विवेचन सारांश

The Manifest and Unmanifest form of worship

The very first question by Arjuna in the beginning of this chapter gives a very tricky connotation. Arjuna wants to know which devotee is very close to Bhagavān.

• satatayuktā- one who is constantly engaged in HIS thoughts
  
• paryupāsate- one who worships all the time
  
• cāpyakṣaRā avyaktaṁ- The indestructible and unmanifested
  

Which will be the best form of worship. Whether it is to the unmanifested if worshipped or the manifest form.

This is a question like asking which child is loved more by a mother, the elder or younger. A mother loves both equally. Bhagavān also loves all his devotees equally.

If a mother is asked to send one of her children away for some reason, the spontaneous reply would perhaps be to send the elder child as as he is grown up and can look after himself, whereas the younger one is too small to either to ask for food or sleep and is attached to the mother at that age and sleeps holding mothers hand. Hence the decision would be to leave the younger behind and take the elder. This does not mean that the elder is not loved but it means that he is capable. 

• nityayuktā upāsate-  constantly engaged in worship all the time
  
• Parayopetāḥ- where the devotee has complete faith.
  

A devotee who has his mind fixed on HIS form in which he perceive, either as the Sri Krishna with the Sudarshana chakra in his hand or as the one who is in the form of Gopala or Radhakrishna and any such form of ‘saguna sakara’ - manifest form

• mayyāveśya mano- Focussing the mind in HIM all the time
  
• te me yuktatamā matāḥ- Such a person is the best of all.
  

The only requirement stated by Bhagavan is to be in the fixated state of mind and worship HIM by thinking of HIM all the time.

In the mode of worshipping the ‘nirguna nirakara’ or the unmanifest form, the devotee will be aware of the path of worship. Where as the person who worships manifest form is a simple person who does not know the Veda or upanishad or any scriptures but whose mind thinks that the Bhagavān will lead him to cross the ocean of life. Such a devotee has the firm belief that HE is the oarsman and he will take him across in his boat.

Illustration: When Ramji was exiled from the kingdom , he alongwith Sitaji and Lakshmanji came to the forest and reached the banks of Ganga river. Kevat, who was the boatman was asked to take them across the river to the other side. However Kevat insisted that he wants to wash the feet of Sri Ramji before he could board the boat. He explained the need to do so by quoting the instance of Ahalya when the touch of Ramji’s feet had turned a stone to Ahalya- a woman. Hence Kevat says that if Ramji’s feet touched his Boat and it became a woman, he would not just lose his livelihood but will have another woman to take care and he has no means for it.

Ramji smiles and allows him to wash his feet fully aware of the thoughts running in the mind of Kevat. Kevat washes Ramji’s feet and asks all his family members also to wash his feet and then allows them to sit in the boat. Both Sitaji and Lakshmanji are confused as they wonder how Ramji allowed Kevat to touch his feet as even during the wedding he had not allowed Sitaji’s father to touch his feet as was the custom during marriage.

The boat started and Kevat started singing happily and the waves of the Ganga river were dancing up and down. Kevat was an ardent devotee with only Ramji in his mind.  

नकोस नौके, परत फिरूं ग, नकोस गंगे, ऊर भरूं

श्रीरामांचे नाम गात या श्रीरामाला पार करूं

 जय गंगे, जय भागिरथी

जय जय राम दाशरथी

 ही दैवाची उलटी रेघ

माथ्यावरचा ढळवूं मेघ

भाग्य आपुलें अपुल्या हातें अपुल्यापासुन दूर करूं

श्री विष्णूचा हा अवतार

भव-सिंधूच्या करतो पार

तारक त्याला तारुन नेऊं, पदस्पर्षांनें सर्व तारुं

जिकडे जातो राम नरेश

सुभग सुभग तो दक्षिण देश

ऐल अयोध्या पडे अहल्या, पैल उगवतिल कल्पतरू

कर्तव्याची धरुनी कांस

राम स्वीकरी हा वनवास

दासच त्याचे आपण, कां मग कर्तव्यासी परत सरूं ?

तिथि असो वा असोत राम

पैल लाविणे अपुलें काम

भलेंबुरें तें राम जाणता, आपण अपुलें काम करूं

गंगे तुज हा मंगल योग

भगिरथ आणि तुझा जलौघ

त्याचा वंशज नेसी तूंही-दक्षिण देशा अमर करूं

पावन गंगा, पावन राम

श्रीरामांचें पावन नाम

त्रिदोषनाशी प्रवास हा प्रभु, नाविक आम्ही नित्य स्मरूं

He feels he is blessed to have Ramji in his boat and prays that Ganga take them forward to reach the other shore and not push the boat backward by the strong waves. Ramji insists on paying the boatman for the services, but Kevat refuses. Ramji had come out of the palace without anything in his hand and completely renounced all the wealth. Sitaji understands his mind and offers her finger ring to Ramji to be paid to Kevat. Kevat starts crying and says he cannot receive anything from Ramji as to cross the Ganga is his job but his intention was to help and not to take payment for the effort.

