:: Chapter 12 :: Devotional Service


Text 1

arjuna uvaca
evam satata-yukta ye
bhaktas tvam paryupasate
ye capy aksaram avyaktam
tesam ke yoga-vittamah

Synonyms

arjunah uvaca--Arjuna said; evam--thus; satata--always; yuktah--engaged; ye--those who; bhaktah--devotees; tvam--You; paryupasate--properly worship; ye--those who; ca--also; api--again; aksaram--beyond the senses; avyaktam--the unmanifested; tesam--of them; ke--who; yoga-vit-tamah--the most perfect in knowledge of yoga.

Translation

Arjuna inquired: Which are considered to be more perfect, those who are always properly engaged in your devotional service or those who worship the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested?

Purport

Krisna has now explained about the personal, the impersonal and the universal and has described all kinds of devotees and yogis. Generally, the transcendentalists can be divided into two classes. One is the impersonality, and the other is the personality. The personality devotee engages himself with all energy in the service of the Supreme Lord. The impersonality also engages himself, not directly in the service of Krisna but in meditation on the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested.

We find in this chapter that of the different processes for realization of the Absolute Truth, bhakti-yoga, devotional service, is the highest. If one at all desires to have the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then he must take to devotional service.

Those who worship the Supreme Lord directly by devotional service are called personality. Those who engage themselves in meditation on the impersonal Brahman are called impersonality. Arjuna is here questioning which position is better. There are different ways to realize the Absolute Truth, but Krisna indicates in this chapter that bhakti-yoga, or devotional service to Him, is the highest of all. It is the most direct, and it is the easiest means for association with the Godhead.

In the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-Gita, the Supreme Lord explained that a living entity is not the material body; he is a spiritual spark. And the Absolute Truth is the spiritual whole. In the Seventh Chapter He spoke of the living entity as being part and parcel of the supreme whole and recommended that he transfer his attention fully to the whole. Then again in the Eighth Chapter it was said that anyone who thinks of Krisna at the time of quitting his body is at once transferred to the spiritual sky, to the abode of Krisna. And at the end of the Sixth Chapter the Lord clearly said that of all yogis, one who always thinks of Krisna within himself is considered the most perfect. So in practically every chapter the conclusion has been that one should be attached to the personal form of Krisna, for that is the highest spiritual realization.

Nevertheless, there are those who are not attached to the personal form of Krisna. They are so firmly detached that even in the preparation of commentaries to Bhagavad-Gita they want to distract other people from Krisna and transfer all devotion to the impersonal brahmajyoti. They prefer to meditate on the impersonal form of the Absolute Truth, which is beyond the reach of the senses and is not manifest.

And so, factually, there are two classes of transcendentalists. Now Arjuna is trying to settle the question of which process is easier and which of the classes is most perfect. In other words, he is clarifying his own position because he is attached to the personal form of Krisna. He is not attached to the impersonal Brahman. He wants to know whether his position is secure. The impersonal manifestation, either in this material world or in the spiritual world of the Supreme Lord, is a problem for meditation. Actually, one cannot perfectly conceive of the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. Therefore Arjuna wants to say, "What is the use of such a waste of time?" Arjuna experienced in the Eleventh Chapter that to be attached to the personal form of Krisna is best because he could thus understand all other forms at the same time and there was no disturbance to his love for Krisna. This important question asked of Krisna by Arjuna will clarify the distinction between the impersonal and personal conceptions of the Absolute Truth.

Text 2

sri-bhagavan uvaca
mayy avesya mano ye mam
nitya-yukta upasate
sraddhaya parayopetas
te me yuktatama matah

Synonyms

sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; mayi--upon Me; avesya--fixing; manah--the mind; ye--those who; mam--Me; nitya--always; yuktah--engaged; upasate--worship; sraddhaya--with faith; paraya--transcendental; upetah--endowed; te--they; me--by Me; yukta-tamah--most perfect in yoga; matah--are considered.

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect.

Purport

In answer to Arjuna's question, Krisna clearly says that he who concentrates upon His personal form and who worships Him with faith and devotion is to be considered most perfect in yoga. For one in such Krisna consciousness there are no material activities, because everything is done for Krisna. A pure devotee is constantly engaged. Sometimes he chants, sometimes he hears or reads books about Krisna, or sometimes he cooks prasadam or goes to the marketplace to purchase something for Krisna, or sometimes he washes the temple or the dishes--whatever he does, he does not let a single moment pass without devoting his activities to Krisna. Such action is in full samadhi.