CHAPTER XII-BHAKTI YOGA(YOGA OF DEVOTION)

After revealing His Universal form to Arjuna, Sree Bhagavan concluded ChapterXI with an assurance that any one who is devoted to Him and performs all actions on His behalf, without attachment and is free from enmity or malice towards any being; such a person will surely attain Him.On hearing these words, Arjuna's mind gets slightly confused as whether he should worship the Lord in His manifest form with all other attributes or in the un-manifest form of Supreme Reality without attributes.In order to clear this confusion Arjuna asks :-

Oh! Lord! There are devotees like me who keep their minds constantly fixed in You and worship You as Supreme God, having a form and other divine attributes .There are yet others who prefer to worship You as the indestructible, un-manifest Supreme Reality.Of these, who, according to You has a better understanding of Yoga(union with You)? (XII-1)
Sree Bhagavan said:-Arjuna! Those devotees who constantly abide in Me with their minds solely reposed in Me and worship Me with ardent faith and love; they according to Me are definitely the best among Yogis.(XII-2)
However, such of the devotees who keep their senses fully under control, seeing Me present in all beings ,view every one on an equal footing, and worships Me as the indestructible, indefinable, un-manifest,omnipresent , changeless and immovable Supreme Reality; they too will come to me(XII-3,4)
But they who seek to worship the un-manifest Reality will have to bear greater strain because it is very difficult for body-conscious people to conceive or realise the Unmanifest.(XII-5)

On the other hand, in the case of devotees who depending solely on Me and surrendering all their actions unto Me,worship Me and constantly meditate on Me with single pointed devotion, with their minds totally absorbed in Me ; I Myself come down quickly and uplift them from the fathomless ocean of birth, death and miseries.(XII-6,7)

Therefore, concentrate your mind exclusively on Me, and fix your intellect also in Me; you will thereafter, abide in Me only at all times. There is no doubt about it.If, however, you find it difficult to concentrate your mind on Me constantly, try to do it by repeated practice.If you find yourself unable to pursue regular practice, then leave it and start working for Me. This is very easy to follow. Just think of Me before starting any work that you do in your daily life. Even by doing work for Me, you can attain perfection. If, however, you feel that it would be difficult to think of Me always at the time starting a work, there is still another method which is the easiest. Just do your work and relinquish your claim on its result forthwith; not even think that there is a result for your action and you are its claimant.This renunciation, does not involve any special effort on your part. You must attune your mind at least to follow this simple method. Having a basic knowledge of the Self is always better than mechanical practice of concentration; practice, backed by knowledge will make concentration more effective and lead to successful meditation . But renunciation of the fruits of all actions is superior to meditation because , it brings immediate peace into your spirit.(XII-8 to12)
One who does not hate any living creature; is friendly and compassionate to all creatures; is free from the delusions of 'I' and 'mine'; accepts pleasure and pain with equanimity; is forgiving by nature; ever-contented, self-controlled and constantly united with Me in meditation; has a firm resolve to reach Me;and has dedicated his mind and intellect to Me; such a devotee is dear to Me.(XI-13 ,14)
One who neither causes any disturbance to the world nor allows himself to be disturbed by the world; is free from joy,envy, fear and anxiety; that devotee is dear to Me.(XI-15)
One who is free from wants, is pure in body and spirit, is competent to tackle any situation, indifferent to all distractions, free from all worries, and has no feeling of doer-ship in whatever he does; such a devotee is dear to Me(XII-16)
One who does not rejoice in what is favourable nor hate what is unfavourable; neither grieves nor desires, refrains from doing evil actions and renounces the results of good actions; such a devotee is dear to Me.(XII-17)
One who is friend of all and enemy to none; indifferent to honour and insult, heat and cold , pleasure and pain: free from attachment;takes praise and blame equally;controls his speech; is content with whatever he gets; his home is everywhere and nowhere; his mind is constantly fixed in Me and his heart is full of devotion; such a devotee is dear to Me.(XII-18,19)
This nectar of pious wisdom that I have taught you will lead everyone who partakes of it to immortality.Those who practise this with utmost faith and devotion, taking Me as their highest aim of life and reposing their heart and soul in Me ; they are the devotees who are exceedingly dear to Me.(XII-20)
Thus ends the Twelfth Chapter of Sreemad Bhagavad Gita entitled Bhakti Yoga(Yoga of Devotion)

CHAPTER XI-VISWAROOPA DARSANA YOGA(YOGA OF THE VISION OF UNIVERSAL FORM OF GOD.)

