Bg. 12.2

The Lord, being asked, answers. Those devotees who, continuously absorbing their minds in Me, svayam bhagavān, the son of Devakī having the complexion of a blue lotus as well as other qualities, worship Me with very firm faith (parayā śraddhayā), who worship Me by hearing and other methods, who desire eternal relationship with Me (nitya yuktā), are considered by Me to be the most qualified—they have the method for most quickly attaining Me (yuktatamā). Bg 12.3, Bg 12.4, Bg 12.3-4 Yae Tv+arMaiNadeRXYaMaVYa¢&- PaYauRPaaSaTae ) SavR}aGaMaicNTYa& c kU-$=SQaMacl&/ Da]uvMa( )) 3 )) SaiṁYaMYaeiNd]YaGa]aMa& SavR}a SaMabuṬYa" ) Tae Pa[aPanuviNTa MaaMaev SavR>aUTaihTae rTaa" )) 4 )) ye tv akṣaram anirdeśyam avyaktaṁ paryupāsate sarvatra-gam acintyaṁ ca kūṭa-stham acalaṁ dhruvam sanniyamyendriya-grāmaṁ sarvatra sama-buddhayaḥ te prāpnuvanti mām eva sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ ye—those who; tu—but; akṣaram—that which is beyond the perception of the senses; anirdeśyam—indefinite; avyaktam—unmanifested; paryupāsate—completely engage in worshiping; sarvatra-gam—all—pervading; acintyam—inconceivable; ca—also; kūṭa-stham—unchanging; acalam—immovable; dhruvam—fixed; sanniyamya—controlling; indriya—grāmam—all the senses; sarvatra—everywhere; sama-buddhayaḥ—equally disposed; te—they; prāpnuvanti—achieve; mām—Me; eva—certainly; sarva-bhūta-hite—for the welfare of all living entities; ratāḥ—engaged. Those who do not worship Me while attempting realization of their ātmā will also attain Me, but with great suffering and after a long time. They are inferior to the devotees. This is explained in three verses. Those who first only worship their own ātmā (akṣaraṁ) undergo a great deal of suffering. The ideas presented in verse 3 are connected with the conclusion in verse 5 (kleśo’ dhikaratas teṣām). The ātmā (akṣaram) is described. It is impossible to define (anirdeśyam) by the words related to devas or men who have bodily designations, because it is different from the body. It is beyond the range of the senses (avyaktam). It spreads through the body, senses and prāṇas (sarvatra gam). It is not subject to logical analysis (acintyam). Thus, it is to be known only through śruti. Only by śruti is the ātma acknowledged as both cognition itself, and the knower of itself and other things (jṣāna-svarūpam eva jṣātṛ-svarūpam.) [Note: This phrase seems to indicate that it is a quotation from śruti, but I cannot find the source. Of course both statements are made separately in different places in the śruti. The advaitins argue that ātmā is jṣāna svarūpa, knowledge itself, with no consciousness of anything, even of itself, since there is a rule that the subject cannot be the object simultaneously in grammar: karma-kartṛ-bhāva-virodha.] It is at all times limited to enjoying a small form (kuṭastham). It is without movement (acalam), because of being knowledge itself (which can have no movement) and because of even being the knower (which distinguishes it from a body with gross movement). It is eternally fixed (dhruvam) in having paramātmā as its sole shelter. The process of worship of this ātmā is then described. Completely controlling all of the senses, withdrawing them from the sense objects, seeing the friend, well wisher, enemy and neutral person equally (sarvatra sama buddhayaḥ), (or seeing brahman situated in all living and non-living entities, and thus because they are the abodes of Brahman, not having enmity towards any of them), endeavoring for the auspiciousness of all beings, engaging in devotion to Me, in the form of offering their actions to Me, after attaining realization of their own ātmā—these persons also attain Me, in a form predominated by extreme majesty. There is no doubt about this.