Sacred Scripture / Chapter 12
20 published verses from Srimad Bhagavad Gita (भक्तियोगः). The Yoga of Bhakti Yoga. Arjuna asks about worship of Krishna and of the imperishable unmanifest. Krishna commends steadfast devotion with supreme faith, while also affirming the attainment of disciplined unmanifest worshippers devoted to the welfare of all beings. He describes the greater difficulty of the unmanifest path for embodied seekers. A sequence of approaches follows: fixing mind and understanding in Him, repeated practice, dedicated action and relinquishing action’s fruits. The chapter then describes the dear devotee through compassion, nonhatred, contentment, discipline, equanimity and freedom from possessiveness. It closes by commending faithful practice of this dharma-filled teaching.
Explore original Sanskrit, word-by-word padartha, trilingual translations, commentary, reflections, and modern life applications.
20 verses
Verse 12.1
evaṃ satatayuktā ye bhaktāstvāṃ paryupāsate | ye cāpyakṣaramavyaktaṃ teṣāṃ ke yogavittamāḥ ||1||
Arjuna said: Of the devotees who remain steadfast in this way and worship You, and those who worship the imperishable, unmanifest reality, which are the most accomplished in yoga?
Verse 12.2
mayyāveśya mano ye māṃ nityayuktā upāsate | śraddhayā parayopetāste me yuktatamā matāḥ ||2||
The Lord said: Those who place their minds in Me, remain ever devoted and worship Me with supreme faith—I regard them as most fully united in yoga.
Verse 12.3
ye tvakṣaramanirdeśyamavyaktaṃ paryupāsate | sarvatragamacintyaṃ ca kūṭasthamacalaṃ dhruvam ||3||
But those who worship the imperishable, indescribable, unmanifest, all-pervading, beyond thought, unchanging, unmoving and enduring reality—
Verse 12.4
saṃniyamyendriyagrāmaṃ sarvatra samabuddhayaḥ | te prāpnuvanti māmeva sarvabhūtahite ratāḥ ||4||
—restraining all the senses, maintaining an even understanding everywhere and delighting in the welfare of all beings, they too attain Me alone.
Verse 12.5
kleśo'dhikatarasteṣāmavyaktāsaktacetasām | avyaktā hi gatirduḥkhaṃ dehavadbhiravāpyate ||5||
The difficulty is greater for those whose minds are attached to the unmanifest, for embodied beings reach the unmanifest goal only with difficulty.
Verse 12.6
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi saṃnyasya matparāḥ | ananyenaiva yogena māṃ dhyāyanta upāsate ||6||
But those who dedicate all actions to Me, hold Me as their highest aim and worship Me, meditating on Me through undivided yoga—
Verse 12.7
teṣāmahaṃ samuddhartā mṛtyusaṃsārasāgarāt | bhavāmi nacirātpārtha mayyāveśitacetasām ||7||
—for those whose minds are placed in Me, I soon become the one who lifts them from the ocean of mortal existence, Partha.
Verse 12.8
mayyeva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṃ niveśaya | nivasiṣyasi mayyeva ata ūrdhvaṃ na saṃśayaḥ ||8||
Place your mind in Me alone; settle your understanding in Me. Thereafter you will dwell in Me alone—of this there is no doubt.
Verse 12.9
atha cittaṃ samādhātuṃ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram | abhyāsayogena tato māmicchāptuṃ dhanañjaya ||9||
If you cannot keep your mind steadily fixed in Me, then seek to attain Me through the yoga of repeated practice, Dhananjaya.
Verse 12.10
abhyāse'pyasamartho'si matkarmaparamo bhava | madarthamapi karmāṇi kurvansiddhimavāpsyasi ||10||
If you are unable even to practice, make action for Me your chief concern. By performing actions for My sake, you will attain fulfillment.
Verse 12.11
athaitadapyaśakto'si kartuṃ madyogamāśritaḥ | sarvakarmaphalatyāgaṃ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān ||11||
If you cannot do even this, then, taking refuge in My yoga and keeping yourself disciplined, relinquish the fruits of all actions.
Verse 12.12
śreyo hi jñānamabhyāsājjñānāddhyānaṃ viśiṣyate | dhyānātkarmaphalatyāgastyāgācchāntiranantaram ||12||
Knowledge is better than practice; meditation surpasses knowledge; relinquishing the fruits of action surpasses meditation, and peace follows relinquishment without delay.
Verse 12.13
adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca | nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī ||13||
One who hates no being, is friendly and compassionate, free from possessiveness and ego, even in sorrow and happiness, and forgiving—
Verse 12.14
santuṣṭaḥ satataṃ yogī yatātmā dṛḍhaniścayaḥ | mayyarpitamanobuddhiryo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||14||
—ever content, established in yoga, self-disciplined and firmly resolved, with mind and understanding offered to Me: such a devotee of Mine is dear to Me.
Verse 12.15
yasmānnodvijate loko lokānnodvijate ca yaḥ | harṣāmarṣabhayodvegairmukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ ||15||
One who does not unsettle the world and is not unsettled by the world, who is free from elation, resentment, fear and agitation, is also dear to Me.
Verse 12.16
anapekṣaḥ śucirdakṣa udāsīno gatavyathaḥ | sarvārambhaparityāgī yo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||16||
My devotee who is free from expectations, pure, capable, impartial and untroubled, and who relinquishes all undertakings, is dear to Me.
Verse 12.17
yo na hṛṣyati na dveṣṭi na śocati na kāṅkṣati | śubhāśubhaparityāgī bhaktimānyaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||17||
One who neither exults nor hates, neither grieves nor craves, who relinquishes the auspicious and inauspicious, and is devoted, is dear to Me.
Verse 12.18
samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ | śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkheṣu samaḥ saṅgavivarjitaḥ ||18||
One who is even toward enemy and friend, in honor and dishonor, in cold and heat, happiness and sorrow, and is free from attachment—
Verse 12.19
tulyanindāstutirmaunī santuṣṭo yena kenacit | aniketaḥ sthiramatirbhaktimānme priyo naraḥ ||19||
—equal in blame and praise, restrained in speech, content with whatever comes, without a fixed abode, steady in understanding and devoted: such a person is dear to Me.
Verse 12.20
ye tu dharmyāmṛtamidaṃ yathoktaṃ paryupāsate | śraddadhānā matparamā bhaktāste'tīva me priyāḥ ||20||
But those devotees who faithfully follow this dharma-filled nectar just as taught, holding Me as their highest aim, are exceedingly dear to Me.
