THE HOLY GITA

Tuesday 11 December 2018

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER NUMBER 12, VERSES 06 AND 07, BHAKTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DEVOTION

THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 12
VERSE NUMBER 06 AND 07
BHAKTI YOGA OR THE YOGA OF DEVOTION:
TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION: VERSE 06
ye tu sarvaani karmaani mayi samnyasya matparaah
ananyenai ‘va yogena maam dhyaayanta upaasate
SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:
Ye = who: tu = but: sarvaani = all: karmaani = actions:  mayi = in me: samnyasya = renouncing: mat pariah = regarding me as the supreme goal: ananyena = single-minded: eva = even: yogena = with yoga: maam = me: dhyaayantah = meditating: upaasate = worship.
TEXT IN ENGLISH:
But those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me, regarding Me as the Supreme Goal, meditating on Me with single-minded yoga—
TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION: VERSE 07
teshaam aham samuddhartaa mrrtyu samsaara saagaraat
bhavaami nachiraat paartha may aavesita cetasaam
                                                                  
SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:
teshaam = for them: aham = I: samuddhartaa = the saviour: mrrtyu samsaara saagaraat = out of the ocean of the mortal Samsara: bhavaami = (I) become: na chiraat ere = long: paartha = O Partha: mayi = in me: aavesita chetasaam = of those whose minds are set.
TEXT IN ENGLISH:
For them whose thought is set on Me, I become very soon, O Partha, the deliverer from the ocean of the mortal Samsara.                                                        
COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
The ignorant man who segregates himself from the Whole which is Brahman invites complication and trouble to his earthly career. He, on the other hand, who attunes his personal life to the cosmic functioning which is the sport of Iswara, gains in Sreyas and gets into the plenitude supremely above the wheel of birth and death.
SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
There are harbingers of the attainment of Godhood. He in whom Bhakti is surging with fervour has already come to the threshold of Divinity. Know it for certain that he will very soon get into union with Iswara.

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN: FOR VERSES 06 AND 07:
God is the deliverer, the saviour. When we set our hearts and minds on Him, He lifts us from the sea of death and secures for us a place in the eternal. For one whose nature is not steeped in vairaagya or renunciation, the path of devotion is more suitable. The Bhaagavata says: “The path of devotion is most suitable for him who is neither very tired of nor very attached to the world.” It is a matter of temperament whether we adopt the pravrrtti dharma, the path of works, or nivrttidharma, the path of renunciation.                               

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
FOR THE VERSE 06
Ananya Yoga: Unswerving Yoga; exclusive, having no other objects of worship or support save the Lord; Samadhi.
Even in Bhakti Yoga one should not abandon actions. He must perform actions but he will have to dedicate the merits or the fruits to the Lord. (Cf. IX.27)
FOR THE VERSE 07
Mortal Samsara: The round of birth and death. The devotee who does total, unconditional and ungrudging self-surrender to the Lord, who places himself completely at the mercy of the Lord, and who fixes his mind on the Lord exclusively, who burns up the fruits of actions  by offering them to the Lord and who thus destroys any power in the actions to bear fruit, and who has abandoned the mortal plane to the abode of Immortality.
I redeem such persons who have become ‘Macchitta’ i.e., ‘mind-united with Me’, from the ocean of the mortal world or worldly life, without delay.

Comments by the blogger:
We go to kshethras or Temples like Kasi or Pazhani or Haridhwara and mount the steps to reach the place wherefrom the sight or darshan of the Lord or Deity can be had. When we mount the steps, if we develop an attachment to one stone step we would stay put to that step and would become stagnant. The very purpose of our yatra or pilgrimage would be set at nought. We should use each stone step to make progress towards the presiding Deity. We should not develop an attachment to any step and forget our goal. In the act of mounting the steps to see the Lord, there is continuous renouncement! We step on one stone step with one foot and set the other foot on the step above then we renounce the first step and lift the foot to fix it on the step above. Thus we renounce the lower step! Thus we use one stone step then renouncing it we put our foot on the step above. Only if we are ready to renounce one step mounting another step above could become possible. Like that we must become free of all desires for the materialistic life. Unless we renounce the world contemplating on the Unmanifested Brahman is not possible. Each stone step represents each desire of materialistic type. The desire for each thing or service must be renounced by the Devotee and this way one stage will come wherein there would be no desire at all. By this time the Practioner’s pure mind would have attached fully to the God’s lotus feet. Then would be the time to indulge in uninterrupted love of God. All the energies of the Devotee would be concentrated on God and as such, every action by the Practitioner of the Yoga of Devotion would be consecrated to God. Then complete freedom from this world or Samsara will be achieved. That will be tantamount to the attainment of God and complete emancipation and becoming one with God, which is the goal of every System of Yoga! Thus the Lord of Gita assures Arjuna that the Yoga of Devotion is as good as any other form of Yoga.
But the very same goal achieved by Yogis who renounce the world and indulge in Jnana Yoga can be attained by Bhakti Yogis or Devout Yogis. The Yoga of Devotion is as powerful as any other form of Yoga. Each system of Yoga is aimed at an exclusive set of people who wish to realize their Self.
I am a great devotee of Lord Siva in His Linga Form. I chant Lingeshwara repeatedly both inwardly and outwardly. It has been a great solace the way I learned to chant!
According to Srimat Swami Bhaskarananda of Sri Ramakrishna Math, America, the path of Devotion enables the emotional person to have a direct vision of Personal God or Ishvara. The emotion in everyone is skilfully used as a means to attain God-vision. Love in human beings is usually present as “selfish love”. If selfish love can somehow be sublimated and directed towards God, it becomes an effective means of God-realization. Hindu history and legends tell us about many such instances. Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of Devotion disciplines consist of maintaining physical and mental purity (shaucha), prayer (praarthanaa), chanting of God’s holy name (Japa), the singing of devotional songs (geeta), and the adoration and worship of God (Poojaa or upaasanaa). Worship is of two kinds: (1) external ritualistic worship and (2) mental worship. Mental worship is a kind of meditation and is considered superior to ritualistic worship. It is more suitable for those who have made adequate progress in spiritual life. Ritualistic worship is suitable for beginners. In ritualistic worship, images or holy symbols are used. With the help of the spiritual attitudes like Shaanta attitude or the serene attitude, daasya or serving attitude, the sakhya or friendly attitude, the vaatsalya or motherly attitude and madhura or sweet attitude, and following the other disciplines of the Yoga of Devotion, the devotee’s love for God becomes more and more mature. This love gradually purifies his mind and enables him to have the vision of the Personal God or Ishvara.

      

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