BG 12.5
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Devanagari
क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् ।
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दु:खं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ॥ ५ ॥
Verse text
kleśo ’dhika-taras teṣām
avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ
dehavadbhir avāpyate
Synonyms
kleśaḥ
—
trouble
;
adhika-taraḥ
—
very much
;
teṣām
—
of them
;
avyakta
—
to the unmanifested
;
āsakta
—
attached
;
cetasām
—
of those whose minds
;
avyaktā
—
toward the unmanifested
;
hi
—
certainly
;
gatiḥ
—
progress
;
duḥkham
—
with trouble
;
deha-vadbhiḥ
—
by the embodied
;
avāpyate
—
is achieved.
Translation
For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
5. Those who are attached to the impersonal realization encounter extreme difficulties. The unmanifest goal brings suffering to those who have bodies.
6-7. O son of Pṛthā, I quickly deliver from the ocean of repeated birth and death those who meditate on Me and worship Me with ananyā bhakti, having surrendered to Me and given up all other processes for attaining Me.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
5. Those who are attached to the ātmā encounter extreme difficulties. Concentrating on the invisible ātmā brings suffering to those who have bodies.
6-7. But for those who, having surrendered to Me, having given up all activities for attaining Me, meditate on Me and worship Me with ananya bhakti yoga, I quickly become the deliverer from the ocean of repeated birth and death, O son of Pṛthā.
Purport
The group of transcendentalists who follow the path of the inconceivable, unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord are called jṣāna-yogīs, and persons who are in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, engaged in devotional service to the Lord, are called bhakti-yogīs. Now, here the difference between jṣāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga is definitely expressed. The process of jṣāna-yoga, although ultimately bringing one to the same goal, is very troublesome, whereas the path of bhakti-yoga, the process of being in direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is easier and is natural for the embodied soul. The individual soul is embodied since time immemorial. It is very difficult for him to simply theoretically understand that he is not the body. Therefore, the bhakti-yogī accepts the Deity of Kṛṣṇa as worshipable because there is some bodily conception fixed in the mind, which can thus be applied. Of course, worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form within the temple is not idol worship. There is evidence in the Vedic literature that worship may be saguṇa or nirguṇa – of the Supreme possessing or not possessing attributes. Worship of the Deity in the temple is saguṇa worship, for the Lord is represented by material qualities. But the form of the Lord, though represented by material qualities such as stone, wood or oil paint, is not actually material. That is the absolute nature of the Supreme Lord.
A crude example may be given here. We may find some mailboxes on the street, and if we post our letters in those boxes, they will naturally go to their destination without difficulty. But any old box, or an imitation which we may find somewhere but which is not authorized by the post office, will not do the work. Similarly, God has an authorized representation in the Deity form, which is called arcā-vigraha. This arcā-vigraha is an incarnation of the Supreme Lord. God will accept service through that form. The Lord is omnipotent, all-powerful; therefore, by His incarnation as arcā-vigraha He can accept the services of the devotee, just to make it convenient for the man in conditioned life.
So for a devotee there is no difficulty in approaching the Supreme immediately and directly, but for those who are following the impersonal way to spiritual realization the path is difficult. They have to understand the unmanifested representation of the Supreme through such Vedic literatures as the Upaniṣads, and they have to learn the language, understand the nonperceptual feelings, and realize all these processes. This is not very easy for a common man. A person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, engaged in devotional service, simply by the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, simply by offering regulative obeisances unto the Deity, simply by hearing the glories of the Lord, and simply by eating the remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Lord, realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead very easily. There is no doubt that the impersonalists are unnecessarily taking a troublesome path with the risk of not realizing the Absolute Truth at the ultimate end. But the personalist, without any risk, trouble or difficulty, approaches the Supreme Personality directly. A similar passage appears in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is stated there that if one ultimately has to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead (this surrendering process is called bhakti ), but instead takes the trouble to understand what is Brahman and what is not Brahman and spends his whole life in that way, the result is simply troublesome. Therefore it is advised here that one should not take up this troublesome path of self-realization, because there is uncertainty in the ultimate result.
