Hari Aum.
At the end of the 11th chapter, Krishna declared to Arjuna that those with devotion to Him would come to Him, thus paving the way for a discussion on devotion to God (which is the theme of this chapter).
The 12th chapter begins with a question from Arjuna on the best path of yoga, the best way to attain God. This is an important question for us as spiritual aspirants. Arjuna asks Krishna which people excel in yoga-- those who worship Him with name and form (the 'personal' God) or those who worship Him without name and form (the 'impersonal' formless God).
Krishna gives the answer. He says:
"Mayyaveshaya mano ye mam, nitya-yukta upasate,
Shraddhya parayo-petastey me yuktatama matah"
"Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, are the best in Yoga in My opinion" (all translations are by my Guru, Sivananda).
He then goes on to say that one can attain God by worshipping Him with form or without form. Both are valid spiritual paths. However, He states that the worship of God without form is very difficult for human beings. Why? Because the human mind struggles to grasp that which is without form. The mind thinks in names and forms. It is very difficult to contemplate something which has no name and has no form.
Krishna describes the formless God using terms such as "unthinkable" (achintyam), "indefinable" (anirdeshyam), "unmanifested" (avyaktam) as well as eternal, imperishable, immovable and omnipresent. How can the human mind think of the "unthinkable" and the "indefinable"?
Thus He states:
"Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the unmanifested; for the goal, the unmanifested, is very hard for the embodied to reach."
So what about the alternative, the worship of God with name and form? This is the path that Krishna recommends for most people (the majority of saints of past and present attained God through this type of worship; a few also attained Him through worship of the formless but these are relatively few).
In fact, another advantage of the worship of God with name and form, aside from the fact that the mind can focus better in this path, is that Krishna promises that He Himself rescues those who turn to Him with devotion. He says:
"To those whose minds are set on Me, O Arjuna, truly I become before long the saviour out of the ocean of samsara".
Therefore, He advises:
"Mayyeva mana aadhatsva, mayi buddhim niveshaya,
nivasishyasi mayyeva ata oordhva na samshaya"
"Fix your mind in Me only, your intellect in Me,
(then) you shall no doubt live in Me alone hereafter"
But fixing one's mind constantly on God is difficult for us. So what is the alternative?
Krishna says:
"If you are unable to fix your mind steadily on Me, then by the yoga of constant practice, seek to reach Me, O Arjuna".
"If you are unable to practice even this (abhyasa yoga mentioned above), then be intent on doing actions for My sake; even by doing actions for My sake, you shall attain perfection".
"If you are unable to do even this, then, resorting to union with Me, renounce the fruits of actions with the self controlled".
Krishna thus gives us two broad types of sadhana to attain Him here:
1. Think of Him constantly (or at least try our best to think of Him as much as possible)
If we can't do this, then He says we should:
2. Do actions for His sake (while renouncing selfish desires for the fruits of action)
Sivananda advises that we do both. Do all actions as His worship while thinking of Him.
Krishna then describes the qualities that He likes in His devotees. He says:
"He by whom the world is not agitated, and who cannot be agitated by the world; who is freed from (worldly) joy, anger, fear and anxiety-- He is dear to Me."
"He who is free from wants, (one who is) pure, expert, unconcerned (with worldly things), and free from pain, renouncing all (selfish, worldly) undertakings and commencements-- he who is thus devoted to Me, is dear to Me."
"He who neither rejoices (when he gets desirable objects), nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, renouncing (worldly) good and evil, and who is full of devotion, is dear to Me."
"He who is the same (well-wisher) to both enemy and friend, and also in honour and dishonour, who is the same in cold and heat, and in pleasure and pain, who is free from (worldly) attachment".
"He to whom abuse and praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, without a home, of steady mind, and full of devotion-- that man is dear to Me."
"Those devotees, who truly follow this immortal path/dharma as described (above), filled with faith, regarding Me as their supreme goal, they are very dear to Me."
So to summarise, Krishna says He loves those who are:
1. Balanced-- when facing worldly opposites such as pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, cold and heat, praise and blame, honour and dishonour, friends and enemies, good and evil. Also not agitated by others, and not causing any agitation to others.
2. Free from negativity. This includes freedom from the desire for selfish worldly gains, from selfish actions, from negative feelings towards others (including hate, anger) and negative emotions (fear, anxiety, grief, pain)
3. Filled with positive qualities including contentment, silence and importantly, faith and devotion to God, while seeing Him as the supreme goal.
It is particularly interesting to read this chapter now, at the time of the pandemic. The world is facing a significant health and economic crisis. Almost everyone of us is affected in some way or another-- on a personal or professional level.
Many of us are worried about the safety of our loved ones and ourselves, our work and also about society (risk of social unrest etc; some worry whether these events can even lead to war between countries).
In short, these are challenging times. Fear, anxiety, grief, pain-- all of the things Krishna says we should try to be free of-- these negative feelings arise in us.
At the same time, our faith and devotion to God is being tested severely.
In a nutshell, for spiritual aspirants, this feels like serious spiritual test. Our faith is being tested, our devotion is being tested. Our ability to stay calm (at least mostly calm, we can be forgiven for having some moments of anxiety) is being tested, our ability to withstand uncertainty is being tested.
