Introduction

              Chapter twelve discusses a few major aspects of Bhakti Yoga, the Path of Devotion. A devotee, the follower of this path, usually has several questions, the answers of which help him/her to have a clear understanding of the path and its practices.

              In this chapter, we find that Lord Krishna Himself clearly answers the following questions: (i) Who is a better Yogi, one who worships God with form or one who worships God without form? (ii) How to realize God? (iii) What do we do if we cannot focus our mind on God? and (iv) Who is a true devotee of God?

              It will be helpful to all devotees to reflect upon the answers given in this chapter and practice them wholeheartedly to develop a love for God and ultimately have a direct vision of God. At the end of the chapter, Shri Krishna himself says that a devotee who considers God as the supreme goal, endowed with faith and devotion, and follows the guidelines prescribed here is His (God’s) most beloved.

1.           Arjuna asked, “Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus worship You (God with form) and also those who worship the Imperishable, the Unmanifested – which of them are well-versed in Yoga?”

Why did Arjuna ask this question?   

To understand the reason for Arjuna’s question, we have to quickly go over the essential parts of Bhagavad Gita’s chapters, tenth and eleventh.

In chapter ten of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asked Shri Krishna, “How can I realize You by constantly meditating on You? What are Your forms I should meditate on? Please tell me elaborately about Your Yogic Divine Powers and Your special manifestations.  The more I listen to You, the more my desire to listen to You increases.

Then, Shri Krishna mentioned many of His forms, like Atman in the hearts of all, the Sun among the luminous objects, the Mind among the senses, the Om among all the words, the Japa among all the yajnas, the Himalaya among the immovable things and many others. In the end, He said there is no limit to His Divine manifestations. They are infinite. In short, He said, wherever you see glorious or mighty things, know they are a fraction of His Power; even the whole universe is supported by a fraction of His Power.

This partial description created Arjuna’s desire to actually see Lord Krishna’s Universal Form. In the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna showed him His Universal Form out of love for Arjuna. Arjuna enjoyed seeing the beautiful part of the Universal Form but was scared by Its horrible part. Arjuna then requested Shri Krishna to show him His loving and compassionate human form. Again, out of love, Lord Krishna showed His human form to Arjuna, making him feel more at peace.

Thus, Arjuna saw the Universal Form, which gives an idea of an Unmanifested Infinite God and the loving human form of the manifested God. After seeing these two forms, it is natural that he asked Shri Krishna which form a devotee or himself should meditate upon. He asked it differently. He asked, “Who is well-versed in Yoga, one who worships God with form or one who worships God without form?”  

Those religions that believe only in God without Form do not need to consider this question. However, in Hinduism, devotees are allowed to worship God without form and with form. For these devotees, this is a fundamental question. In this chapter, Lord Krishna clearly answers this question with a logical explanation.

What does ‘thus’ (evam) mean here?

              Arjuna asked, “…. devotees who, ever steadfast, thus worship You…”.  What does he mean by ‘thus’? 

               Arjuna refers to what Shri Krishna told at the end of chapter eleven. Shri Krishna said one cannot see any forms, the Universal or the human, by studying scriptures, austerities, charity, or any other means. He said that only through love for Him (God) alone can one know, see, or essentially understand Him. He further said, “One who does My work and looks on Me as the Supreme Goal, who is devoted to Me, who is without attachment and hatred for any creature – he/she comes to Me.”

Back to the Arjuna’s question: 

In Hinduism, most of the seekers of God or Truth can be divided into two categories: those who worship God in human form through idols, statues, and pictures, whom we call the followers of the Path of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga), and those who worship the Infinite God devoid of names, forms, and epithets, whom we refer to as the followers of the Path of Knowledge (Jnana Yoga).  In particular, the students of Vedanta come across such question:  scriptures like Upanishads extol the Infinite, Formless Brahman as the only one worthy of realization, while the devotional scriptures based upon the same Upanishads emphasize the worship of various forms of God or Incarnations of God.  It puzzles the novice on the spiritual path. Which one of the above two is better? 

Those who are inclined to the Infinite aspect of God think that people who worship God in the statues and pictures are ignorant and inferior.  They asked whether a wave could represent the entire ocean.  On the other hand, those who worship God in human form think that people who worship the Infinite form of God are either thinking about the void or some non-tangible abstract concept and live in an imaginary world.  Such people lack sensitivity and cannot relate their God to the world.  They say that the ocean does not exist without waves.  Arjuna wanted to find an answer to his question from the Lord to decide which aspect of God he should worship.

Each sincere seeker of God must settle this question before starting spiritual practices.  Thus, Arjuna’s question is extremely important and appropriate.  Let us see what Sri Krishna’s answer is.