मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय ।
निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ॥
अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम् ।
अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय ॥
अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव ।
मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ॥
अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः ।
सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान् ॥
mayy eva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya |
nivasiṣyasi mayy eva ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ ||
atha cittaṁ samādhātuṁ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram |
abhyāsa-yogena tato mām icchāptuṁ dhanañjaya ||
abhyāse’py asamartho’si mat-karma-paramo bhava |
mad-artham api karmāṇi kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi ||
athaitad apy aśakto’si kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ |
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 12.8–11)
“Fix the mind only on me. Absorb the intellect in me. Thereafter, you will dwell in me alone. There is no doubt. If you are unable to fully fix the mind on me steadily, O Dhanañjaya, then try to attain me by means of the practice of repeated concentration. If you are incapable of repeated concentration as well, then be one for whom actions related to me are paramount. By performing actions just for my sake, you will attain success (siddhi). If you are unable to do even this, then, taking shelter in connection with me and being possessed of self-regulation, relinquish the results of all your actions.”
Commentary
yasmān mad-bhaktir eva śreṣṭhā tasmāt tvaṁ bhaktim eva kurv iti tām upadiśati mayy eveti tribhiḥ | eva-kāreṇa nirviśeṣa-vyāvṛttiḥ | mayi śyāmasundare pītāmbare vanamālini mana ādhatsva mat-smaraṇaṁ kurv ity arthaḥ | tathā buddhiṁ vivekavatīṁ niveśaya man-mananaṁ kurv ity arthaḥ | tac ca mananaṁ dhyāna-pratipādaka-śāstra-vākyānuśīlanam | tataś ca mayy eva nivasiṣyasīti chāndasam | mat-samīpa eva nivāsaṁ prāpnoṣīty arthaḥ ||8|| sākṣāt smaraṇāsamarthaṁ prati tat-prāpty-upāyam āha atheti | abhyāsa-yogenānyatrānyatra gatam api manaḥ punaḥ pratyāhṛtya mad-rūpa eva sthāpanam abhyāsaḥ sa eva yogas tena prākṛtatvād iti kutsita-rūpa-rasādiṣu calantyā mano-nadyās teṣu calanaṁ nirudhya atisubhadreṣu madīya-rūpa-rasādiṣu tac-calanaṁ śanaiḥ śanaiḥ sampādayety arthaḥ | he dhanañjayeti bahūn śatrūn jitvā dhanam āhṛtavatā tvayā mano’pi jitvā dhyāna-dhanaṁ grahītuṁ śakyam eveti bhāvaḥ ||9|| abhyāse’pīti yathā pitta-dūṣitā rasanā matsyaṇḍikāṁ necchati | tathaivāvidyā-dūṣitaṁ manas tad-rūpādikaṁ madhuram api na gṛhṇātīty atas tena durgraheṇa mahā-prabalena manasā saha yoddhuṁ mayā naiva śakyata iti manyase ced iti bhāvaḥ | mat-karmāṇi paramāṇi yasya saḥ | karmāṇi madīya-śravaṇa-kīrtana-vandanārcana-man-mandira-mārjanābhyukṣaṇa-puṣpāharaṇādi-paricaraṇādi kurvan vināpi mat-smaraṇaṁ siddhiṁ premavat-pārṣadatva-lakṣaṇāṁ prāpsyatīti ||10|| etad api kartum aśaktaś cet tarhi mad-yogam āśrito mayi sarva-karma-samarpaṇaṁ mad-yogas tam āśritaḥ san sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ prathama-ṣaṭkoktaṁ kuru | ayam arthaḥ—prathama-ṣaṭke bhagavad-arpita-niṣkāma-karma-yoga eva mokṣopāya uktaḥ | dvitīya-ṣaṭke’smin bhakti-yoga eva bhagavat-prāpty-upāya uktaḥ | sa ca bhakti-yogo dvividhaḥ— bhagavan-niṣṭho’ntaḥkaraṇa-vyāpāro, bahiṣkaraṇa-vyāpāraś ca | tatra prathamas trividhaḥ—smaraṇātmako, mananātmakaś cākhaṇḍa-smaraṇāsāmarthye tad-anurāgināṁ tad-abhyāsa-rūpaṁ ceti trika evāyaṁ manda-dhiyāṁ durgamaḥ | sudhiyāṁ niraparādhānāṁ tu sugama eva | dvitīyaḥ śravaṇa-kīrtanātmakaṁ tu sarveṣāṁ sugama evopāyaḥ | evam ubhayopāyavanto’dhikāriṇaḥ sarvataḥ prakṛṣṭā dvitīya-ṣaṭke’sminn uktāḥ | etat-kṛtya’samarthā indriyāṇāṁ bhagavan-niṣṭhīkṛtāv aśraddhālavaś ca bhagavad-arpita-niṣkāma-karmiṇaḥ prathama-ṣaṭkotādhikāriṇo’smān nikṛṣṭā eveti ||11||
(Sārārtha-varṣiṇī-ṭīkā)
“‘Since specifically bhakti to me is best, you should perform bhakti specifically.’ He [i.e., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa] teaches this with three [verses]: mayy eva … [i.e., he speaks BG 12.8–11]. Exclusion of the non-differentiated [i.e., of meditation on non-differentiated Brahman] occurs by means of the word ‘only’ (eva). Fix the mind [only] on me, Śyāmasundara wearing a yellow garments and forest garland. This means, ‘Perform meditation (smaraṇa) on me.’ Similarly, absorb the intellect possessed of discernment in me. This means, ‘Perform contemplation of me.’ That contemplation (manana), furthermore, is continued study (anuśīlana) of the statements in the śāstra that are supportive of [i.e., that serve to strengthen and enrich] meditation (dhyāna) [upon me]. Then, furthermore, you will dwell in me alone. This is Vedic [i.e., the verb form nivasiṣyasi is archaic]. You will attain residence right in my midst. This is the meaning. ||8||