We hear about the death of thousands on a daily basis; this news may fill us with grief and throw our mind out of balance-- our ability to rebalance our mind and stay calm despite all this is being tested.
I was reflecting recently that it really is a case of 'sink or swim'. We have a choice. We can either let fear, anxiety and worry overwhelm us and sink into misery and depression. Or alternatively, we can hold tight to the name or mantra of God and say "What will be, will be", and not give up.
It's not like we have many alternatives aside from God and His name. We cannot control many things in our lives and future. We have no way of knowing what will happen to us, our families, our friends and our society. In five years from now, what will the world be like? We do not know.
In these circumstances, it makes complete sense to intensify our spiritual practice. Sivananda says the name of God is our real wealth, it is a treasure that nobody can take away from us. No disease, no recession, no organisation, even Yama (the demi-god of death) himself cannot take this away from us. The spiritual merit, the spiritual progress that we earn in this lifetime will go with us, even if we are made to leave the Earth. It is ours forever, imperishable, eternal, like we ourselves truly are.
So, let us continue our spiritual practice even if the circumstances are challenging. I personally have been struggling to juggle my various commitments. I am returning to my work as a doctor (part-time on weekends mainly due to childcare issues) from next week after being on maternity leave for a little over a year-- and am busy preparing myself for this by catching up on medical reading of latest guidelines etc. At the same time, during the week, I am the main carer for my 10 month old daughter (while my husband works full-time). I am also running the household. And in the middle of all this, I am trying to do some formal seated sessions of japa, and trying to treat everything else (medical work/childcare/housework) also as sadhana.
I won't say that it is easy. But it has to be done. There is no other way. I have chosen this path and now I must walk it. There can be no stopping of sadhana. It is more important now than ever before. It has been tough completing the number of daily malas everyday-- I have not always succeeded but I am roughly on track with this fifth purascharana. I hope that God will be satisfied, that I can succeed in attaining the spiritual goal in this very lifetime. As my Guru Sivananda said, it is our very birthright, we can attain it in one lifetime. We have to try.
Krishna Himself assures us (in the Uddhava Gita) that the householder can succeed in attaining Him. Any person, whether dwelling in an ashram (a big household), alone in a cave, or with a few others in a regular house, will face challenges. We have to step up to the challenge and do our best. The rest is in His hands.
On that note, I will conclude this post and return again later to discuss the next chapter of the Gita. May He bless us all with true devotion and attainment of Him.
Om Namo Narayayana.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
At the end of the 11th chapter, Krishna declared to Arjuna that those with devotion to Him would come to Him, thus paving the way for a discussion on devotion to God (which is the theme of this chapter).
The 12th chapter begins with a question from Arjuna on the best path of yoga, the best way to attain God. This is an important question for us as spiritual aspirants. Arjuna asks Krishna which people excel in yoga-- those who worship Him with name and form (the 'personal' God) or those who worship Him without name and form (the 'impersonal' formless God).
Krishna gives the answer. He says:
"Mayyaveshaya mano ye mam, nitya-yukta upasate,
Shraddhya parayo-petastey me yuktatama matah"
"Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, are the best in Yoga in My opinion" (all translations are by my Guru, Sivananda).
He then goes on to say that one can attain God by worshipping Him with form or without form. Both are valid spiritual paths. However, He states that the worship of God without form is very difficult for human beings. Why? Because the human mind struggles to grasp that which is without form. The mind thinks in names and forms. It is very difficult to contemplate something which has no name and has no form.
Krishna describes the formless God using terms such as "unthinkable" (achintyam), "indefinable" (anirdeshyam), "unmanifested" (avyaktam) as well as eternal, imperishable, immovable and omnipresent. How can the human mind think of the "unthinkable" and the "indefinable"?
Thus He states:
"Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the unmanifested; for the goal, the unmanifested, is very hard for the embodied to reach."
So what about the alternative, the worship of God with name and form? This is the path that Krishna recommends for most people (the majority of saints of past and present attained God through this type of worship; a few also attained Him through worship of the formless but these are relatively few).
In fact, another advantage of the worship of God with name and form, aside from the fact that the mind can focus better in this path, is that Krishna promises that He Himself rescues those who turn to Him with devotion. He says:
"To those whose minds are set on Me, O Arjuna, truly I become before long the saviour out of the ocean of samsara".
Therefore, He advises:
"Mayyeva mana aadhatsva, mayi buddhim niveshaya,
nivasishyasi mayyeva ata oordhva na samshaya"
"Fix your mind in Me only, your intellect in Me,
(then) you shall no doubt live in Me alone hereafter"
But fixing one's mind constantly on God is difficult for us. So what is the alternative?
Krishna says:
"If you are unable to fix your mind steadily on Me, then by the yoga of constant practice, seek to reach Me, O Arjuna".
"If you are unable to practice even this (abhyasa yoga mentioned above), then be intent on doing actions for My sake; even by doing actions for My sake, you shall attain perfection".
"If you are unable to do even this, then, resorting to union with Me, renounce the fruits of actions with the self controlled".
