Verse 54
We are all devotees of God in some way; but are we ananya? Ananya means undivided, non-separate, non-externalized, whole-souled love.
Now, many of us may not be able to entertain such a thing. We have loves of different types which are connected to this world and, therefore, these devotions are secondary in their nature.
Because our devotions are more ritualistic in their nature, externalized in their nature, we express our devotion in some form outside.
Most of our affections are psychological. We use only our mind in thinking of
God, and even in loving God.
The soul, the spirit, does not always come up. We are temporarily possessed by certain emotions, but these emotions are not devotion.
We may be intensely stimulated for some time when we hear charming, stirring, devotional music, or when stimulating sankirtan is going on in a group. Yet the pulls of the earth, which limit this devotion that has temporarily taken possession of us through emotion, will manifest themselves after the satsangh is over, and we will be the same so-and-so. It would not have made much difference in our practical daily life.
However, in Ananya Bhakti, when the soul rises into action, the mind and the body cannot stand it. In deep sleep we are possessed by our soul, and so we are immensely calm, quiet and happy. In the state of deep sleep, there is a subdual of all distraction for the time being.
There are three processes: knowing, implementing, and materializing the love of God.
First of all it is a vision and a knowledge—ñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ. To know and to visualize, to see and to understand, has been bequeathed to Arjuna. He understood because of the explanation given by the Lord Himself as to what it is. He saw it, but he did not enter into it. He was standing outside it, as it were. He was looking at it.
But it has to be borne in mind that the fulfilment of God-consciousness, or God-realization, consists not merely in having the vision of God or knowing Him in a special characterization as described here. We have to merge ourselves into it. The Atman becomes Brahman. The soul enters into the Maker of all things.
“This devotion, which is the supreme means of knowing Me, will enable one to know Me, to visualize Me, and finally to enter into Me, which is the salvation of the soul.”
Verse 55
who regards Me as supreme above all things anywhere—matparamo;
who is intensely devoted to Me throughout the day and night for all time—madbhaktaḥ;
who is not attached to anything and is free from contamination by anything in the world—saṅgavarjitaḥ;
who has no enmity with anybody and doesn’t hate anyone, and no one is an enemy of that person—nirvairaḥ sarvabhūteṣu: no living being is antagonistic to that person and he is not antagonistic to any living being. Such a person reaches Me.”
The lowest pedestal on which the soul was standing was the condition in which Arjuna found himself in the battlefield — everywhere fear, everywhere animosity, everywhere uncertainty, everywhere suspicion and agony, and everywhere strife and conflict.
Kaliyuga manifested itself in full force in that picturization of the Mahabharata battle. No one loved another. Everyone hated the other. From that samsaric mire of intense antagonism, conflict and fear, the soul had to be taken gradually, stage by stage.
I am seeing You here in front of me. You said You are manifest in various excellences, as You have mentioned to me earlier. Which way of contemplating You would You regard as better, or superior? Should I try to contemplate You as the indeterminate, infinite, transcendent, Absolute Brahman? Or, may I adore You as a manifest Bhagavan Sri Krishna or any of the forms that You have taken in these excellences? With form or without form—which way is the better one for me to contemplate You?”
Next chapter starts with the above doubt raised by Arjuna and Sri Krishna answers and clears the doubt in the 12th chapter.
Bhaktyaa twananyayaa shakyam
Aham evamvidho’rjuna;
Jnaatum drashtum cha tattwena
Praveshtum cha parantapa.
But by single-minded devotion can I, of this form, be known and seen in
reality and also entered into, O Arjuna!
Word ‘ananya’ comes many a time
in the Bhagwad Gita.
We are all devotees of God in some way; but are we ananya? Ananya means undivided, non-separate, non-externalized, whole-souled love.
Now, many of us may not be able to entertain such a thing. We have loves of different types which are connected to this world and, therefore, these devotions are secondary in their nature.
Because our devotions are more ritualistic in their nature, externalized in their nature, we express our devotion in some form outside.
The soul, the spirit, does not always come up. We are temporarily possessed by certain emotions, but these emotions are not devotion.
We may be intensely stimulated for some time when we hear charming, stirring, devotional music, or when stimulating sankirtan is going on in a group. Yet the pulls of the earth, which limit this devotion that has temporarily taken possession of us through emotion, will manifest themselves after the satsangh is over, and we will be the same so-and-so. It would not have made much difference in our practical daily life.
However, in Ananya Bhakti, when the soul rises into action, the mind and the body cannot stand it. In deep sleep we are possessed by our soul, and so we are immensely calm, quiet and happy. In the state of deep sleep, there is a subdual of all distraction for the time being.
There are three processes: knowing, implementing, and materializing the love of God.
First of all it is a vision and a knowledge—ñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ. To know and to visualize, to see and to understand, has been bequeathed to Arjuna. He understood because of the explanation given by the Lord Himself as to what it is. He saw it, but he did not enter into it. He was standing outside it, as it were. He was looking at it.
But it has to be borne in mind that the fulfilment of God-consciousness, or God-realization, consists not merely in having the vision of God or knowing Him in a special characterization as described here. We have to merge ourselves into it. The Atman becomes Brahman. The soul enters into the Maker of all things.
“This devotion, which is the supreme means of knowing Me, will enable one to know Me, to visualize Me, and finally to enter into Me, which is the salvation of the soul.”
Verse 55
Matkarmakrinmatparamo
Madbhaktah sangavarjitah;
Nirvairah sarvabhooteshu yah
Sa maameti paandava.
He who does all actions for Me, who looks upon Me as the Supreme, who is
devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears enmity towards no
creature, he comes to Me, O Arjuna!
“O Arjuna! Such a person will reach Me
who performs all action and duty for My sake—matkarmakṛin;
who regards Me as supreme above all things anywhere—matparamo;
who is intensely devoted to Me throughout the day and night for all time—madbhaktaḥ;
who is not attached to anything and is free from contamination by anything in the world—saṅgavarjitaḥ;
who has no enmity with anybody and doesn’t hate anyone, and no one is an enemy of that person—nirvairaḥ sarvabhūteṣu: no living being is antagonistic to that person and he is not antagonistic to any living being. Such a person reaches Me.”
The lowest pedestal on which the soul was standing was the condition in which Arjuna found himself in the battlefield — everywhere fear, everywhere animosity, everywhere uncertainty, everywhere suspicion and agony, and everywhere strife and conflict.
Kaliyuga manifested itself in full force in that picturization of the Mahabharata battle. No one loved another. Everyone hated the other. From that samsaric mire of intense antagonism, conflict and fear, the soul had to be taken gradually, stage by stage.
I am seeing You here in front of me. You said You are manifest in various excellences, as You have mentioned to me earlier. Which way of contemplating You would You regard as better, or superior? Should I try to contemplate You as the indeterminate, infinite, transcendent, Absolute Brahman? Or, may I adore You as a manifest Bhagavan Sri Krishna or any of the forms that You have taken in these excellences? With form or without form—which way is the better one for me to contemplate You?”
Next chapter starts with the above doubt raised by Arjuna and Sri Krishna answers and clears the doubt in the 12th chapter.
Love.