Kevat expresses that he is feeling exhilarated that Ramji trusted and sat in the boat. All he wanted was the trust of Ramji to help him cross the ocean of life for which he will pray.

Similarly if anyone keeps taking his name all the time, he will take care of such devotees as if it is HIS duty. It is not that only the ones who worship HIM in the manifest form are good for him, but both paths are good. It all depends on where one is standing and is in which position in life which will decide on the path to be chosen. A person may be in west or east but both have to reach the same place from opposite directions to reach Bhagavān, be it the path of worshipping the manifest or un-manifest form. The path to reach the liberated state and merge with the Paramatma is only one and any path will take only to HIM. 

Bhagavān said that the worship of unmanifest is also special and when one follows this route there are some conditions that becomes relevant  

• ṣamabuddhayaḥ- equipoised and treat everyone equally
  
• sarvabhūtahite ratāḥ- Thinking in equal measure for the welfare and well being of all the beings on this world  
  
• sarvatragamacintyaṁ ca- Omnipresent and beyond the mind and intellect
  
• ye tVa ākṣaRām anirdeśyaṁ- The indestructible and not definable 
  
• acalaṁ- immovable and stable
  

Such a devotee has only love in his mind and peace in his mind and is compassionate to all the creations in the world. Bhagavān said that this path is closely connected with nature.

Human beings are formed with ‘puruṣa’ and ‘prakṛti’. Paramātmā enters into the creation through the ‘puruṣa’ and the human form is created by the ‘ ‘pañcamahābhūta’, the basis of all creation which are the Prithvi (Earth), Jal (Water), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Air), Aakasha (Space).  

The mind and intellect and the ego state is also created by nature. The form is the body and the formless is the Paramātmā within. Hence worshipping the unmanifest form is a difficult path to follow.

• Avyaktā saktacetasām- Devotee who has his mind and intellect in the unmanifest form of devotion.
  
• Dehavadbhiravāpyate- Ones who are in the awareness of the body attained from HIM
  

The path is difficult, for the ones whose mind is routed to the presence of the as practising the mind to the unmanifest becomes a challenge. To see Paramātmā in all creations and feel HIS presence and keep it constantly in mind is not easy. One has to do difficult penance to achieve this. Such a devotee is also his favourite.

The one who surrenders himself entirely to hIM and worships HIM all the time and adores him all the time is a devotee who will be taken care of by HIM. Bhagavān leads such a devotee across the ocean of life.

• Mṛtyusaṁsārasāgarāt- ocean of existence and the cycle of birth and death bhavāmi nacirāt- move towards
  
• mayyāveśitacetasām- Fixating the mind in HIM
  

HE will take care of and lead to the path of liberation. However, this path is not easy and is difficult to follow.  

To get HIS attention one has to follow one of the paths of worship.

• mayyeva mana ādhatsva,- surrender and fix the mind to HIM.
  

It is not like one should remember and worship for a few minutes and then stop. One should think of HIM all the time all 24 hours.

• mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya- establish HIM in the intellect
  
• nivasiṣyasi mayyeva-  invest the mind and intellect in HIM
  
• ata ūrdhvaṁ na asaṁśayaḥ- Such a devotee will live in HIS mind and this is without any doubt.
  

The mind easily loves HIM but the intellect is the one which starts questioning on worshipping the stone idol.

Some people just pass through the temple and without entering bow their heads from outside with the thought that they are very busy and seek forgiveness for not entering the temple. The intellect questions every move.

Illustration: When Bhakta Prahlada was asked by his father Hiranyakashapu whether Narayana was in the pillar, Prahlada confidently replies in the affirmative. Hiranyakashapu hits the pillar with the mace Bhagavān comes out in the form of a lion with a human body (Narasimha Avatar). This is because of the firm belief and faith that Prahlada had.

Many times the mind surrenders but not the intellect.

Illustration: In the village by name sardar shahar in Rajasthan, Swami Sharananda Maharaj was residing. He had many disciples. He was blind but had divine vision. His disciples were going with him for a walk. One day as the Swamiji was walking fast, his disciples too followed him behind. The Swamiji went and sat under a tree. He lifted a stone and was patting it and stroking it and spoke to the stone and placed it back whispering to it that he will see it again next day.