Krishna thus gives us two broad types of sadhana to attain Him here:
1. Think of Him constantly (or at least try our best to think of Him as much as possible)
If we can't do this, then He says we should:
2. Do actions for His sake (while renouncing selfish desires for the fruits of action)
Sivananda advises that we do both. Do all actions as His worship while thinking of Him.
Krishna then describes the qualities that He likes in His devotees. He says:
"He by whom the world is not agitated, and who cannot be agitated by the world; who is freed from (worldly) joy, anger, fear and anxiety-- He is dear to Me."
"He who is free from wants, (one who is) pure, expert, unconcerned (with worldly things), and free from pain, renouncing all (selfish, worldly) undertakings and commencements-- he who is thus devoted to Me, is dear to Me."
"He who neither rejoices (when he gets desirable objects), nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, renouncing (worldly) good and evil, and who is full of devotion, is dear to Me."
"He who is the same (well-wisher) to both enemy and friend, and also in honour and dishonour, who is the same in cold and heat, and in pleasure and pain, who is free from (worldly) attachment".
"He to whom abuse and praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, without a home, of steady mind, and full of devotion-- that man is dear to Me."
"Those devotees, who truly follow this immortal path/dharma as described (above), filled with faith, regarding Me as their supreme goal, they are very dear to Me."
So to summarise, Krishna says He loves those who are:
1. Balanced-- when facing worldly opposites such as pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, cold and heat, praise and blame, honour and dishonour, friends and enemies, good and evil. Also not agitated by others, and not causing any agitation to others.
2. Free from negativity. This includes freedom from the desire for selfish worldly gains, from selfish actions, from negative feelings towards others (including hate, anger) and negative emotions (fear, anxiety, grief, pain)
3. Filled with positive qualities including contentment, silence and importantly, faith and devotion to God, while seeing Him as the supreme goal.
It is particularly interesting to read this chapter now, at the time of the pandemic. The world is facing a significant health and economic crisis. Almost everyone of us is affected in some way or another-- on a personal or professional level.
Many of us are worried about the safety of our loved ones and ourselves, our work and also about society (risk of social unrest etc; some worry whether these events can even lead to war between countries).
In short, these are challenging times. Fear, anxiety, grief, pain-- all of the things Krishna says we should try to be free of-- these negative feelings arise in us.
At the same time, our faith and devotion to God is being tested severely.
In a nutshell, for spiritual aspirants, this feels like serious spiritual test. Our faith is being tested, our devotion is being tested. Our ability to stay calm (at least mostly calm, we can be forgiven for having some moments of anxiety) is being tested, our ability to withstand uncertainty is being tested.
We hear about the death of thousands on a daily basis; this news may fill us with grief and throw our mind out of balance-- our ability to rebalance our mind and stay calm despite all this is being tested.
I was reflecting recently that it really is a case of 'sink or swim'. We have a choice. We can either let fear, anxiety and worry overwhelm us and sink into misery and depression. Or alternatively, we can hold tight to the name or mantra of God and say "What will be, will be", and not give up.
It's not like we have many alternatives aside from God and His name. We cannot control many things in our lives and future. We have no way of knowing what will happen to us, our families, our friends and our society. In five years from now, what will the world be like? We do not know.
In these circumstances, it makes complete sense to intensify our spiritual practice. Sivananda says the name of God is our real wealth, it is a treasure that nobody can take away from us. No disease, no recession, no organisation, even Yama (the demi-god of death) himself cannot take this away from us. The spiritual merit, the spiritual progress that we earn in this lifetime will go with us, even if we are made to leave the Earth. It is ours forever, imperishable, eternal, like we ourselves truly are.
So, let us continue our spiritual practice even if the circumstances are challenging. I personally have been struggling to juggle my various commitments. I am returning to my work as a doctor (part-time on weekends mainly due to childcare issues) from next week after being on maternity leave for a little over a year-- and am busy preparing myself for this by catching up on medical reading of latest guidelines etc. At the same time, during the week, I am the main carer for my 10 month old daughter (while my husband works full-time). I am also running the household. And in the middle of all this, I am trying to do some formal seated sessions of japa, and trying to treat everything else (medical work/childcare/housework) also as sadhana.
I won't say that it is easy. But it has to be done. There is no other way. I have chosen this path and now I must walk it. There can be no stopping of sadhana. It is more important now than ever before. It has been tough completing the number of daily malas everyday-- I have not always succeeded but I am roughly on track with this fifth purascharana. I hope that God will be satisfied, that I can succeed in attaining the spiritual goal in this very lifetime. As my Guru Sivananda said, it is our very birthright, we can attain it in one lifetime. We have to try.
Krishna Himself assures us (in the Uddhava Gita) that the householder can succeed in attaining Him. Any person, whether dwelling in an ashram (a big household), alone in a cave, or with a few others in a regular house, will face challenges. We have to step up to the challenge and do our best. The rest is in His hands.
On that note, I will conclude this post and return again later to discuss the next chapter of the Gita. May He bless us all with true devotion and attainment of Him.
Om Namo Narayayana.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