A living entity is eternally an individual soul, and if he wants to merge into the spiritual whole, he may accomplish the realization of the eternal and knowledgeable aspects of his original nature, but the blissful portion is not realized. By the grace of some devotee, such a transcendentalist, highly learned in the process of jṣāna-yoga, may come to the point of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. At that time, long practice in impersonalism also becomes a source of trouble, because he cannot give up the idea. Therefore an embodied soul is always in difficulty with the unmanifest, both at the time of practice and at the time of realization. Every living soul is partially independent, and one should know for certain that this unmanifested realization is against the nature of his spiritual, blissful self. One should not take up this process. For every individual living entity the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which entails full engagement in devotional service, is the best way. If one wants to ignore this devotional service, there is the danger of turning to atheism. Thus the process of centering attention on the unmanifested, the inconceivable, which is beyond the approach of the senses, as already expressed in this verse, should never be encouraged at any time, especially in this age. It is not advised by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This verse describes a little of their inferior position. Those who are attracted to only Brahman (avyaktāsakta-cetasām), who desire only realization of Brahman, undergo excessive difficulties in attaining it, because (hi) by what means at all can something without qualities be made manifest? That goal is attained by the jīvas endowed with bodies (dehavadbhiḥ) only by undergoing suffering (duḥkham). The senses have the power for particular knowledge such as sound, not for something which does not possess particular qualities. Therefore, stopping of the senses is necessary for those who desire knowledge of the impersonal without particular qualities (nirviśeṣa). But stopping the senses is like stopping rivers. Stopping the senses is difficult. Sanat Kumāra says:
yat-pāda-paṅkaja-palāśa-vilāsa-bhaktyā
karmāśayaṁ grathitam udgrathayanti santaḥ
tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo’ pi ruddha-
sroto-gaṇās tam araṇaṁ bhaja vāsudevam
The devotees, who are always engaged in the service of the toes of the lotus feet of the Lord, can very easily overcome hard-knotted desires for fruitive activities. Because this is very difficult, the non-devotees—the jṣānīs and yogīs —although trying to stop the waves of sense gratification, cannot do so. Therefore you are advised to engage in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva. SB 4.22.39
kṛcchro mahān iha bhavārṇavam aplaveśāṁ
ṣaḍ-varga-nakram asukhena titīrṣanti
tat tvaṁ harer bhagavato bhajanīyam aṅghriṁ
kṛtvoḍupaṁ vyasanam uttara dustarārṇam
The ocean of nescience is very difficult to cross because it is infested with many dangerous sharks. Although those who are non-devotees undergo severe austerities and penances to cross that ocean, we recommend that you simply take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are like boats for crossing the ocean. Although the ocean is difficult to cross, by taking shelter of His lotus feet you will overcome all dangers. SB 4.22.40
Furthermore, even that goal of impersonal Brahman which is attained by such suffering is attained only by having a mixture with bhakti. Without bhakti to the Lord, the worshippers of the impersonal Brahman obtain only suffering, and not Brahman. Brahmā says:
teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate
nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām
As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get grain, one who simply speculates cannot achieve self-realization. His only gain is trouble. SB 10.14.4
But the devotees, even without jṣāna, by kevalā bhakti alone, comfortably attain liberation from saṁsāra. Having given up (sannyasya means tyāga or renunciation) all other process for the purpose of attaining Me (mayi), they worship Me by ananyā bhakti-yoga (ananyena yogena)—which is devoid of karma, jṣāna, tapas or other elements. It is said:
yat karmabhir yat tapasā jṣāna-vairāgyataś ca yat
yogena dāna-dharmeṇa śreyobhir itarair api
sarvaṁ mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto labhate’ṣjasā
svargāpavargaṁ mad-dhāma kathaṣcid yadi vāṣchati
Everything that can be achieved by fruitive activities, penance, knowledge, detachment, mystic yoga, charity, religious duties and all other means of perfecting life is easily achieved by My devotee through loving service unto Me. If somehow or other My devotee desires promotion to heaven, liberation, or residence in My abode, he easily achieves such benedictions. SB 11.20.32-33
In the Mokṣa Dharma, Nārāyaṇīya portion it also says:
yā vai sādhana m sampattiḥ puruṣārtha catuṣṭaye
tayā vinā tad apnoti naro nārāyaṇāśrayaḥ
Whatever among the four goals of human life can be achieved by various spiritual practices is automatically achieved without such endeavors by the person who has taken shelter of Lord Nārāyaṇa, the refuge of all persons.
“Still, what is the method by which they cross saṁsāra?”
“There is no question about the method by which they cross saṁsāra, because without even having a method, I take them over it. I quickly become their deliverer from the ocean of saṁsāra.” Implied here is that the Lord has affection for His devotees, but not for the jṣānīs.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
“If the worshippers of ātmā also attain You, what is the foundation for your saying that the devotees are superior attainers of You?”
