Bhagavad Gita

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 12: Bhakti Yogam Verse 5:

Bhagavad Gita - krishna

(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

The Path Of Realization Is Filled With Hardships For Individuals Whose Minds Are Tied To The Un-manifest

क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् ||
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दु:खं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते || 12.5||

kleśho ’dhikataras teṣhām avyaktāsakta-chetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ dehavadbhir avāpyate || 12.5||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 12- Ver. 5:

Those whose minds are devoted to the unmanifest are in more difficulties. Because the road of the unmanifest is difficult for the embodied to follow.

Explanation

Shree Krishna reiterates His preference for worship of the personal form after welcoming believers of all His numerous forms into the fold. He describes the worship of the impersonal Brahman as an extremely difficult and tribulation-filled road.

Why is it so difficult to worship the formless Brahman? The first and most important reason for this is that we humans have forms of our own and have spent countless millennia interacting with them. If our mind has a magnificent fascinating shape to dwell on while attempting to adore God, it can simply focus on it and increase its connection to the Lord. The intellect, on the other hand, cannot comprehend the formless.

Brahman worship is also more difficult than Bhagavan worship for another reason. The difference in routes can be understood using the logic of the baby monkey and the logic of the baby kitten. The newborn monkey is responsible for clinging to her mother’s stomach; its mother does not assist it.

When the mother monkey jumps from one branch to another, the infant is responsible for clinging to her and falling if it is unable to do so. A kitten, on the other hand, is little and delicate, yet its mother takes on the task of carrying it from one location to another by holding it behind the neck and lifting it. The devotees of the formless can be compared to a baby monkey, whereas followers of the personal form can be compared to a baby kitten in this analogy.

Those who worship the formless Brahman are responsible for their own development on the path, as Brahman does not provide favour. Not only is Brahman formless, but it also lacks characteristics. without qualities, without attributes, and have all been used to characterize it without form. As a result, Brahman does not exhibit the quality of grace.

The jñānīs who worship God as nirguṇa, nirviśheṣh, and nirākār, must rely only on their own efforts to advance. The human form of God, on the other hand, is an ocean of compassion and kindness. As a result, devotees of the personal form obtain divine assistance in their sadhana. God protects His worshippers on the basis of His protection.

Verse & what we can learn

According to Shri Krishna, those who are embodied, would always have a sense of detachment from Ishvara. It is very difficult for most of us who desire to become devotees to adore Ishvara in his formless aspect. The devotee and Ishvara are separated by a wall created by our attachment to the body. Perhaps we have conditionings from previous lifetimes that restrict us from seeing Ishvara in his formless nature. This requires extreme vairagya, or detachment.

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.

We have conditionings from previous lifetimes that restrict us from seeing Ishvara in his formless nature. This requires extreme detachment. Does this imply that our spiritual journey has come to an end? The following next shloka is Shri Krishna’s response.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…

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