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arjuna uvāca
evaṁ(m) satatayuktā ye bhaktāstvāṁ paryupāsate ।
ye cāpyakṣaramavyaktaṁ(m) teṣāṁ(ṅ) ke yogavittamāḥ ॥
Arjuna asks: among the ever-steadfast devotees who meditate upon Bhagavān as taught before, and those who meditate upon the imperishable unmanifest brahman, who are the best yogis?
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/1śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayyāveśya mano ye māṁ(n) nityayuktā upāsate ।
śraddhayā parayopetāḥ(s) te me yuktatamā matāḥ ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says: among the two groups, those who worship Me with minds absorbed in Me, with constant commitment and supreme faith, are considered by Me to be the most accomplished yogis.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/2
ye tvakṣaramanirdeśyaṁ(m) avyaktaṁ paryupāsate ।
sarvatragamacintyaṁ(ñ) ca kūṭasthamacalaṁ(n) dhruvam ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa now speaks of those who meditate upon the imperishable, indefinable, unmanifest, all-pervading, inconceivable, changeless, unmoving, and eternal reality.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/3
saṁniyamyendriyagrāmaṁ(m) sarvatra samabuddhayaḥ ।
te prāpnuvanti māmeva sarvabhūtahite ratāḥ ॥
Those who restrain the sense organs, maintain equanimity everywhere, and delight in the welfare of all beings also attain Me alone.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/4
kleśo'dhikatarasteṣām avyaktāsaktacetasām ।
avyaktā hi gatirduḥkhaṁ(n) dehavadbhiravāpyate ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says that the path of the unmanifest is more difficult for those whose minds are attached to the unmanifest, because the unmanifest goal is attained with difficulty by those with body-identification.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/5
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi sannyasya matparāḥ ।
ananyenaiva yogena māṁ(n) dhyāyanta upāsate ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa describes those who dedicate all actions to Him, keep Him as the primary goal, and meditate upon Him with undivided commitment.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/6
teṣāmahaṁ(m) samuddhartā mṛtyusaṁsārasāgarāt ।
bhavāmi nacirātpārtha mayyāveśitacetasām ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says that for those whose minds are fixed on Him, He soon becomes the rescuer from the ocean of saṁsāra, which is marked by mortality.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/7
mayyeva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṁ(n) niveśaya ।
nivasiṣyasi mayyeva ata ūrdhvaṁ(n) na saṁśayaḥ ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa asks Arjuna to fix both the mind and the intellect on Him alone; then Arjuna will abide in Him alone without any doubt.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/8
atha cittaṁ(m) samādhātuṁ(n) na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram ।
abhyāsayogena tato(ḥ) māmicchāptuṁ(n) dhanañjaya ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says: if we are not able to steadily fix the mind on Viśvarūpa īśvara, then we should seek to reach Him through abhyāsa-yoga, the repeated practice of iṣṭa-devatā upāsanā.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/9
abhyāse'pyasamartho'si matkarmaparamo bhava ।
madarthamapi karmāṇi kurvan siddhimavāpsyasi ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says: if we are unable even to practice abhyāsa-yoga, then we should become dedicated to actions done for Bhagavān, and through such action we will attain perfection.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/10
athaitadapyaśakto'si kartuṁ madyogamāśritaḥ ।
sarvakarmaphalatyāgaṁ(n) tataḥ(k) kuru yatātmavān ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says: if we are unable to do even this, then, taking refuge in His worship, we should renounce the results of all actions with self-mastery.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/11
śreyo hi jñānamabhyāsāj(t) jñānāddhyānaṁ(v̐) viśiṣyate ।
dhyānātkarmaphalatyāgaḥ(s) tyāgācchāntiranantaram ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa concludes the discussion of sādhana by saying that knowledge is better than mechanical practice, meditation with knowledge is better than mere knowledge, and karma-phala-tyāga is specially praised because renunciation immediately brings peace.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/12
adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṁ(m) maitraḥ(k) karuṇa eva ca ।
nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ(s) samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa begins describing the parā-bhakta as one who has no hatred toward any being, is friendly and compassionate, free from possessiveness and ego, balanced in pleasure and pain, and forgiving.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/13
santuṣṭaḥ(s) satataṁ(y̐) yogī yatātmā dṛḍhaniścayaḥ ।
mayyarpitamanobuddhiḥ(r) yo madbhaktaḥ(s) sa me priyaḥ ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says that the devotee who is ever contented, always a yogī, self-disciplined, firm in conviction, and whose mind and intellect are offered to Him, is dear to Him.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/14
yasmānnodvijate loko(ḥ) lokānnodvijate ca yaḥ ।
harṣāmarṣabhayodvegaiḥ(r) mukto yaḥ(s) sa ca me priyaḥ ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says that the devotee by whom the world is not disturbed, who is not disturbed by the world, and who is free from elation, intolerance, fear, and anxiety, is dear to Him.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/15
anapekṣaḥ(sh) śucirdakṣa(ḥ) udāsīno gatavyathaḥ ।
sarvārambhaparityāgī yo madbhaktaḥ(s) sa me priyaḥ ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says that the devotee who is free from dependence and expectation, pure, efficient, impartial, free from sorrow, and who has renounced all selfish undertakings, is dear to Him.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/16
yo na hṛṣyati na dveṣṭi na śocati na kāṅkṣati ।
śubhāśubhaparityāgī bhaktimānyaḥ(s) sa me priyaḥ ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says that the devotee who is not overpowered by elation, hatred, grief, or craving, and who gives up both puṇya and pāpa as binding pursuits, is dear to Him.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/17
samaḥ(sh) śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ ।
śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkheṣu samaḥ(s) saṅgavivarjitaḥ ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says that the mature devotee is the same toward enemy and friend, honor and dishonor, heat and cold, pleasure and pain, and is free from attachment.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/18
tulyanindāstutirmaunī santuṣṭo yena kenacit ।
aniketaḥ(s) sthiramatiḥ(r) bhaktimānme priyo naraḥ ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says that the devotee who is the same in criticism and praise, measured in speech, content with whatever comes, free from attachment to residence, and firm in Self-knowledge, is dear to Him.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/19
ye tu dharmyāmṛtamidaṁ(y̐) yathoktaṁ(m) paryupāsate ।
śraddadhānā matparamā(ḥ) bhaktāste'tīva me priyāḥ ॥
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa concludes that those devotees who, with śraddhā and with Bhagavān as the supreme goal, sincerely follow this immortal dharma as taught are exceedingly dear to Him.
Open shloka /kids/chapter/12/verse/20