Bhagavad Gita

Chapters

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Chapter 12
1 एवं सततयुक्ता ये भक्तास्त्वां पर्युपासते evaṃ satatayuktā ye bhaktāstvāṃ paryupāsate 2 मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते mayyāveśya mano ye māṃ nityayuktā upāsate 3 ये त्वक्षरमनिर्देश्यमव्यक्तं पर्युपासते ye tvakṣaramanirdeśyamavyaktaṃ paryupāsate 4 संनियम्येन्द्रियग्रामं सर्वत्र समबुद्धयः saṃniyamyendriyagrāmaṃ sarvatra samabuddhayaḥ 5 क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् kleśo'dhikatarasteṣāmavyaktāsaktacetasām 6 ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्पराः ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi saṃnyasya matparāḥ 7 तेषामहं समुद्धर्ता मृत्युसंसारसागरात् teṣāmahaṃ samuddhartā mṛtyusaṃsārasāgarāt 8 मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय mayyeva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṃ niveśaya 9 अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम् atha cittaṃ samādhātuṃ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram 10 अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव abhyāse'pyasamartho'si matkarmaparamo bhava 11 अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः athaitadapyaśakto'si kartuṃ madyogamāśritaḥ 12 श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते śreyo hi jñānamabhyāsājjñānāddhyānaṃ viśiṣyate 13 अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca 14 सन्तुष्टः सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चयः santuṣṭaḥ satataṃ yogī yatātmā dṛḍhaniścayaḥ 15 यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः yasmānnodvijate loko lokānnodvijate ca yaḥ 16 अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः anapekṣaḥ śucirdakṣa udāsīno gatavyathaḥ 17 यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न काङ्क्षति yo na hṛṣyati na dveṣṭi na śocati na kāṅkṣati 18 समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ 19 तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येनकेनचित् tulyanindāstutirmaunī santuṣṭo yenakenacit 20 ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते ye tu dharmyāmṛtamidaṃ yathoktaṃ paryupāsate

Chapter 12, verse 5

Krishna

क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् ।अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ॥

kleśo'dhikatarasteṣāmavyaktāsaktacetasām |avyaktā hi gatirduḥkhaṃ dehavadbhiravāpyate ||

The struggle is greater for those whose minds are fixed on the unmanifest, for the unmanifest goal is reached only with difficulty by those who have a body.

Explanation

Krishna is answering Arjuna's question about who is better established: those devoted to a personal Krishna, or those who worship the imperishable, unmanifest (avyakta) absolute. Here he says the second path is harder, because embodied beings (dehavat), who are tied to body and senses, find it very difficult to hold a mind on what has no form. Traditions differ on the emphasis: devotional readings take this as favoring devotion to a personal God, while non-dualist readings take it as acknowledging the difficulty of the path, not denying its worth.