Those whose minds are engaged in intense meditation (samādhi) on the jīvātmā, very subtle in form, endure greater difficulties. Even though the former category of persons (devotees) also endure difficulty in withdrawing the senses from objects other than Me and engaging in the various aṅgas of bhakti, because of the appearance of My blissful form, they do not experience the same suffering. Why has this greater suffering which is difficult to remove come about? The mind’s concentration on the invisible ātmā becomes difficult for those who think they are their bodies. How can those residing in bodies who for so long have been thinking they are their bodies cultivate thoughts of being a small conscious particle, which was for such a long time rejected?
Others explain this section as follows. Brahman has two forms, with qualities and without qualities. [Note: The next section is a summary of Śaṅkara’s explanation of the verse.] Worship of the Lord with qualities is easily performed with attention because of having a form as the object of concentration. Worship of the Lord without qualities is difficult to perform and done without proper attention because of lack of an object. The brahman without qualities is called akṣaraṁ. For defining brahman without qualities, seven descriptions are given. It is beyond the scope of the Vedas or words (anirdeśyam), because it is devoid of class and other qualifications (avyaktam). It is pervasive (sarvatra gam), and not comprehended by the mind (acintyam). Śruti says: yato vāco nivartante aprāpya manasā saha: words along with the mind return without attaining it. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.4.1) The world is called false (kūṭam), since it appears real when it is actually illusory. The ātmā is situated within this false world (kūṭa stham). The usage is similar to the phrase kūṭa kārṣāpaṇa, meaning false weights. That ātmā is situated as the substratum for false attributes. The ātmā is without change (acalam). It is eternal (dhruvam). For those persons striving to know ātmā without qualities, there are great difficulties, in digesting the meaning of the upaniṣads after worshipping the guru, then ontemplating ātmā and then meditating on the ātmā.
The first type of person (utilizing brahman with qualities), without undergoing these methods, attains vijṣāna from mercy of the Lord with qualities as described by guru, which wipes out ignorance and its effects. He then attains liberation in the form of oneness with the ātmā devoid of quality, which gave rise to the Lord’s form. The final result is the same, but one is filled with difficulty and therefore inferior, and the other is without difficulty and superior.
This idea is foolish, because the Brahmā Sūtras reject the idea of the brahman having two forms with the words gati-sāmānyāt: only one conception of brahman is taught. (Vedānta Sūṭra 1.1.10) This one brahman is to be known by the Vedas: yayā tad akṣaram adhigamyate: the indestructible, the akṣara, is attained by that knowledge. (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.1.5) (Thus it is not anirdeśyam, in describable by the Vedas, as interpreted by the impersonalits.)
Statements such as “words cannot describe it” (quoted above) apply to all aspects of brahman (and thus there is no reason to assume two brahmans, one of which, with form, can be approached by the senses.) The brahman without qualities cannot be observed anywhere, because it is impossible to prove the existence of the nirguṇa, since the word nirguṇa (without quality) has no power to denote anything, and because it is consequently a useless term. And we must accept that all scriptures are meant to describe that brahman.
The word kūṭa cannot mean “false world” in this verse because kūṭastha is defined in the dictionary as that object which remains always in one state. (Thus it refers to the ātmā.) The world is not false but real according to the śrutis:
kavir manīṣī paribhūḥ svayambhur
yāthātathyato’rthān vyadadhāc chāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ
He creates (vyadadhat) since time immemorial all real objects (yathatathyatah arthan), because He knows all ( kavi), is intelligent ( manisi), controls all (paribhuh), and is independent (svayam bhuh). By His own energy, He performs all acts. Īśopaniṣad 8
Since the śrutis testify that the form of the supreme brahman, full of knowledge and bliss, is Kṛṣ;na who drinks the milk from the breast of Yaśodā, the concoction of an akṣaraṁ devoid of qualities situated within the body of Kṛṣna must be considered a result of blind faith (it has no basis in proper reasoning or scriptural proof). Therefore is rejected.
Bg 12.6, Bg 12.7, Bg 12.6-7
Yae Tau SavaRi<a k-MaaRi<a MaiYa SaNNYaSYa MaTPara" )
ANaNYaeNaEv YaaeGaeNa Maa& DYaaYaNTa oPaaSaTae )) 6 ))
TaezaMah& SaMauṬTaaR Ma*TYauSa&SaarSaaGaraTa( )
>avaiMa Na icraTPaaQaR MaYYaaveiXaTaceTaSaaMa( )) 7 ))
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi
mayi sannyasya mat-parāḥ
ananyenaiva yogena
māṁ dhyāyanta upāsate
teṣām ahaṁ samuddhartā
mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt
bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha
mayy āveśita-cetasām
ye—those who; tu—but; sarvāṇi—all; karmāṇi—activities; mayi—unto Me; sannyasya—giving up; mat—parāḥ—being attached to Me; ananyena—without division; eva—certainly; yogena—by practice of such bhakti-yoga; mām—upon Me; dhyāyantaḥ—meditating; upāsate—worship; teṣām—of them; aham—I; samuddhartā—the deliverer; mṛtyu—of death; saṁsāra—in material existence; sāgarāt—from the ocean; bhavāmi—I become; na—not; cirāt—after a long time; pārtha—O son of Pṛthā; mayi—upon Me; āveśita—fixed; cetasām—of those whose minds.
