(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

The Qualities Of Perfect Devotees Include Faith And Making Ishvara Their Ultimate Goal

ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते |
श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रिया: || 12.20||

ye tu dharmyāmṛitam idaṁ yathoktaṁ paryupāsate
śhraddadhānā mat-paramā bhaktās te ’tīva me priyāḥ|| 12.20||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 12- Ver. 20:

They are incredibly beloved to Me because they honour this nectar of wisdom stated here, have faith in Me, and are devoted and concentrating on Me as the ultimate goal.

Explanation

Shree Krishna sums up His response to Arjun’s question at the end of the chapter. Arjuna had asked Him at the start of the chapter who He thought was superior: those who follow His personal form through bhakti-yoga or those who follow the formless Brahman through jyana-yoga. In the second line, Shree Krishna responds that they are the highest yogis who steadfastly engage in devotion upon His own form.

He then moved on to the subject of bhakti, explaining first how to exercise devotion and subsequently the characteristics of His devotees. He now concludes by stating that bhakti is the highest spiritual way. Those who set their sights on the Supreme Lord and build devotion with profound faith, infused with the characteristics indicated in the preceding words, are immensely beloved to God.

Verse & what we can learn

Perfect devotees have two fundamental characteristics: shraddha, or faith, and making Ishvara their ultimate objective, “matparamaahaa.” He refers to this chapter’s teaching as the nectar of dharma. The word dharma can be interpreted in two ways: as the universal law of nature mentioned in the ninth chapter, or as Prahlaada’s nine-fold Bhagavata dharma, which was discussed earlier in this chapter.

Shri Krishna adds that devotees who have fixed Ishvara as their aim and have firm faith in him are highly precious to him. Devotees who adore Ishvara without first knowing him are of the highest level, because loving anything without first knowing it is more difficult. Ishvara himself guarantees salvation to such devotees who do not need to become monks and only adore Ishvara in form. The twelfth chapter concludes with this message.

To acquire knowledge and 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 chapter next shloka Arjuna asks Shri Krishna many things that he wants to know.

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