Arjuna said:-Oh Lotus-eyed Krishna! The mystic and sublime words soaked in supreme knowledge of the Atman, spoken by you to bless me, have dispelled all my ignorance and delusions.I have heard from you in detail about the beginning and dissolution of all creatures, and also about Your own infinite glory.Oh! Supreme Lord! I have no doubt that You are precisely the same as that You have described Yourself to be.But in order to quench my curiosity, I have a desire to see Your divine form in its full glory and magnitude.Oh Lord of Yogis! If you consider me worthy of such a divine vision, kindly reveal to me your endless universal form.(XI-1 to 4)
Sree Bhagavan said:-Oh! Partha! Behold My different forms in hundreds and thousands, different kinds, in a variety of divine colours, sizes and shapes .Behold the Adityas(the twelve sons of Aditi) the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras, the twin physician-gods known as Aswins, and the forty-nine wind-gods known as Maruthas. Oh! Descendant of Bharata! Behold many other wonders also, which no one has seen before. Oh! Defeater of sloth! You can now see the entire universe with all animate and inanimate beings in it, as one single entity within this body of Mine. You can also see whatever else that you desire to see.But you cannot see Me in this fashion with your external human eyes. I shall, therefore, give you the divine eyes through which you may see My divine Yoga. (XI-5 to 8)
Sanjaya said(to Dhritarashtra):-Oh! King!Having said these words, Sree Hari, the Lord of all Yogas, revealed to Arjuna , His supremely glorious divine form. And in that most wonderful resplendant, boundless,ubiquitous divine form, Arjuna saw the Lord as having innumerable mouths and eyes, adorned with countless number of divine ornaments, brandishing all kinds of heavenly weapons, wearing celestial garlands and divine garments, anointed with perfumes of heavenly fragrance, and faces on all sides.If a thousand suns should rise together into the sky, their combined brightness would be hardly comparable to the majestic radiance of this Supreme Person. At that very moment, Arjuna beheld the entire universe in all its multitudinous diversity as having been encased as one single being in the the body of this supreme God of all gods. Overcome with wonder, with hair standing on end, Arjuna bowed his head in adoration to the divine Lord and with joined palms spoke to Him .(XI-9 to 14)
Arjuna said:-Oh Lord! I behold in your body all gods and a host of other divine beings including Lord Brahma seated on his lotus-seat,Lord Shiva, all Rishis and celestial serpents. I see a large number of arms, bellies, mouths and eyes in your endless universal form pervading every where, and I am unable see its beginning, middle or end. You wear crowns on your heads, hold clubs and discusses in Your hands, a mass of splendour is glowing around You, I can hardly gaze at Your radiance because it is immeasurable and surpasses that of blazing fire and the sun. I now understand that You are that indestructible Supreme Being that has to be known, and the ultimate refuge of this universe. You are also the protector of eternal Dharma ,and the primeval imperishable Purusha, who sustains the world.(XI-15 to 18)
I am unable to see Your beginning, middle or end, Your prowess has no limits, Your arms are countless,the sun and the moon are Your eyes, blazing fire is Your mouth and I find that with Your immense radiance you are scorching the entire universe .The whole space between heaven and earth is entirely pervaded by You alone. Oh ! Great Soul! All the three worlds are greatly alarmed at the sight of this wonderful and terrible form of Yours.I can see the groups of celestial beings entering in You; some of them with their palms joined together as a result of fear. Great sages and attained souls pronouncing auspicious sounds, praise Your glories by means of beautiful hymns.(XI-19 to 21)
All the eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, , eight Vasus, Sadhyas, Viswedevas, Aswins( the twin physician-gods), forty-nine Marutas, the manes, a host of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras and Sidhas -all of them gaze upon You in amazement. At the sight of this stupendous and dreadful form of Yours, possessing innumerable mouths and eyes, countless arms, thighs and feet, numerous bellies and terrible fangs,Oh! Supreme Lord!,all the worlds are fear-struck; so am I.
Oh! the Omnipresent Vishnu! when I see You shouldering the sky, in multi-coloured radiance, with Your mouths wide open and Your flaming eyes staring, my inner self is disturbed, my peace is gone and my courage is lost.Now I see Your mouths, resembling the fierce fire that burns the universe at the time of its dissolution, with their frightful fangs gnashing; and this sight makes me dizzy; I cannot recognise my surroundings and I am all confused. Oh! God of all gods, Abode of the universe, have mercy on me. (XI-22to 25)
Now I see the sons of Dhritarashtra and all those kings,with Bhishma, Drona, Karna along with our own chief warriors also entering hurriedly into Your wide-fanged and fierce mouths and some of them getting their heads crushed and stuck up between Your teeth. (XI-26,27)
Like rivers flowing into the ocean in great speed, these leaders of mortal men are rushing into Your blazing mouths. Just as the moths plunge into flaming fire and meet with destruction, these people are entering into Your mouths with great rapidity to become perished.Oh! Vishnu! while devouring all the worlds through Your burning mouths, You lick them from all sides; Your immense radiance envelopes the whole universe and Your fiery rays scorch it.Oh! God of gods! I am unable to understand Your ways. Kindly take my homage and be pleased to tell me who You really are, appearing in this terrible form . I also wish to know from where is Your beginning.(XI-28 to 31)
Sree Bhagavan said:- I am the Time, the destroyer of the worlds; now my mission is to destroy these people.Even without you ( even if you do not fight and kill them) , none of the warriors participating in this war will survive. All of them have already been killed by Me. Therefore, oh! Arjuna, ambidextrous bowman!Stand up and fight as an instrument in My hands; earn fame for defeating your enemies and enjoy the affluent kingdom. You can easily win Drona, Bhishma , Jayadratha, Karna and many other formidable warriors who stand killed by Me before-hand. You fight your enemies without fear and win the battle.(XI-32 to 34)
Sanjaya said:-Hearing these words of Lord Keshava, Arjuna with his palms joined together, trembling all over with fear, prostrated again before Krishna and spoke these words in a choking voice.(XI-35)

