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The Path of Devotion · 20 verses
Ask Krishna about this chapterArjuna said: Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus worship You, and those who worship the imperishable and unmanifest — of them, who are the most perfect in yoga?
Lord Shri Krishna replied: Those who keep their minds fixed on Me, who worship Me always with unwavering faith and concentration, are the very best.
Those who worship Me as the Indestructible, the Undefinable, the Omnipresent, the Unthinkable, the Primal, the Immutable, and the Eternal;
Subduing their senses, viewing all conditions of life with an equal eye, and working for the welfare of all beings, they assuredly come to Me.
Greater is the tribulation of those whose minds are attached to the Unmanifest; for the path of the Unmanifest is attained with great difficulty by the embodied.
Verily, those who surrender their actions to Me, who contemplate Me, worship Me, and meditate on Me alone, with no thought other than Me.
O Arjuna! I rescue them from the ocean of life and death, for their minds are fixed upon Me.
Then let your mind cling only to Me, let your intellect abide in Me; and without doubt, you will live hereafter in Me alone.
But if you cannot fix your mind firmly on Me, then, my beloved friend, try to do so through constant practice.
And if you are not strong enough to practice concentration, then devote yourself to My service, do all your acts for My sake, and you will still attain the goal.
And if thou art too weak to do even this, then seek refuge in union with Me, and with perfect self-control renounce the fruits of thy actions.
Better indeed is knowledge than mere practice; meditation surpasses knowledge; renunciation of the fruits of actions excels meditation; and from such renunciation,…
He who is incapable of hatred towards any being, who is kind and compassionate, free from selfishness, without pride, equable in pleasure and pain, and forgiving—
Ever content, steadily devoted in yoga, self-controlled, firm in conviction, with mind and intellect dedicated to Me — that devotee of Mine is dear to Me.
He from whom the world is not agitated, and who is not agitated by the world, who is free from joy, impatience, fear, and anxiety — he too is dear to Me.
He who expects nothing, is pure, watchful, indifferent, unruffled, and renounces all initiative—such a one is My beloved.
He who neither rejoices nor hates, neither grieves nor desires, who renounces both good and evil, and who is full of devotion — he is dear to Me.
He to whom friend and foe are alike, who welcomes equally honor and dishonor, heat and cold, pleasure and pain, and who is enamored of nothing—
Who is indifferent to praise and censure, enjoys silence, is content with every fate, has no fixed abode, is steadfast in mind, and filled with devotion—such a one is…
But those devotees who, endowed with faith and holding Me as the supreme goal, devoutly follow this immortal nectar of righteousness as declared — they are exceedingly…