Chapter-12

DEVOTIONAL SERVICE

Connection between Chapter 11 and Chapter 12: 

After hearing of Lord’s inestimable, impersonal opulences, Arjuna

  • Again wants to hear about ‘devotional service’
  • To clarify his ‘position as a devotee’, who works for Krishna, as opposed to a ‘jnani’ who renounces work
  • To clarify his position as being attached to the personal form of Krishna, as superior to the Universal Form or the Unmanifested Brahman
        o Because some persons might mistake the awe-inspiring universal form shown in Chapter 11 to be more significant than Krishna’s two-armed form
BREAKDOWN OF CHAPTER-12
  • (12.1 – 12.7) BHAKTI IS SUPERIOR TO IMPERSONALISM

A worshipper of the ‘Impersonal feature’ is –

  • Less perfect
  • Undergoes more difficulty than one who worships Krishna with great faith and great attention

The path of devotion is recommended because

  • It is not only easier to follow but also,
  • Krishna personally takes charge of delivering His devotee
  • One lives within Krishna by continuously fixing one’s mind and intelligence upon Him (12.8)
  • One practices the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga to increase one’s desire and ability to remember and obtain Krishna (12.9)
  • One surrenders one’s work to Krishna (12.10)
  • One gives up the result of one’s work to some good cause (12.11)
  • One cultivates meditation or knowledge (12.12)
  • Possessing divine qualities makes one dear to Krishna.
  • One who faithfully follows the path of devotional service, making Krishna the supreme goal is very dear to Him.
Summary of Chapter-12
SECTION I (12.1 – 12.7)
Bhakti is superior to Impersonalism

Text (12.1)

Arjuna wants to clarify which is more perfect:

  • Those who always properly engage in devotional service, or
  • Worshipers of the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested

Text (12.2)

Krishna answers – Those engaged in devotional service are most perfect because, they:

  • Fix their minds on ‘My’ personal form
  • Always engaged in worshipping ‘Me’
  • Worship ‘Me’ with great and transcendental faith

Text (12.3 – 12.4)

Those who worship unmanifested will also reach Krishna eventually and surrender (Ref. Bg. 7.19 – Väsudeva realization after many births)

Characteristics of impersonal conception of Absolute Truth
1. Unmanifested
2. Beyond sense perception
3. All-pervading
4. Inconceivable
5. Unchanging
6. Fixed
7. Immovable

How to worship the Unmanifested
1. By controlling various senses
2. By being equally disposed to everyone
3. By engaging in welfare for all
4. Difficult for any common man, much penance involved before the ultimate realization of full surrender takes place

Text (12.5)

But the path of Impersonalists is troublesome and very difficult.

COMPARISION OF IMPERSONALISTS & PERSONALISTS
SNoIMPERSONALISTPERSONALIST
IN TERMS OF PRACTICE
1

Meditate on formless

  • difficult for embodied

Meditate on form of deity

  • easy for embodied
2

Unimanifested is beyond the senses

  • restricts the senses

Senses can percieve the Deity and sound of
mantra

  • engages the senses
3

Must understand the brahman through
Upanisads etc.

  • learn the language sanskrit
  • understand the non-perceptual
    feelings

Understands Krishna through devotional service

  • simple chanting hare krishna
  • guidance of bona-fide spiritual master,
    simply by offering regulative obeisances
    unto the deity, hearing the glories of the
    lord, eating the remnants of foodstuff
    offered to the lord
4Long practice makes it difficult to take up
bhakti		Completely natural
5

Troublesome

  • no relationship with the lord
Miseries mitigated by relationship with Krishna
6Depends on our own endeavor

Krishna delivers devotee from Maya. why?

  • because krishna himself recommends the
    process
  • out of paternal love
  • by his causeless mercy
IN TERMS OF REALISATION (Brahman vs Bhagavan)
 BrahmanBhagavan
1Nirguna (without qualities)Saguna (with form, qualities, etc.)
2InconcievablePossess inconceivable potencies
3All pervadingAll pervading by energy and as supersoul
4Unchanging, fixed and immovableUnchanging, fixed and immovable
5Cannot perceive any opulence because of lack
of activity		Possessor of six opulence’s in full
6Risk of not realizing absolute truth at the endSuccess is guaranteed as nothing is lost
7May realize the eternal (sat) and knowledge
(cit) aspects of his original nature(partial
realization)		Realises eternity, knowledge and bliss (includes
brahman and paramatma realisation)

Text (12.6 – 12.7)

Devotional service is simple and easy because Krishna personally delivers His devotees.

SECTION II (12.8 – 12.12)
PROGRESSIVE STAGES OF DEVOTION

Text (12.8)

Perform devotional service by thinking exclusively of Krishna

  • Fix mind upon Me
  • Engage all your intelligence in Me
  • Benefit – You will ‘live in Me’ always without a doubt

Text (12.9)

If one cannot perform devotional service as per 12.8 (fixing one’s Mind on Krishna without deviation) then practice ‘’Sadhana’’

  • Follow the regulative principles of Bhakti-yoga
  • Benefit – Develop a desire to attain ‘Me’

Text (12.10)

If you cannot practice 12.9 (practicing the regulations of Bhakti-Yoga) then

  • Engage all external senses for working for Krishna
  • Work for Krishna\
  • Benefit – You will come to the perfect stage

Text (12.11)

If you cannot practice 12.10 (Working in consciousness of Krishna) then

  • Try to give up all results of your work and be self-situated
PROGRESSIVE STAGES OF DEVOTION

 

(12.8) – Topmost stage (direct)
MIND FIXED IN KRISHNA
(RESULT: Will live in relationship with Krishna)

↑

(12.9)
FOLLOW REGULATIVE PRINCIPLES OF SADHNA-BHAKTI
(RESULT: Develop desire to attain Krishna)

↑

(12.10)
WORK FOR KRISHNA
(RESULT: Will come to the stage of devotional service)

↑

(12.11) Lowest stage (indirect)
RENUNCIATION, CULTIVATION OF KNOWLEDGE & MEDITATION
(RESULT: Purification, peace and gradual elevation)

Text (12.12)

 If you cannot take to “this practice” (“This practice” refers to the following of the principles of Krishna consciousness as recommended in Text 12.10)

  • Then engage yourself in ‘cultivation of knowledge’ (Knowledge here refers to Bramha-jnana – knowledge of soul different from the body)
  • Better than ‘knowledge’ however is ‘meditation’ – Yogic meditation by which one will realize the Supersoul
  • Better than ‘meditation’ is ‘renunciation of the fruits of action’
  • Benefit of such renunciation – “peace of mind”

SECTION III (12.13 – 12.20)
QUALITIES THAT ENDEAR ONE TO KRISHNA

Text (12.13 – 12.14)

Takes all sufferings as Krishna’s kindness to avoid reaction
1. Tolerant – Never disturbed by any circumstances
2. Non-envious – Kind to everyone even to his enemy

  • Not become his enemies’ enemy – considers all reactions as result of one’s past misdeeds (Ref. SB 10.14.8 “Tat te anukampa…”)
    o Takes distress as the Lord’s mercy: “I deserve much more”

3. ‘Nirmama’ (Free from Proprietorship) – Devotee does not attach much importance to the pains and troubles of the body

  • Free from false-ego: Knows that “I am not the body”
  • Equipoised in happiness and distress

4. Satisfied – Whatever comes by Lord’s grace; does not over-endeavor to achieve something
5. Self-controlled/Completely perfect mystic – Because completely fixed in instructions of spiritual master
6. Determined because of Sense control – Therefore fully determined and cannot be swayed by false arguments
7. Mind and intelligence fixed entirely on the Supreme Lord – Because Fully conscious that Krishna is the eternal Lord

Text (12.15)

Never causes distress to others
8. Not get affected – Because a devotee is always engrossed in Krishna consciousness, material circumstances cannot move him, not disturbed by anyone

  • Such a stage is obtained by grace of Lord to the Devotee

9. Does not affect others – No-one is put into anxiety, difficulty, fearfulness or dissatisfaction by such a devotee, because he is kind to everyone.

Text (12.16)

 Detached from everything worldly
10. ‘Anapeksah’ (Neutral) – Not dependent on ordinary course of activities

  • Money may be offered to a devotee, but he does not struggle to acquire it
  • If it comes automatically by Lord’s grace he is not agitated

11. ‘Sucih’ (pure)

  • External: Bathing at least twice a day
  • Internal: Rising early for devotional acts

12. ‘Daksa’ (expert)

  • Fully knows the essence of all activities of life
  • Convinced of authoritative scriptures

13. ‘Udasina’ (without cares)

  • A devotee never takes the part of a particular party

14. ‘Gata-vyathah’ (painfree)

  • Because he is free from all bodily designations

15. ‘Sarvarambha Parityagi’ (free from all endeavors) – not striving for some fruit

  • Pure devotee doesn’t not endeavor for anything against the principles of devotional service
  • e.g. Constructing a big building requires great energy, a devotee takes such business only if it benefits him in devotional service e.g. constructing a big temple but not constructing a big personal house

Text (12.17)

Unaffected by material emotions

16. Neither rejoices nor grieves over material gain or loss

17. Neither laments nor desires: Not anxious to get a son or a disciple / Not laments by not getting them

18. Transcendental in face of all kinds of auspicious, inauspicious and sinful acts

  • Prepare to accept all kinds of risks for Lord’s satisfaction
  • Nothing is an impediment in the discharge of devotional service
  • Bhaktiman (devotee) – The essential quality from which all other qualities appear

Text (12.18 – 12.19)

Further qualities mentioned

19. Equal to friends and enemies

20. Equipoised in dualities

21. Always free from contaminating association

22. Silence – implies “to speak only of essentials”

  • Most essential speech – To speak of supreme lord

23. Satisfied – Happy in all conditions – Sometimes get palatable food and sometimes not

24. Does not care for any residence

25. Fixed in – Determination and knowledge

26. Engaged in devotional service

SUMMARISED THEME 

QUALITIES OF PURE DEVOTEES (2.13-12.19):
Classified summary of qualities that endear one to Krishna

  • Attitude towards one self
  • ‘Nirmama’ – Free from sense of proprietorship
  • Free from false-ego : Knows that “I am not the body”
  • ‘Gata-vyathah’ (Painfree)
  • ‘Sarvarambha Parityagi’ (Free from all endeavors)
  • Dealings with other living entities
  • ‘Non-envious’ – Kind to everyone even to his enemy
    o Equal to friends and enemies
  • ‘Udasina’ (without cares)
  • Always free from contaminating association
  • Silence
  • Reaction when things happen to him
  • Satisfied
  • Self-controlled/Completely perfect mystic
  • Tolerant
  • Equipoised in happiness and distress
  • Anapeksah (Neutral)
  • Sucih (pure)
  • Daksa (expert)
  • Neither rejoices nor grieves over material gain or loss
  • Neither Laments Nor Desires
  • Transcendental in face of all kinds of auspicious, inauspicious and sinful acts
  • Equipoised in dualities
  • Does Not Care For Any Residence
  • Dealings with the Lord
  • Determined
  • Mind and intelligence fixed entirely on the Supreme Lord
  • Engaged in devotional service
  • Fixed

Text (12.20)

Dearest of all is “One who makes Krishna as the goal of his life”

  • They follow this imperishable path of devotional service
  • Completely engage themselves with faith
  • Make ‘Me’ as Supreme goal of their life
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