“He describes the means to attain direct meditation for one who is incapable of that: atha … [i.e., the speaks BG 12.9]. The flow of the flowing river of the mind among contemptible forms, tastes, and so on—stopping [that flow] among those [objects] and gradually gradually establishing that flow among my supremely auspicious forms, tastes, and so on ‘by means of the practice of repeated concentration’ (abhyāsa-yogena), that is, by means of the practice (yoga) of abhyāsa, that is, [the practice of] repeatedly retracting the mind after it has again and again gone elsewhere and fixing it on my form alone is the meaning [of the instruction given in this verse]. The purport of [the vocative] ‘O Dhanañjaya’ [i.e., ‘O Conquerer of wealth,’ is as follows]: by you who have seized [profuse] wealth by conquering many enemies, the wealth of meditation [too] is attainable [by you] by conquering the mind as well. ||9||
“Abhyāse’pī … [i.e., in regard to BG 12.10], the purport is that if it is thought [by Arjuna], ‘As a tongue afflicted by jaundice does not desire sugar candy, so exactly the mind afflicted by ignorance (avidyā) does not accept your form and so forth even though they are sweet; therefore, to fight with the extremely powerful, obstinate mind is not at all possible for me’ [then Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies by stating this verse]. Even without meditation (smaraṇa) upon me, one for whom actions related to me are paramount (mat-karma-paramaḥ), by performing [these] actions, such as hearing about me, praising [me], offering obeisance [to me], worshipping [me], sweeping and washing my temple, picking flowers, and other services, will attain success (siddhi) in the form of being an associate (pārṣada) [of mine] endowed with prema. ||10||
“If you are unable to do even this, then be ‘sheltered in connection with me’ (mad-yogam āśritaḥ) that is, being sheltered in the connection with me of offering all your actions to me, perform relinquishment of the results of all your actions as described in the first six chapters [of this text]. The meaning is this: In the first six chapters, the practice (yoga) of desireless (niṣkāma) action (karma) offered to Bhagavān specifically was said to be the means to mokṣa. In these second six chapters, the practice (yoga) of bhakti specifically is said to be the means to attainment of Bhagavān. That practice of bhakti, furthermore, is of two types: (1) that constituted of operation of the inner means (antaḥkaraṇa) [i.e., the subtle body] fixed upon Bhagavān, and (2) that constituted of operation of the external means (bahiḥkaraṇa) [i.e., the external senses, fixed upon Bhagavān]. In this regard, the first [type] is of three [sub-] types: (1) that constituted of meditation (smaraṇa) [which was mentioned first in BG 12.8], (2) that constituted of contemplation (manana) [which was also mentioned in BG 12.8], and (3) that the form of which is repeated practice (abhyāsa) of that [i.e., of meditation] for those possessed of affinity for that [i.e., for meditation] in the case of [their] incapability of unbroken meditation [which was mentioned in BG 12.9]. These three are difficult for those of ill mind. For those of fine mind, that is, those free from offenses (aparādha), however, it is certainly easy. The second type [of bhakti-yoga, i.e., that constituted of operation of the external means—the external senses], constituted of hearing and praising [Bhagavān, which was described in BG 12.10] is a means that is certainly easy for everyone. In this way, bearers of eligibility (adhikārīs) who follow both means are stated here in the second six chapters to be superior to all [other bearers of eligibility]. Those who are incapable of this activity, devoid of faith (śraddhā) in fixation of the senses upon Bhagavān, performers of desireless action offered to Bhagavān, and bearers of the eligibility mentioned in the first six chapters [as was described in BG 12.11] are certainly inferior to them [i.e., to those who have eligibility for bhakti-yoga as taught in the second six chapters].” ||11||