The disciples were a little surprised as they heard this conversation. They all started back but one disciple was thinking how the Swamiji could speak to the stone. Next day Swamiji again sat under the tree and picked up the stone and started speaking to it and saying that as assured he had come back. The disciples were trying to imagine whether the Swamiji had counted steps and reached the same stone and so and so forth.

To test the Swamiji they picked up the stone and kept it in the opposite direction. They all came back and the disciple was curious to see what may happen the next day.

Next day the Swamiji stopped right in front of the displaced stone and spoke asking why the stone moved its place and picked it up and reached it to the original place.

The disciple felt ashamed and prostrated in front of the Swamiji and apologised confessing their act of moving the stone. They also wanted to understand and ask how the Swamiji could know where the stone was displaced.

Swamiji, then replied that the stone has the Bhagavān in it as he had stroked the stone and showered his love and hence the stone loved him back and conversed with him. The vibrations created in a stone gave it life.

Illustration: In Maharashtra devotees walk long distances to reach Pandharpur and meet Bhagavān Vitthala the presiding deity of the temple. They sing and dance in complete surrender and worship HIM.

One can imagine the vibrations in the idol of Bhagavān Vitthala when lakhs of people worship HIM with full faith.

Illustration: Sabari was given the ‘navavidha bhakti’ (9 forms of Bhakti) by Ramji himself. Sabari had reached the ultimate form of worship which attracted Ramji towards the ashrama where Sabari was waiting for him. This is when Sabari asked Ramji to teach her the type of devotion that one should follow.

Swami Govind Dev Giri ji Maharaj in his discourse asked why Shabari asked for advice and also gave the reply that Shabari was not alone and there were the people who were around her in the forest and they all came with Ramji showing the way to ashrama. Those people had in the past called her mad. This was an advice which benefited all present there.

The origin of Shabari’s past goes like this. Her father wanted to get her married and for the feast he had bought some nevle (mongoose) and told Shabari to play as much as she wanted as they would be killed on the feast day on marriage. Shabari could not understand why they should be killed and was disturbed. She got up in the night and ran as fast as possible and very far. Her father searched for her but Shabari climbed up a tree and hid there so as not to be caught. Since the people searching went away not finding her, she again started running and reached the ashrama of Matanga Muni the ascetic. Matanga Rishi questioned her to know who she was and who her father was, but she refused to tell her name or her father’s name as she did not want to go back and see the innocent animal killed because of her marriage.

She was allowed to live in the ashram. She was doing a lot of work around the ashram as much as her small hands could do.

One morning Matang rishi announced that he wanted to leave for the Himalayas and if anyone had any doubt they could ask him. All asked their questions. When he asked Sabari she expressed that she only had one question and asked whether she would ever meet the Bhagavān. Rishi replies that she will definitely meet Bhagavān and he will walk into the ashram to meet her.

Matanga rishi entered the samadhi and all other disciples also left the ashram but she continued to stay waiting for Bhagavan and preparing to welcome and look after him.

She wonders that Matanga Rishi did not tell her in which direction the Bhagavān will come and so she started cleaning all directions and clearing the path and putting flowers everywhere.

She tasted and kept fruits that were good ready for Ramji to consume. She wondered how Bhagavān will wake her up if she sleeps in the night and even stopped sleeping in the night as she felt if Bhagavān comes in the night he will not wake her up.

She kept chanting Ramjis name all the time. When Ramji came she ran to him and fell at his feet and had tears which drenched his feet. She became aware of it and apologised and said she will bring water to wash his feet. Ramji then says that she has already washed his feet with her tears and he is happy with her devotion. This is the point where she had asked the meaning of bhakti and the mode of Bhakti. Ram ji then gave the advice of the 9 forms of Bhakti the ‘Nava vidha bhakti’.

• Hearing about God (Shravana)
  
• Chanting His Name and Glory (Kirtana)
  
• Remembering Him (Smarana)
  
• Serving His Lotus Feet (Pada Sevana)
  
• Worshipping Him as per the Scriptures (Archana)
  
• Prostrating before Him (Vandana)
  
• Being His Servant (Dasya)
  
• Befriending Him (Sakhya)
  
• Offering Oneself to Him (Atma Nivedana)
  

Swami Govind Dev Giri ji Maharaj was giving advice on all these types of bhakti which was already followed by Shabari and it was only a certificate for her bhakti that Ramji had given the advice on the type of Bhakti.

Such devotees will always move towards progress and move forward towards success and towards liberation. 

It is difficult to train the mind and Intellect to concentrate. Bhagavān showed Arjuna the way to do this. The bhakti that Shabari demonstrated does not suit Arjuna which was by chanting ‘Rama nama’ all the time and in every breath.

