भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्य अहमेवंविधोऽर्जुन |
ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परन्तप || 54||
bhaktyā tv ananyayā śhakya aham evaṁ-vidho ’rjuna
jñātuṁ draṣhṭuṁ cha tattvena praveṣhṭuṁ cha parantapa
bhaktyā—by devotion; tu—alone; ananyayā—unalloyed; śhakyaḥ—possible; aham—I; evam-vidhaḥ—like this; arjuna—Arjun; jñātum—to be known; draṣhṭum—to be seen; cha—and; tattvena—truly; praveṣhṭum—to enter into (union with me); cha—and; parantapa—scorcher of foes
Translation:
But by devotion to Me alone may I be known in this form, Ο Arjuna, realized truly, and entered into, Ο dreaded prince.
Commentary:
In the previous verse, it was stated that God-realisation is not possible by Vedic study, sacrifices etc. In this verse, it is explained what makes union with God possible for man. This verse is therefore very important for all seekers. They should understand the full significance of the idea and realise it in practice.
It is here declared categorically that by single-minded devotion only the Lord could be known, seen, and attained. Ananya bhakti’ is emphasised in several places in the Gita. The mind should not be attached to anything in the objective world; it should be centred in the Lord as the sole refuge, as the most beloved and as the highest goal. Devotion that is not shared, that is not tempted away from God, that does not desire anything other than God, is single-minded devotion. Man’s mind is generally possessed by worldly things and only a part of it is offered to the Lord. This is not ‘ananya bhakti’. When the mind is not distracted by anything material, it acquires divine power and thus attains the Lord.
Three stages of God-realisation are mentioned here: (1) Jnatum to be known, (2) drashtum to be seen, (3) praveshtum-to be entered into. In the beginning, man acquires knowledge of the nature of the Lord. Even this is difficult, because it requires deep study and correct understanding of the Sastras. At this stage, the Lord, though his nature is understood, is quite far away. This is Dwaita. Then in the next stage, the devotee is able to see the Lord face to face, have a clear vision of God in whatever form he contemplates Him. Now there is no doubt at all about His existence, because he has directly seen the Deity. The second step is higher than the first. God is seen like a leaf or fruit in one’s own hand. This is nearly the state of Visishtadvaita.
After long and arduous practice the devotee becomes united with the Lord (Praveshtum). Like salt in water, like rain drops in the ocean, like water in milk, the devotee is merged in the Lord. Then there are no two entities, the devotee and the Lord. The Lord alone is. This is the highest stage. This is perfect Advaita. The aspirant should not stop anywhere till this highest goal is reached. The first is the nearness of God (samipya), the second is the vision of the God (sarupya) and the third is union with God (sayujya). The natural progress of man towards God is explained thus in this verse. -Every aspirant should move forward from the first to the second and from the second to the last and ultimate state. It is for this reason that the Lord has stated ‘Jnatum‘ first, and ‘drashtum‘ next, and ‘Praveshtum‘ last.
Suppose somebody tells us that he has seen a good and beautiful, highly relishing fruit in the market. What is our reaction? We are interested to go and see the fruit and then to buy it and eat it. At first we have come to know of the fruit (Jnatum) and next we go and see it (drashtum), and finally we are fully satisfied by tasting the fruit for ourselves (Praveshtum). The last is the state of the Jivanmukta, the liberated man. It is Moksha. We come to know of a house, see it, and then enter it. Thus one should approach God and realise Him. Everybody should attain the highest Advaitic realisation even in this very life. Then only he is free from the bondage of ‘samsara’.
The Upanishad says
Yada hyevaisha etasminnudara mantaram
kurute atha tasya bhayam bhavati.
Even the slightest separation from the Lord causes fear. When there is fear of anything, it is not perfection. So every aspirant should strive to attain the Lord (Praveshtum) and free himself from fear.
If Vedic study alone could lead to God-realisation, the illiterate shall have to go without it. If austerity alone should lead to God-realisation the weak shall have no hope; If ‘yajnas’ and ‘Dana’ alone could lead to God, the poor shall have to be where they are. As it is declared by the Lord that by single-minded devotion alone he could be realised, every human being can aspire for God-realisation by pure and uncontaminated devotion. Thus out of His compassion, the Lord has revealed the easy path of God-realisation to all beings.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
BRAHMO DEVOTEE: “What are the means by which one can see God?”
