(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)
The Yogi, The Accomplished Devotee, Obtains Contentment From Ishvara Within Himself, He Does Not Need To Become A Bhogi In Reality, He Is Already Content
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्र: करुण एव च |
निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: समदु:खसुख: क्षमी || 12.13||
सन्तुष्ट: सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चय: |
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्त: स मे प्रिय: || 12.14||
adveṣhṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva cha
nirmamo nirahankāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣhamī|| 12.13||
santuṣhṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛiḍha-niśhchayaḥ
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ|| 12.14||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 12- Ver. 13 and 14:
Those devotees who are free of hate toward all living beings, pleasant, and compassionate are very close to Me. They are free of egotism and attachment to possessions, balanced in happiness and misery, and forgiving. They are always content, consistently unified in devotion to Me, self-controlled, steadfast in their resolve, and mentally and intellectually dedicated to Me.
Explanation
Shree Krishna now proceeds to explain the traits of His loving devotees, after stating that devotion to His personal form is the finest. All living beings are free from malice. All living organisms are little portions of God, according to the worshippers. Envy for others equates to envy for God. As a result, even those who are hostile to them are without malice in the eyes of the devotees. Compassionate and friendly Because all living beings are offspring of the one God, devotion fosters a sense of solidarity among them.
The idea that others are strangers to one has gone. The adherents’ affability and sympathies grow as a result of this. Free of egotism and devotion to possessions. Pride is the worst foe of devotion. Self-effacement is the only way to develop on the spiritual path. Successful devotees are naturally modest, removing pride and ownership from their identities, as well as the false identification of being the body. In both delight and sorrow, well-equipped.
Devotees believe that only their efforts are under their control, while the results are in God’s. As a result, they accept whatever things come their way as God’s will and accept them without complaint. Always forgiving for their emotional gratification, devotees never consider punishing wrongdoers. Negative thoughts toward others damage one’s own commitment. In all circumstances, such adept followers avoid to nurture unforgiving sentiments.
Contentment comes from reducing our wants rather than expanding our things. Devotees no longer regard material items as sources of joy, and are consequently pleased with anything they receive. Continually united in commitment to Me. “Yoga” signifies “unity,” as previously stated. Because their consciousness is engrossed in God, devotees are yogis. Because they are established in their relationship with God, their absorption is not intermittent, but consistent and permanent.
Self-controlled. In loving devotion, devotees attach their minds to God. It is thus cut off from the outside world, giving them control over their minds and senses. Strong in belief. A resolute intellect is associated with the attribute of determination. Devotees’ intellects become so firmly linked to their knowledge of the scriptures and the Guru’s instructions that they refuse to budge an inch from their positions, even if the entire world tries to persuade them otherwise.
By its very essence, the soul is a servant of God, and as we gain knowledge of this, we naturally dedicate ourselves to the Supreme Lord. The mind and intellect are of paramount importance in this surrender. When they devote themselves to God, the rest of their personality—body, working senses, knowledge senses, worldly goods, and soul—automatically devote themselves to Him. Devotees who demonstrate these attributes, according to Shree Krishna, are exceedingly precious to Him.
Verse & what we can learn
Shri Krishna always explains the practical aspects of his teaching and brings it down to the student’s level of comprehension. He devoted several shlokas in the second chapter to describing the attributes of one who is established in the eternal nature. He discusses the characteristics of saints and accomplished devotees toward other people in this chapter, which are simpler for us to relate to and become goals for individuals like us to aim for.
A fully realized devotee is convinced of two things: that everything in this world is identical to Ishvara, and that the devotee himself is identical to Ishvara. He loses any sense of “I-ness” and “mine-ness” when he adopts this mindset. He never believes that he exists independently of Ishvara’s presence. Because there is only one “I” – Ishvara – there is no sense of “I”-ness. Because everything belongs to Ishvara, there is no sense of ownership.
As a result of this universal sense of oneness with everything, the devotee becomes immensely friendly to all. He has no feelings of animosity or anger for individuals who disagree with him. Instead, he forgives everyone right away. He is concerned about individuals who are in need. When there is no sense of duality, the mind does not become disturbed in sad situations or excited in happy situations. It maintains a calm state of mind.
Contentment is a mental state in which the mind has no desire for anything else in the world. However, because the contentment was sparked by something finite and temporary, this state is only temporary. Shri Krishna claims that because the yogi, or perfected devotee, obtains contentment from Ishvara inside himself, he does not need to become a Bhogi, or one who seeks contentment through material items, he is satisfied.
A solid belief that only Ishvara exists and that the world does not exist without Ishvara is another trait of a perfected devotee. Most of us believe that the world exists independently of us. We assign various values to it. prompting our minds to produce a plethora of goals and convictions based on those values Because the perfected devotee sees only Ishvara everywhere, he is adamant in his belief that only Ishvara exists.
The devotee’s submission of mind and intellect to Ishvara, as well as control of the mind, body, and senses, reveal this solid conviction. When the devotee’s intellect is convinced that only Ishvara exists and his or her attention is focused solely on Ishvara, he or she does not require anything else. Shri Krishna ends the line of thinking that he started in the previous shloka by saying that the devotee who has instilled these qualities is exceedingly beloved to Ishvara.
To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.
There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There is also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.
In the next shloka Shri Krishna tells what kind of devotees are dear to him.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…