• na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram- No doubt that if mind is fixed on HIM
  
• abhyāsayogena tato- by continuous practice of this yoga  
  
• māmicchāptuṁ- just desire for ME and Bhagavān will be present.
  
• Abhyāsa does not mean only reading.
  

Swami Govind Dev Giri ji Maharaj says:

॥ गीता पढ़ें, पढ़ायें, जीवन में लायें ॥  

When one learns Gītā, learn and try to imbibe and practise the knowledge gained, at least bit by bit.

Every morning go to the puja room and sit quietly and in peace for some time and invest the mind and intellect into HIM and worship. When one joins the palms to worship it is like opening the heart to HIM and HE will do the same to you.

One should have the love for Bhagavān and this strong emotion should bring tears in the eyes which is complete surrender.

People go to Bhagavān to cry and seek for what was not given and not counting what has already been given by HIM instead thanking HIM for whatever HE has given and express gratitude.

When one does ‘pranam’ in reverence to HIM every morning just take a deep breath and chant ‘Sri Krishna śaraṇam mama’. Along With this breath the complete surrender to HIm should be in each breath in slow and peaceful pace and without any hurry.

Bhagavān waits to shower HIS love on us, do not be in a hurry and slowly attract HIS attention and for this practice is required.

When one starts from the house and leaves for the office, have HIM in mind. When cooking, think of HIM and offer whatever is being cooked. When sleeping think that one is going for Samādhi in HIS name.

आत्मा त्वं गिरिजा मति: सहचरा: प्राणा: शरीरं गृहं

पूजा ते विषयोपभोगरचना निद्रा समाधिस्थिति:।

सञ्चार: पदयो: प्रदक्षिणविधि: स्तोत्राणि सर्वा गिरो

यद्यत्कर्म करोमि तत्तदखिलं शम्भो तवाराधनम्।।४।।

-Sri Adi Sankaracharya

dhanañjaya- Bhagavān addresses Arjuna as dhanañjaya

After the war, the Pāṇḍavas wanted to perform the ‘Rajasuya yajña. Since they needed a lot of money for performing this, Arjuna being the valiant one fought all the surrounding kings and amassed a lot of gold and riches. Hence the name which means conqueror of wealth.

Here Bhagavān does not mean just the wealth of riches but the relationship in which Arjuna is a fearless one. Arjuna was the dearest friend of Bhagavān Sri Krishna.

देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु व: |

परस्परं भावयन्त: श्रेय: परमवाप्स्यथ || 11||

By your sacrifices, the celestial gods will be pleased, and by cooperation between humans and the celestial gods, great prosperity will reign for all.  

Arjuna won over this beautiful relationship also.  

• Abhyāse'pya aṣamartho'si- If one fails to practise the concept of equal treatment.
  

When waking up in the morning, thank Bhagavān with folded hands, acknowledge all that HE has given and express gratitude. Acknowledge that the body given is like HIS temple and will keep it clean. Everyday with the rays of sun when one opens the door it is Bhagavān that we see. The Tulasi and the plants are all for HIM and the joy that we get from them is from HIM.

All the work we do and the people we meet whether as customers or the students in school are all recognised as Bhagavān Sri Krishna.

• madarthamapi karmāṇi- Actions for HIS sake
• Kurvansiddhim avāpsyasi- Attain success even by performing actions for HIS sake

Whoever one meets, even if it is an animal, assume it as a form of Bhagavān. Further also Bhagavān expresses that whether it is friend or foe they all are to be treated as HIM since all are HIS part. See the reflection of HIM even in a foe. It may not be easy but can be tried and practiced. Go to the door of the foe and just apologise and ask for forgiveness. The foe will definitely turn around and respond positively accepting mistakes and forgets all chagrin and welcomes you.

कर प्रणाम तेरे चरणों में लगता हूं अब तेरे काज ।

पालन करने को आज्ञा तब मैं नियुक्त होता हूं आज ॥

अन्तर में स्थित रह मेरी बागडोर पकड़े रहना ।

निपट निरंकुश चंचल मन को सावधान करते रहना ॥

अन्तर्यामी को अन्तः स्थित देख सशंकित होवे मन ।

पाप वासना उठते ही हो, नाश लाज से वह जल भुन ॥

जीवों का कलरव जो दिन भर सुनने में मेरे आवे ।

तेरा ही गुनमान जान मन प्रमुदित हो अति सुख पावे ॥

तू ही है सर्वत्र व्याप्त हरि ! तुझमें यह सारा संसार ।

इसी भावना से अन्तर भर मिलूं सभी से तुझे निहार ॥

प्रतिपल निज इन्द्रिय समूह से जो कुछ भी आचार करूं ।

केवल तुझे रिझाने, को बस तेरा ही व्यवहार करूं ॥