MASTER: “Can you weep for Him with intense longing of heart? Men shed a jugful of tears for the sake of their children, for their wives, or for money. But who weeps for God? So long as the child remains engrossed with its toys, the mother looks after her cooking and other household duties. But when the child no longer relishes the toys, it throws them aside and yells for its mother. Then the mother takes the rice-pot down from the hearth, runs in haste, and takes the child in her arms.”
BRAHMO DEVOTEE: “Sir, why are there so many different opinions about the nature of God? Some say that God has form, while others say that He is formless. Again, those who speak of God with form tell us about His different forms. Why all this controversy?”
MASTER: “A devotee thinks of God as he sees Him. In reality there is no confusion about God. God explains all this to the devotee if the devotee only realises Him somehow. You haven’t set your foot in that direction. How can you expect to know all about God?
“Listen to a story. Once a man entered a wood and saw a small animal on a tree. He came back and told another man that he had seen a creature of a beautiful red colour on a certain tree. The second man replied: ‘When I went into the wood, I also saw that animal. But why do you call it red? It is green.’ Another man who was present contradicted them both and insisted that it was yellow. Presently others arrived and contended that it was grey, violet, blue, and so forth and so on. At last they started quarrelling among themselves. To settle the dispute they all went to the tree. They saw a man sitting under it. On being asked, he replied: ‘Yes, I live under this tree and I know the animal very well. All your descriptions are true. Sometimes it appears red, sometimes yellow, and at other times blue, violet, grey, and so forth. It is a chameleon. And sometimes it has no colour at all. Now it has a colour, and now it has none.’
“In like manner, one who constantly thinks of God can know His real nature; he alone knows that God reveals Himself to seekers in various forms and aspects. God has attributes; then again He has none. Only the man who lives under the tree knows that the chameleon can appear in various colours, and he knows, further, that the animal at times has no colour at all. It is the others who suffer from the agony of futile argument.
“Kabir used to say, The formless Absolute is my Father, and God with form is my Mother.’
“God reveals Himself in the form which His devotee loves most. His love for the devotee knows no bounds. It is written in the Purana that God assumed the form of Rama for His heroic devotee, Hanuman.
“The forms and aspects of God disappear when one discriminates in accordance with the Vedanta philosophy. The ultimate conclusion of such discrimination is that Brahman alone is real and this world of names and forms illusory. It is possible for a man to see the forms of God, or to think of Him as a Person, only so long as he is conscious that he is a devotee. From the standpoint of discrimination this ‘ego of a devotee’ keeps him a little away from God.
“Do you know why images of Krishna or Kali are three and a half cubits high? Because of distance. Again, on account of distance the sun appears to be small. But if you go near it you will find the sun so big that you won’t be able to comprehend it. Why have images of Krishna and Kali a dark-blue colour? That too is on account of distance, like the water of a lake, which appears green, blue, or black from a distance. Go near, take the water in the palm of your hand, and you will find that it has no colour. The sky also appears blue from a distance. Go near and you will see that it has no colour at all.
“Therefore I say that in the light of Vedantic reasoning Brahman has no attributes. The real nature of Brahman cannot be described. But so long as your individuality is real, the world also is real, and equally real are the different forms of God and the feeling that God is a Person.
“Yours is the path of bhakti. That is very good; it is an easy path. Who can fully know the infinite God? and what need is there of knowing the infinite? Having attained this rare human birth, my supreme need is to develop love for the Lotus Feet of God.
“If a jug of water is enough to remove my thirst, why should I measure the quantity of water in a lake? I become drunk on even half a bottle of wine — what is the use of my calculating the quantity of liquor in the tavern? What need is there of knowing the Infinite? (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Question: What is the way to God-realisation?
Answer: Single-minded devotion.
Question: What are the stages of God-realisation?
Answer: 1. Knowing Him, 2 Seeing Him, 3. and being united with Him.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 11 
(55 Verses)
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 |
