Bhakti Yoga

Arjuna said

एवं सततयुक्ता ये भक्तास्त्वां पर्युपासते।
येचाप्यक्षरमव्यक्तं तेषां के योगवित्तमाः ॥

evaṃ satatayuktā ye bhaktāstvāṃ paryupāsate
yecāpyakṣaramavyaktaṃ teṣāṃ ke yogavittamāḥ

Those devotees who, always united, worship you in this way, and those who worship the imperishable, the unmanifest: which of them know yoga better?

Krishna said

मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते।
श्रद्धया परयोपेतास्ते मे युक्ततमा मताः ॥

mayyāveśya mano ye māṃ nityayuktā upāsate
śraddhayā parayopetāste me yuktatamā matāḥ

Those who fix their minds on me and worship me, always united, with supreme faith: I consider them the most perfect in yoga.

ये त्वक्षरमनिर्देश्यमव्यक्तं पर्युपासते।
सर्वत्रगमचिन्त्यं च कूटस्थमचलं ध्रुवम् ॥

ye tvakṣaramanirdeśyamavyaktaṃ paryupāsate
sarvatragamacintyaṃ ca kūṭasthamacalaṃ dhruvam

But those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, all-pervading and unthinkable, unchanging, immovable and eternal,

संनियम्येन्द्रियग्रामं सर्वत्र समबुद्धयः।
ते प्राप्नुवन्ति मामेव सर्वभूतहिते रताः ॥

saṃniyamyendriyagrāmaṃ sarvatra samabuddhayaḥ
te prāpnuvanti māmeva sarvabhūtahite ratāḥ

restraining all the senses, even-minded everywhere, delighting in the good of all beings: they too come to me.

क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम्।
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ॥

kleśo'dhikatarasteṣāmavyaktāsaktacetasām
avyaktā hi gatirduḥkhaṃ dehavadbhiravāpyate

The difficulty is greater for those whose minds are set on the unmanifest, for the path of the unmanifest is hard for embodied beings to reach.

ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्पराः।
अनन्येनैव योगेन मां ध्यायन्त उपासते ॥

ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi saṃnyasya matparāḥ
ananyenaiva yogena māṃ dhyāyanta upāsate

But those who offer all actions to me, intent on me, and worship me, meditating on me with undivided yoga,

तेषामहं समुद्धर्ता मृत्युसंसारसागरात्।
भवामि नचिरात्पार्थ मय्यावेशितचेतसाम् ॥

teṣāmahaṃ samuddhartā mṛtyusaṃsārasāgarāt
bhavāmi nacirātpārtha mayyāveśitacetasām

for them, whose minds have entered into me, I soon become the one who lifts them out of the ocean of death and rebirth, Partha.

अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम्।
अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय ॥

atha cittaṃ samādhātuṃ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram
abhyāsayogena tato māmicchāptuṃ dhanañjaya

If you cannot keep your mind steadily on me, then seek to reach me through the yoga of practice, Dhananjaya.

अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव।
मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन् सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ॥

abhyāse'pyasamartho'si matkarmaparamo bhava
madarthamapi karmāṇi kurvan siddhimavāpsyasi

If you cannot even practise, be devoted to working for me; doing actions for my sake, you will still reach perfection.

अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः।
सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान् ॥

athaitadapyaśakto'si kartuṃ madyogamāśritaḥ
sarvakarmaphalatyāgaṃ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān

If you cannot do even this, then, taking refuge in my yoga and controlling yourself, give up the fruits of all your actions.

श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते।
ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् ॥

śreyo hi jñānamabhyāsājjñānāddhyānaṃ viśiṣyate
dhyānātkarmaphalatyāgastyāgācchāntiranantaram

Knowledge is better than mere practice; meditation is better than knowledge; giving up the fruits of action is better than meditation, for peace follows renunciation at once.

सन्तुष्टः सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चयः।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥

santuṣṭaḥ satataṃ yogī yatātmā dṛḍhaniścayaḥ
mayyarpitamanobuddhiryo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ

always content, a yogi, self-controlled, firm in resolve, with mind and understanding offered to me: such a devotee is dear to me.

अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥

anapekṣaḥ śucirdakṣa udāsīno gatavyathaḥ
sarvārambhaparityāgī yo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ

One who expects nothing, is pure, capable, impartial and untroubled, who has given up every self-centred undertaking: such a devotee is dear to me.

यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न काङ्क्षति।
शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्यः स मे प्रियः ॥

yo na hṛṣyati na dveṣṭi na śocati na kāṅkṣati
śubhāśubhaparityāgī bhaktimānyaḥ sa me priyaḥ

One who neither rejoices nor hates, neither grieves nor craves, who has let go of good and bad, and is full of devotion, is dear to me.

समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः।
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु समः सङ्गविवर्जितः ॥

samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ
śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkheṣu samaḥ saṅgavivarjitaḥ

Alike to enemy and friend, alike in honour and dishonour, in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, free from attachment,

तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येनकेनचित्।
अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः ॥

tulyanindāstutirmaunī santuṣṭo yenakenacit
aniketaḥ sthiramatirbhaktimānme priyo naraḥ

the same in blame and praise, quiet, content with whatever comes, without a fixed home, steady in mind and full of devotion: that person is dear to me.

ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते।
श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः ॥

ye tu dharmyāmṛtamidaṃ yathoktaṃ paryupāsate
śraddadhānā matparamā bhaktāste'tīva me priyāḥ

But those who follow this nectar of dharma as I have taught it, with faith, making me their goal: those devotees are exceedingly dear to me.