Arjuna said:Oh! Master of senses! It is quite appropriate that the world delights in singing Your names and glories; terrified demons scatter away in all directions and all groups of Sidhas bow to You in adoration.Oh! the Mightiest! How can they refrain from paying homage to You who are greater than the greatest and the progenitor of Brahma, the Creator? Oh! Infinite God of gods! The abode of the worlds! You are Sat(existent), Asat (non-existent) and also that which transcends both.You are the first among all gods; the most ancient Spirit;You are the ultimate resting place of his universe;You are the one who knows and also that which is to be known; and the supreme goal of all .You pervade the whole universe in a diversity of endless forms.(XI-36to 38)
You are the wind-god, the god of death, the god of fire and the god of waters; You are the moon, You are Prajapati, the god of creation; and also his fore father.Hail, hail to You a thousand times;
salutations and salutations to You over and over again.Salutations to You on the front side, on the back side and on all sides.Oh! Lord of infinite prowess! You pervade everywhere ; nay You are everything indeed.(XI-39,40)
Taking You as a mere friend , I had inadvertently addressed You as Krishna, Yadava ,Friend and so on without knowing Your greatness. I have spoken to you slightly for the sake of fun while taking food, at the time of recreation and at bed time both when we were alone and also in the midst of others.I repent for my foolishness and beg Your forgiveness for all my sins.(XI-41,42)
You are the father of all beings in this universe; You are the one that deserves worship; You are greater than the greatest. Oh! Lord of incomparable might! there is none equal to You in all the three worlds ; then how can there be any one superior to You.Therefore, Oh! Lord! I prostrate my body at Your feet and pray; be pleased with me;You are the ruler and the master; it behoves You to bear with me as a father does with his son, a friend with another friend and a husband with his beloved wife.(XI-43,44)
Having seen this terrible form which I have never seen before, I am thrilled on one side of my mind while I tremble with fear on the other side. Therefore, oh! God of gods and the abode of universe! Be gracious to me and reveal to me Your gentle form as before. I wish to see You wearing Your crown and holding the mace and the discuss in Your hands. Oh! Lord of thousand arms! Kindly change this Universal form and appear before me in Your four-armed form of Lord Vishnu.(XI-45,46)
Sree Bhagavan said:-Having been pleased with you, I have revealed to you through My power Yoga, this effulgent,primal and infinite cosmic form which none other than you has ever seen before.Arjuna! the hero of Kurus! In this mortal world of humans, no one other than you can see Me in this shape, through study of Vedas, sacrifices, austerities, alms-giving or any other rituals. Don't get agitated, or bewildered at the sight of this dreadful form. Be fearless and composed in your mind and see My four-armed form as desired by you.(XI-47,48,49)
After speaking these consoling words to the frightened Arjuna,the all-pervading Lord Vasudeva,the great souled one, appeared before Arjuna in His four-armed form of Vishnu for a moment and then assumed His original form as the gentle and smiling Sree Krishna.(XI- 50)
Arjuna said:- Oh! Janardhana!(one who dispels the woes of people) On seeing Your gentle human form, all I have pulled myself together and regained my normal self.(XI-51)
Sree Bhagavan said:-This four-armed form of Mine that you have just now seen is very difficult to behold; even the gods in heaven are eagerly longing to see it. Arjuna! Neither by study of Vedas, nor by austerities,nor by giving alms, nor by rituals can I be seen by any one as you have seen Me. Oh! Destroyer of foes! But single-minded and intense devotion to Me enables one to see Me in this manner, know the essence of My being, and even to enter into Me.(XI-52,53,54)
Oh! Son of Pandu! Whosoever performs all his actions on My behalf, regards Me as his ultimate refuge, is intensely devoted to me, is totally detached from all worldly desires, and has no hatred towards any one , will surely attain Me(XI-55)

