Verse 1
Arjuna Uvaacha:
Evam satatayuktaa ye
Bhaktaastwaam paryupaasate;
Ye chaapyaksharamavyaktam
Teshaam ke yogavittamaah.
Arjuna said:
Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus
worship Thee and those also who worship the Imperishable and the
Unmanifested — which of them are better versed in Yoga?
The question is clear. Arjuna is asking,
which one is better, Devotion to God with Form or to the formless, unmanifest
God / SELF.
What Krishna has to say about worship of
unmanifest God??
Verse 3
Ye twaksharamanirdeshyamavyaktam paryupaasate;
Sarvatragamachintyam cha
Kootasthamachalam dhruvam.
Those who worship the imperishable, the
indefinable, the unmanifested, the omnipresent, the unthinkable, the eternal
and the immovable,
Verse 4
Samniyamyendriyagraamam
Sarvatra samabuddhayah;
Te praapnuvanti maameva
Sarvabhootahite rataah.
Having restrained all the senses, even-minded
everywhere, intent on the welfare of all beings—verily they also come unto Me.
Verse 5
Klesho’dhikatarasteshaam Avyaktaasaktachetasaam;
Avyaktaa hi gatirduhkham
Dehavadbhiravaapyate.
Greater is their trouble whose minds are set
on the Unmanifested; for the goal — the Unmanifested — is very difficult for the
embodied to reach.
While the entire Upanishads teach the truth
of Unmanifest God, Krishna says that this path is difficult. Is this verse
speaking against Upanishads?? Let us see.
Lord Krishna explains why it is hard
ordinarily for seekers to contemplate upon the Formless. "The unmanifest
is very hard indeed for the embodied to reach." The crucial word in the
stanza is 'embodied.'
Sri Sankaracharya clearly explains that
the "EMBODIED" means "those who are
attached to their bodies."
Those who are embodied as a person, those who
have a consciousness of this body, and those who know that they exist as
individuals cannot practice this yoga of utter united ness with the
Transcendent Essence.
However, Sri Ramana taught that “TO ABIDE
IN SELF” is easier than searching for God outside us.
He used to say in tamil – “Aye, Ati Sulabham
Atma Jnanam”. (Atma jnanam is the easiest way).
Sri Ramana said,
“Ordinarily people regard God as existing
outside of themselves and as having a personality like their own. The Jnani
(enlightened sage) however regards the personal God (also) as none other than
himself.
In his case, devotion is defined as Self-realization."
Speaking on Devotion to God with form, Ramana
said,
"Others, who treat the personal God as
something outside themselves develop deep devotion to such a God and finally
sink their personality in Him.”
If we connect Ramana’s words of wisdom to
Sankara’s commentary given above, we can sum up as follows:-
“To the embodied beings who are attached too
much to their body, i.e., their ego, meditating on unmanifest God is difficult.
So, for them, Ramana’s words come true - They
seek something outside themselves, develop deep devotion to such a God and
finally sink their identity in Him and realize God within.”
(Those who have identification with
their BMI, it becomes important that they search for truth outside
their identified ego, so they have to necessarily seek God outside, in
form.
For those who, through atma vichara, are
easily able to know that their physical identity is limited and there must be
something inside them which is actually illumining and making the Body / Mind /
Senses function, getting inward to focus and meditate on that inner source
(unmanifest God / SELF is more easier)
For both of them (ne, for all human
beings), ultimate Goal, the experience less experience when they
attain the goal and their state of existence after
attaining the goal – SELF - REALIZATION, is exactly the same.
Love.
