The doubtlessness and the bhakti

 Chapter 12, shloka 1-14 

क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् ||
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दु:खं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते || 5||

kleśho ’dhikataras teṣhām avyaktāsakta-chetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ dehavadbhir avāpyate

 

Those who try to attain the unexpressed Brahm, have to go through bhakti (the devotion). And in the absence of bhakti, they are tangled in the indulgences like attaining the position of Indra (the king of deities) and acquiring spiritual powers (Riddhi and siddhi). Such seekers have to face chaos created by lust and anger and thus are unequipped to take the spiritual journey as they take pride in their bodies and cannot attain the formless. Thus, bhakti is mandatory when one is seeking the unexpressed Brahm.

When you give up those karmas that are forbidden, detach yourself from the result of the actions and surrender your manovrutti (the tendencies) to me; it is then that the attention flows towards me through body, mind, and action. And that is a doubtless state of a seeker while I am bound to fulfill all their wishes.

Surrender your tendencies to me if you follow the path of devotion (the bhakti marga).

 

O Krishna

Who among your bhaktas- those who worship you with your form (gunas/attributes) and those who worship you as the formless (omnipresent and without any attribute) have truly understood the concept of yoga?

श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते |
ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् || 12||

śhreyo hi jñānam abhyāsāj jñānād dhyānaṁ viśhiṣhyate
dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas tyāgāch chhāntir anantaram

Gnyana (the knowledge) is superior to abhyasa (practice/rituals) and dhyana (meditation) is better than gnyana (knowledge). And even better than dhyana is the renunciation of the fruits of action as the latter brings immediate peace.

Abhyasa—performing practices as rituals/discipline, even when the mind is wandering becomes a ritual that is fruitless. 

Cultivation of spiritual knowledge (Gyana) is the realization of the fact that the goal of human life is to attain self-realization. This desire takes one beyond rituals and one yearns for purification of the mind and the heart, which is solely not possible just by having the knowledge.

Thus, to engage in meditation (Dhyana) allows the purification of the mind and the heart of a seeker and so is superior. By renouncing the fruits of action, one becomes detached and is thus likely to attain yoga.

The one who attains the bliss by following any of the above-mentioned paths does not have hatred in his heart towards any being- is even-minded with everyone.

Like the Chaitanya (life force) is not partial towards anyone; the earth bears the burden of everyone equally (without discrimination); the water that quenches the thirst of cow and a tiger—likewise the one who is has attained the true yoga is even-minded and does discriminate between himself and others and is compassionate and friendly towards all the beings.

Such a yogi who has attained perfection by keeping his mind under control, whose Jeevatma and Parmatma have attained unison, has surrendered his mind and intellect to me, and even after acquiring such wealth of yoga still engages in my bhakti is dear to me such that the love cannot be described in words alone.