.4)
- Greater is the difficulty for those whose mind is set on the realisation of the unmanifest (Nirguna Brahman), because the unmanifested is reached with difficulty by embodied beings. (12.5)
- O Arjuna! Those verily who renounce all actions in Me, think of Me as the only refuge and worship Me with single-minded devotion and Dhyana, to them I become the saviour and quickly lift them up from the ocean of death and ‘samsara’. (12.6 & 12.7)
- Fix the mind firmly in Me only; place the intellect in Me, thereafter you shall live in Me only; there is no doubt about this. (12.8)
- O Arjuna! If you are not able to fix the mind firmly in Me, then desire to reach Me by the yoga of constant practice. (Practise constantly and fix the mind in Me). (12.9)
- Even if you are not capable of practice, do work for My sake; By doing work for my sake also, you shall attain perfection. (12.10)
- If you are not able to do My yoga taking refugee in Me, then renounce all actions and the fruits thereof, self-controlled. (12.11)
- Than practice (without discrimination) knowledge (derived from the study of the Sastras) is better indeed! than (such) knowledge, meditation is better, than meditation (stillness of mind at the time of meditation) renunciation of all fruits of action is better; immediately after renunciation peace is attained.(12.12)
- Who does not hate any being, who is friendly and compassionate, who is free from attachment and egoism, who is equal-minded in sorrow and happiness, who is forgiving, who is always contented, steady in meditation, who is self-controlled and firm in conviction, who has surrendered his mind and intellect in Me, he (such a devotee) is dear to me. (12.13 & 12.14)
- He by whom the world is not afflicted and whom the world cannot afflict, he who is free from joy and anger, fear and anxiety— he is dear to Me. (12.15)
- He who is free from desire, who is pure in body and mind, who is competent and ready-willed, who is unconcerned, free from anxiety and sorrow, who has renounced all sense of doership (or who has renounced all acts of desire, prohibited by the ‘sastras’), who is devoted to Me – is dear to Me. (12.16)
- Who is not elated, who does not hate, does not grieve, who has renounced both good and bad, he, My devotee is dear to Me. (12.17)
- Who is equal-minded towards friends and enemies, in honour and disgrace, in heat and cold, and pleasure and pain, who is free from attachment (desire and selfishness), who is silent (meditating), who is satisfied with what-so-ever he gets, who has no particular home, who is decided in mind, who is devoted to Me, such a man is dear to Me. (12.18 & 12.19)
- Who, with faith having Me as their goal follow this immortal and nectar-like Dharma as declared above, such devotees are most dear to Me. (12.20)