Thus ends the eleventh chapter of Sreemad Bhagavad Gita entitled Viswaroopadarshana Yoga( The yoga of the vision of universal form of God)

CHAPTER X - VIBHOOTI YOGA( YOGA OF DIVINE GLORIES)

In Chapter IX, the Lord told Arjuna that the entire universe is pervaded by Him and He alone is the origin and ultimate resting place of all beings.The Chapter was concluded with the advice that having come to this world of miseries, man's only duty was to worship the Lord with undivided mind and remain in constant union with Him so that ultimately he will reach the Supreme goal, the eternal abode of the Lord. In this Chapter the Lord reveals to Arjuna as to how He manifests Himself in the universe as different objects and how He is to be worshipped by sincere devotees.
Sree Bhagavan said:-Arjuna, My dear friend! Now listen again to these most important words of Mine, which are spoken out of My love towards you and solicitude for your welfare.(X-1)
Neither the celestial beings nor the sages know the secret of My origin(as to how I come forth into this world in different forms ,employing My Yoga Maya) because I am the one from whom all of them take their origin. Any one who realises Me as the Supreme Lord of the universe, having no birth or origin, his intellect never gets deluded and he becomes free from all sins.(X-2,3)
Diverse traits such as right reasoning, knowledge, proper understanding, forbearance, truthfulness,control of mind and senses, joy, sorrow, existence, non-existence, fear, fearlessness, non-injury to others, equanimity, contentment , austerity , charity, fame and ignominy appearing in various creations have emanated from Me alone.(X-4,5)
The seven great Rishis(Marichi, Angiras, Atri, Bhrigu, Vasishtan,Pulahan,Pulastyan), their four elders(Sanakan, Sanandan, Santanan, Sanalkumaran),and the fourteen Manus starting from Swayambhuva Manu, are part of My Being and born out of My own will. All other creations in the world have have descended from them only.Those who understand the essence of these manifestations of Mine and My power of Yoga, they will undoubtedly become established in Me through their ardent love and devotion towards Me.(X-6,7)
The wise, who understand Me as the origin and motive force of everything in this world, worship Me with clear understanding and unfailing devotion .Having their mind fixed in Me, and their soul merged in Me, they speak about Me among themselves and enlightening one another about My glories, rejoice and entertain themselves without break. To these devotees of Mine, who remain united with Me at all times and worship Me with ardent love,I confer that Yoga of Wisdom through which they ultimately reach Me. As an act of extreme compassion towards them , I being the in-dweller of their inner Self, dispel the darkness of ignorance in them by kindling the light of Knowledge(X-8,9,10,11)
Arjuna said:-
Oh My Lord!You are undoubtedly the Supreme Brahman, the prime Abode and the ultimate purifier;You are the eternal Being,the first among all divine Beings, unborn ans all pervading. This has been previously said by the great Rishis of the yore, and reiterated by divine sage Narada and other sages like Asita, Devala and Vyasa. Above all, You have now confirmed it in Your own words. (X-12,13)
Oh Keshava! the Creator of all beings! Ruler of all creatures! God of all gods! Lord of the universe! the Supreme Being! When You tell Me this , I am sure that it is cent percent true, because You alone can know Yourself fully and not any others including the Devas or Asuras.(X-14,15)
Therefore, I beseech You; kindly enlighten me about all Your divine glories, whereby You have been pervaded all over this universe. Also instruct me, through what process of meditation and in what particular form or forms can I meditate constantly and realise You, Oh! Master of Yoga! Oh! Janardhana! destroyer of miseries!Tell me in greater detail the power of Your Yoga and Your glories. I have no satiety in hearing Your nectar-like words.(X-16,17,18)

