- Bhakti Yoga
- Communion through loving devotion
- Devotional Service
- Like in earlier chapter where Arjun compares Gyan Yoga and Karam Yoga, he compares Bhakti yog now with Gyan
- Qualities of a Bhakta, which have commonalities with the stith pragya and a karam yogi mentioned in earlier chapters.
Shlokas references
- 20 shlokas in this chapter
- 1-7 : Arjuna wants to know who is better yogi.
- The one who worships you as an absolute with form & attributes or the one who worships your formless and unmanifest and indestructible aspect
- Both reach God
- In Gyana no duality (Advaithya), no desire . And in Bhakti , some duality (Dvaitha) and easier for most
- 8-12 : Description of practicing devotion
- Karam Phal tyag / Ishwar arpan & prasadh budhi / abandon fruits of action / surrender doership / relinquish the result of action
- Establish intellect in God, dedicate action to God, relinquish fruit of action , dedicate work to God
- Some have the inborn devotion, and others develop by practise and dwelling upon God
- External worship like temple visit as well as internal like meditation and naam jaap
- 13-20 : Who is Bhakta ? Attributes & Qualities ( In chap 2 describes Stithpragya
- 12.16 &17 :
- 12.18 &19 :
- Who is "sam" (same) with friend & enemy
- Equipoise in praise and criticism, (Honour, dedicate to God; dishonour , introspect and grateful for idea to improve); in cold & heat, pleasure & pain
- Contemplative : on higher goals
- No sense of ownership
- Firmness of the mind.
- be a "nimita"
- Qualities & attributes : Desire-less, pure, resourceful (daksh : clever n efficient), unattached (impartial), unworried (beyond distractions). Neither desires nor grieves. Nor rejoices or hates. Renounces good and evil. Full of devotion.
Key message from the chapter
- This chapter builds up and explains how Karam, Gyan & Bhakti all are interconnected.
- Bhakti yog is a base of Karam Yog & Gyan yog. With out faith and devotion the other two will not be complete
Summary in poetry
One who worships and meditates on ME
I help to liberate, such a noble devotee
He who is ever friendly and without any ego
Always the same to a friend or foe
Equipoised in honor and dishonor, praise and censure
Cold and heat, pain and pleasure
Neither rejoices nor hates
Nor grieves nor desires
Pure, forgiving, alert, full of compassion and devotion
Content, silent and steady in meditation
Adroit in work and possessed of firm conviction
And without any agitation
Free from elation, envy, anxiety and fear
Such a devotee is near and dear
A story related to the message
The Story of Bhakta Prahlāda
Hiranyakasipu was the king of demons. He performed a very difficult spiritual practice, and Lord Brahmā gave him a boon that he could not be slain by man or beast. The boon made him arrogant, and he terrorized all the three worlds, saying that there were no gods other than himself and everybody must worship him.
He had a son named Prahlāda, a religious child who always worshipped Lord Vishnu. This angered his father greatly; he wanted to drive the thought of Vishnu from his son’s mind, so he turned him to a strict teacher to train him to worship only Hiranyakasipu as God and not Vishnu.
Prahlāda not only refused to listen to the teacher, but started teaching the other students to worship Vishnu. The teacher was very angry and reported this to the King.
The King burst into his son’s room, and shouted, “I hear you have been worshipping Vishnu!”
Trembling, Prahlāda said softly, “Yes father, I have.”
“Promise me that you will not do that again!” demanded the king.
“I cannot promise,” Prahlāda immediately answered.
“Then I will have you killed,” shouted theKing.
“Not unless it is the wish of Lord Vishnu,” replied the child.
The King tried his best to get Prahlāda to change his mind, but nothing worked.
He then ordered his guards to throw Prahlāda into the ocean, hoping that would frighten Prahlāda into promising not to worship Vishnu anymore. But Prahlāda remained loyal to Vishnu and kept praying to Him in his heart with love and devotion. Guards tied him to a huge rock and threw him into the ocean. By God’s grace, the rock fell away and Prahlāda floated safely to the surface of the water. He was surprised to see Vishnu on the shore.
Vishnu smiled at him and said, “Ask me anything you want.” Prahlāda, replied, “I don’t want kingdom, wealth, heaven, or a long life. I just want the strength to always love You and never turn my mind away from You.”
Lord Vishnu granted Prahlāda’s
wishes. When Prahlāda returned to his father’s
palace, the King was stunned to see him alive. “Who brought you out of the sea?” he
demanded. “Lord Vishnu,” said the child, simply. “Do not say that name before me,”
shouted his father. “Where is your Lord Vishnu? Show him to me,” he challenged.
“He is everywhere,” replied the child. “Even in this pillar?” asked the King. “Yes, even in this Pillar!” replied
Prahlāda confidently. “Then let him appear before me in
whatever form he wants,” cried Hiranyakasipu and broke the pillar with his iron club.
Out from within the pillar jumped a being called Narasimha, who was half man and half lion. Hiranyakasipu, stood helplessly before him. Frightened, he called out for help,but none came. Narasimha picked up Hiranyakasipu
and placed him on his lap, where he mauled his body and tore it apart. Thus Hiranyakasipu met his end.
God blessed Prahlāda for the deep faith he placed in Him. After the death of Hiranyakasipu, demons were crushed, and the Devas took over the world once again from demons. To this day, the name of Prahlāda is counted among the great devotees.
Related posts on this blog
Related posts on this blog
- Duality
- Yog in Gita
- Stages of spiritual evolution
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