THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 13
VERSE NUMBER 25
TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:
anye tv evam ajaanantah srutvaa ‘nyebhya upaasate
te ‘pi chaa ‘titaranty eva mrrtyum srutiparaayanaah
SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:
anye = others: tu = indeed: evam = thus: ajaanantah = not knowing: srutvaa = having heard: anyebhyah = from others: upaasate = worship: te = they: api = also: cha = and: atitaranti = cross beyond: eva = even: mrrtyum = death: sruti paraaayanaah = regarding what they have heard as the supreme refuge.
TEXT IN ENGLISH:
Still others, not knowing thus, worship as they have heard from others; they too go beyond death by their devotion to what they have heard.
COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Among the four Yogas, Bhakti Yoga is the easiest. Scriptural knowledge and keen discrimination are not necessarily auxiliaries to this all-absorbing path. the Gopis of Brindavan were uneducated and devoid of intellectual equipment. Still, through pure devotion, they made the Lord of the universe their own. But if learning and wisdom can be properly utilized and if pure devotion is also side by side developed, progress in spirituality becomes easier still.
SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
Devotion to the Lord may be compared to a ferocious tiger. As the latter destroys the cattle, the former destroys lust, greed and such like enemies to man. If Bhakti comes up but once, there is no more fear of being disturbed by lust and anger which will be all exterminated from the mind. The Gopis of Brindavan were free from these taints because of their extraordinary love of the boy Krishna.
SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANTA CONTINUES:
The Karma Yoga, the Raja Yoga, the Bhakti Yoga and the Jnana Yoga—all these four yogas are given equal status and importance in the Bhagavad Gita. Any one of these four great paths is sufficient to lead the sadhaka or practitioner to perfection. Still, the salutary course is to harmonize all the four paths. The Karma Yoga provides man with efficiency. The Raja Yoga adds to the stamina of the mind. The Bhakti Yoga unifies beings in a sweet relationship. The Jnana Yoga sharpens the intellect and makes it luminous. All these great qualities and divine elements require to be perfectly blended to evolve an all-absorbing divinity out of humanity.
COMMENTARY NOTE BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Even those who rely on the authority of teachers and worship according to their advice, have their hearts opened out to the grace of the Lord and thus reach life-eternal.
COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:
The three paths, viz., the Yoga of meditation, the Yoga of knowledge and the Yoga of action to attain the knowledge of the Self were described in the previous verse. In this verse, the Yoga of worship is described.
Some who are ignorant of the methods described in the previous verse listen to the teachings of the spiritual preceptors regarding this great Truth or the Self with intense and unshakable faith, solely depending upon the authority and contemplation of them attain immortality. They are devoted to their preceptor. Some study the books written by realised seers, stick with great faith to the teachings contained therein and live according to them. They also overcome death. Whichever path one follows, one eventually attains the knowledge of the Self and final liberation from birth and death,--salvation (Moksha). There are several paths to suit aspirants of different temperaments and types of equipment.
Freeing oneself from ignorance with its effects through the knowledge of the Self, is crossing the Samsara or attaining immortality or overcoming death or obtaining release or salvation.
Comments by the blogger:
The Raja Yoga, the Jnana Yoga and the Karma Yoga are not very easy to practise. There are several dos and don’ts and the very way of life of the sadhka or practitioner must be in sync with the daily practice of them. Among these three kinds of Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga are very difficult to practise. They require a special and exclusive state of mind. One should always be on the alert and should not yield to any kind of mental weakness and even a slight aberration from the daily practice and way of life can be productive of uninvited outcomes. Even in the case of Karma Yoga in its exclusivity is not easy of practice. For a certain mentality is required in the sadhaka or practitioner and one should put the self-interest next only to that of the requirements of Karma Yoga. In other words, Karma Yogi must be on the constant vigil so that not even the slightest of selfishness should creep in and a Karma Yogi must surrender all the fruits of his actions to the Lord. Otherwise, the fruits of such selfish acts will bind the sadhaka or practitioner to this world and as such the Yogi cannot go beyond death, to use the parlence of Gita.
In Bhakti Yoga, which can be practised even by a rank unlettered and ignorant person, there are some in-built facilities, which are not there for the practitioners of the other three kinds of Yoga described in verse 24. All it requires is a total surrender of one’s self-interest to the Lord, which mentality easily comes to the practitioner of Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of Devotion, and an unflinching faith in God. Whatever happens to him, a Bhakti Yogi is never assailed by doubts. Moreover, in the Yoga of Knowledge and the Raja Yoga, constant practice of concentration and continuous meditation for several hours together every day is a must. One cannot practise them for a certain number of days and take rest for a couple of days. For the meditation involves the absolute concentration of all the faculties of the mind on one thing steadfastly; the practitioner should always be mindful of his goal, salvation. Not a day’s rest from the practice of meditation can be availed of. Moreover, if the practitioner is overjelous and practise for half an hour more than the prescribed duration for him at a particular stage or if there creeps in the daily practice of meditation any mistake or aberration or if the practitioner indulges in such Yogic techniques without a Guru’s guidance, there is a possibility of becoming deranged in mind and such an outcome is disasterous to the practitioner. He might become a mentally affected person needing treatment from a psychiatrist.
In Bhakti Yoga no such risks are involved. And there is no duration prescribed for the Practitioner and actually, no Yogic Technique is involved. A practitioner of the Yoga of Devotion can practise the Yoga throughout the waking hours. He will soon realize that he should surrender his will to the Will of the Lord and go through life without losing sight of the goal, emancipation. Even an ignorant person can practise Bhakti Yoga. Nandanar is a case in point. He belonged to the Scheduled Cast which was, in his time, without any privileges whatsoever. Nandanar was untouchable in those days. People belonging to his cast were considered to be impure and but for carrying out the dirty works for the upper-cast people like carrying the night soil, etc., etc, they were not given any privilege in the society in those days. But Nandanar became, through his unflinching faith in and devotion for the Lord Master, Shiva, one of the Saints and Savans of the Saivaite system of worship of Lord Shiva. By practising Bhakti yoga no one runs the risk of becoming mentally deranged.
In India, Bhakti Culture is well-embedded on the gene of the common populace. We are first Bhaktas or Devotees of the Lord and all other Yoga should take only the next place. There are Sat Sangas and periodical discourses by religious scholars. By hearing the discourses by great souls even an ignorant person can practise the Yoga of Devotion. For those who are educated, there are Puranas and Itihasas like Ramayana and Mahabharata and other works. By reading them the literate can become great Bhaktas or Devotees.
This is how people who have not heard of the other three forms of Yogas can practise to the fullest extent Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of Devotion.
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