Sree Bhagavan said:-Arjuna!There is no end for My divine glories and My manifestations are too countless to be narrated. However, I shall now tell you about some of the more important ones. (X-19)
Oh! Gudakesha(one who has conquered slumber) Primarily, I am the Atman that dwells in all beings; I am also the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings. (X-20)
Among the twelve sons of Aditi (known as Adityas) I am Vishnu; among the radiant objects I am the Sun; among the forty-nine wind-gods, I am Marichi; and among the stars in the sky I am the Moon.(X-21)
Among the Vedas , I am Samaveda ; among the divine beings, I am Indra; among senses I am the mind that controls them; and I am the life-giving energy in all living beings.(X-22)
Among the eleven Rudras(gods of destruction), I am Sankara(Siva); among Yakshas and Rakshas, I am Kubera the god of wealth: among the eight Vasus, I am the fire-god; and among mountains I am the Meru mountain.(X-23)
Arjuna! know that among the priests, I am their chief Brhaspati, among army-commanders I am Skanda, the commander-in-chief of the army of gods; and among waters I am the ocean (X-24)
Among great Rishis, I am Bhrgu; among letters I am the sacred syllable OM; among Yajnas I am Japa Yajna and among immovable objects I am Himalaya.(X-25)
I am Aswatha(holy fig tree) among all trees; I am Narada, the divine sage; among Gandharvas(celestial musicians) I am Chitraradha and among the perfected souls I am sage Kapila.(X-26)
Among horses, known me as Uchaishrava, the one that emanated from the ocean of milk along with nectar; among the great elephants I am Airavata(Indra's elephant) and I am the king among men.(X-27)
Among weapons, I am Vajra( thunderbolt); among cows I am Kamadhenu ,the heavenly cow;in procreation, I am the urge for sexual union;and I am Vasuki among poisonous snakes.(X-28)
Among non-poisonous snakes, I am Ananta; I am Varuna the king of aquatic creatures; among the Manes, I am Aryama and Yama, the god of death, among administrators of justice.X-29)
Among the descendants of Diti, I am Prahlada; among those who measure I am time; I am lion among beasts and Garuda (Vishnu's vehicle) among birds.(X-30)
Among purifying agents, I am wind; I am Sri Rama among great warriors;I am the shark among fishes and the Ganges among big streams.(X-31)
Arjuna I am the beginning, the middle and end of all creations. Among all kinds of knowledge, I am the spiritual knowledge ; and in all debaters , I am logical reasoning.(X-32)
In every alphabet, I am the first letter sounding 'A'; among compound words I am Dwandwa, the compound in which all component words have equal importance; I am verily the endless Time, and the supporter of every thing, having My faces every where and on all sides.(X-33)
I am Death that destroys everything;I am the origin for all that shall be born; and I am the noble qualities of glory, prosperity, sweet words, memory power, intelligence, stead-fastness and forbearance, appearing in women.(X-34)
Likewise, I am Brhatsama among the various hymns in the Samaveda; I am the sacred Gayatri among Vedic Mantras; I am the month of Margashirsha among calendar months ; and among the seasons of weather, I am the flowering spring season.(X-35)
Among deceitful games, I am the dice-play; I am the glory in the glorious and victory in the victorious; and I am the goodness of the good.(X-36)
I am Krishna among the Vrishnis; Arjuna among the Pandavas; Vyasa among the sages; and sage Shukracharya among illumined poets.(X-37)
I am the penal law and power of authority in those who enforce law; I am sense of justice in those who seek to win others; I am the act of silence in all things to be kept secret; and I am the wisdom of the wise.(X-38)
Oh! Arjuna! I am indeed that, which acts as the seed for everything in this world, and there is nothing, animate or inanimate that exists without Me.(X-39)
There is no limit to My divine manifestations,nor can they be enumerated. Oh! destroyer of enemies! What I have described is only a small part of My glories.(X-40)
Whatever in this world is powerful, beautiful and glorious, you may understand it to have come forth as a partial manifestation of My divine power and glory.(X-41)
But what need have you Arjuna , to know all these varieties in detail?Just understand this much, that the entire universe is pervaded and sustained by Me using a small fraction of My Divine Power. (X-42)
Thus ends the Tenth Chapter of Sreemad Bhagavad Gita entitled Vibhooti Yoga(The Yoga of Divine glories)