Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta 118 - The Ideal Devotee Sees Oneness in Existence | Swami Tattwamayananda
Oct 7, 2022
51:50
Its meaning is: “O’ Mother Gita, I bow down to you. I invoke your divine presence in my heart. This text
has 18 chapters and was preached by Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna. It was written by the great
sage, Vyasa, and is placed in the middle of a much great work, Mahabharata. Its central theme is the
philosophy of Advaita – it preaches that creation is one spiritual family and all religions represent so
many paths leading to the same spiritual goal. “
The 12th chapter is about Bhakti Yoga – the path of Devotion. The three other paths taught in the Gita
are Jnana Yoga – the path of knowledge, