भक्तियोग
Bhakti Yoga — The Yoga of Devotion
Arjuna asks whether devotees who worship Krishna's personal form or those who meditate on the unmanifest, formless absolute are the better yogis. Krishna answers that both reach him, but devotion to the personal form is easier for embodied beings, since fixing the mind on the unmanifest is exceptionally hard — and sketches a graded path (practice, then working for his sake, then simply renouncing the fruit of action) for anyone who can't yet manage direct concentration. The chapter closes with a long portrait of the qualities that mark a devotee dear to him: free of ill-will, friendly, compassionate, equanimous in pleasure and pain, forgiving, content, and the same toward friend and foe, praise and blame.
Concept map for this chapter
Those devotees who ever harmonised worship Thee, and those also who worship the Indestructible, the Unmanifested, whether of these is the more learned in yoga?
They who with mind fixed on Me ever harmonised worship Me, with faith supreme endowed, these, in My opinion, are best in yoga.
They who worship the Indestructible, the Ineffable, the unmanifested, Omnipresent, and Unthinkable, the Unchanging, Immutable, Eternal,
Restraining and subduing the senses, regarding everything equally, in the welfare of all rejoicing, these also come unto Me.
The difficulty of those whose minds are set on the Unmanifested is greater; for the path of the Unmanifested is hard for the embodied to reach.
Those verily who, renouncing all actions in Me and intent on Me, worship meditating on Me, with whole-hearted yoga,
These I speedily lift up from the ocean of death and existence, O Pârtha, their minds being fixed on Me.
Place thy mind in me, into Me let thy Reason enter; then without doubt thou shalt abide in Me hereafter.
And if thou art not able firmly to fix thy mind on Me, then by the yoga of practice seek to reach Me, O Dhananjaya.
If also thou art not equal to constant practice, be intent on My service; performing actions for My sake, thou shalt attain perfection.
If even to do this thou hast not strength, then, taking refuge in union with Me, renounce all fruit of action with the self controlled.
Better indeed is wisdom than constant-practice; than wisdom, meditation is better; than meditation, renunciation of the fruit of action; on renunciation follows peace.
He who beareth no ill-will to any being, friendly and compassionate, without attachment and egoism, balanced in pleasure and pain, and forgiving,
Ever content, harmonious, with the self-controlled, resolute, with mind and Reason dedicated to Me, he, My devotee, is dear to Me.
He from whom the world doth not shrink away, who doth not shrink away from the world, freed from the anxieties of joy, anger, and fear, he is dear to me.
He who wants nothing, is pure, expert, passionless, untroubled, renouncing every undertaking, he, My devotee, is dear to Me.
He who neither loveth nor hateth, nor grieveth, nor desireth, renouncing good and evil, full of devotion, he is dear to Me.
Alike to foe and friend, and also in fame and ignominy, alike in cold and heat, pleasures and pains, destitute of attachment,
Taking equally praise and reproach, silent, wholly content with what cometh, homeless, firm in mind, full of devotion, that man is dear to Me.
They verily who partake of this life-giving wisdom as taught herein, endued with faith, I their supreme Object, devotees, they are surpassingly dear to Me.