Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 in English IAST: Bhakti Yoga

oṃ tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṃ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṃvāde bhaktiyogo nāma dvādaśo’dhyāyaḥ ||

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About Bhakti Yoga

This is one of the two shortest chapters of the Gita, and one that many people recite daily. The previous chapter had given its answer in the words ‘bhaktya tv ananyaya’ (11.54). The twelfth chapter unfolds that devotion: for whom it is, how it is practised, and what its marks are.

The chapter has three parts. First Arjuna’s question and Krishna’s answer: both paths reach him, but for the embodied the path of the unmanifest is hard. Then the ladder of practice: if you cannot hold the mind on him, practice, if not that, work for him, if not even that, giving up the fruit. Lastly the marks of the devotee, with the refrain ‘sa me priyah’, he is dear to me.

How the chapter moves

• Verse 1: Arjuna’s question. Those who worship you, or those who worship the imperishable unmanifest: which are the best?
• Verses 2 to 5: The answer. Those who set their minds on me are the most steadfast. The worshippers of the imperishable also reach me, but their struggle is greater.
• Verses 6 and 7: I myself quickly lift my devotees out of the ocean of worldly existence.
• Verses 8 to 12: The ladder of practice. Offering the mind, practice, work for him, giving up the fruit of action, and peace at once from giving up.
• Verses 13 to 19: The marks of the devotee. Free of hatred, friendly, compassionate, content, troubling no one, even towards foe and friend: such a devotee is dear to me.
• Verse 20: Those who follow this nectar of dharma with faith are exceedingly dear to me.

With attributes and without: three views

The acharyas read the chapter’s very first question differently. For Shankara the imperishable unmanifest is Brahman free of all adjuncts. The knowers who worship it are the Lord’s own nature, so there is no talk of higher or lower about them, and ‘most steadfast’ is said of those who worship the Lord with attributes. For him the list of the devotee’s marks too describes the renunciate who worships the imperishable. For Ramanuja the imperishable is the nature of the individual self, and its worship is devotion to the self. The Lord’s bhakti yoga is higher than that, easier, and quicker to bear fruit. For Madhva the unmanifest is the principle of Shri bearing the name avyakta, and since the Lord alone grants liberation, worship of him is the higher. Sridhara Swami reads the chapter as a verdict between worship with attributes and without, and brings out the ease of devotion.

These pages do not decide between the readings. Wherever the acharyas part, each position is recorded in its own terms.

About these pages

These pages hope that the verses on the marks of a devotee will be read as a mirror to look into, not a stick to measure ourselves with. On the page for 12.17 we have made clear that not grieving is a state that comes from long practice, not the pressing down of sorrow.

In this chapter the ‘For life today’ box links the ladder of practice and the marks of the devotee to daily life: the practice of attention, service, freedom from worry over results, relationships at work, cleanliness such as washing the hands, and help for prolonged grief. The health notes are for general understanding only, and for personal problems a doctor’s advice is what counts.

Sources: several.

ಪಾಠದಲ್ಲಿ ತಪ್ಪೋ ಬೇರೆ ಪಾಠಾಂತರವೋ ಕಂಡಿತೇ? ನಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸಿ.
Noticed a mistake or a different reading? Tell us.