Those who perform exclusive bhakti to Me, the source of the jīvātmā, after hearing the real nature of ātmā, and who do not strive just for direct perception of ātmā, quickly attain Me alone, by that exclusive bhakti alone. This is explained in two verses.
Those solely dedicated to Me, for the purpose of attaining Me (mayi), giving up all prescribed activities (sarvāni karmāṇi saṁnyasya), giving them up with the understanding that they are distractions from bhakti, taking Me as the only goal (mat parā), worship Me, Kṛṣṇa, by the one method (anyena yogena), characterized by hearing and other devotional activities. While practicing this method, even while hearing and chanting, they absorb their minds in Me (dhyāyantaḥ). For these devotees whose minds are attracted to Me (mayy āveśita cetasām), I am the deliverer from saṁsāra bringing about death, which is difficult to cross like an ocean. Not after a long time, but very quickly, not being able to bear delay in meeting them, I, putting them on the shoulders of Garuḍa, bring them to My dhāma. They attain My dhāma without going along the path of light and the waxing fortnight. [Note: This was mentioned in chapter eight.]
nayāmi paramaṁ sthānam arcir ādi-gatiṁ vinā
garuḍa-skandham āropya yatheccham anivāritaḥ
According to My desire, unchecked, I bring them to My dhāma, putting them on the shoulders of Garuḍa, without going via the path of light. Varāha Purāṇa
Even though one disregards prescribed activities, bhakti brings one to the desired goal.
yā vai sādhana-sampattiḥ puruṣārtha-catuṣṭaye
tayā vinā tad āpnoti naro nārāyaṇāśrayaḥ
He who takes shelter of Nārāyaṇa attains the goal of his practice without performing the duties of artha, dharma, kāma and mokṣa. Nārāyaṇīya
sarva-dharmojjhitā viṣṇor nāma-mātraika-jalpakāḥ
sukhena yāṁ gatiṁ yānti na tāṁ sarve’pi dhārmikāḥ
Those who utter the name of Viṣṇu giving up all dharmas, easily attain the goal, whereas those who follow all rules of dharma do not attain it. Padma Puṛāna
Surrender Unto Me
Here is the direct answer to Arjuna's question: Which path is superior?
Why is the path of bhakti superior? Because this other path is full of difficulties, and the result also is not superior, rather is inferior. Is not complete as understanding, knowing, and loving Krsna.
Why is the worship of Brahman, a difficult path?
Because one cannot understand something ununderstandable. Because the renunciation of activity is so difficult since the senses are so demanding.
One may say that it is also difficult for the devotees because they follow rules and regulations that restrain the activities of their senses too. But because the devotees have Krsna and feel His presence, their misery is mitigated by that. They have that understanding, that relationship with Krsna that makes them close to Him. Therefore their misery is extremely minimized, they feel happiness by not engaging their senses in maya.
And because the mayavadis they don't have any engagements for their senses, they feel just misery and they can't feel that the impersonal Brahman is with them and giving them special attention, because Brahman doesn't do that.
(DS) If bhakti‑yoga is so easy why people in different ages take to difficult processes?
The process of bhakti‑yoga is easier because it is easier to meditate on a form. Because form is also the constitution of the living entity. In one's conditional state is easier to meditate in form than in the unmanifest. But the application is difficult, because the condition of the heart must be pure. It is difficult to surrender. In fact the most difficult thing to give up is one's false ego. It is harder to give up then the senses because it is so subtle.
Because of the impure heart of the conditioned soul, even though the worship of the Lord is easier, due to envy, he cannot do it. Therefore in the initial state to transcend the material world, to get him detached from matter, he has to focus in something that is 'unmanifested, which doesn't threaten his false ego. But the only thing they get for their process is pain and difficulty.
Note: the fact that the bhakti process is easier because one has the concept of form even in the conditioned state, doesn't make the form of the Deity to be material. It suits the embodied soul but remains spiritual.
[3. Krsna personally delivers the devotees who are indeviatedly devoted to Him. (6‑7) ]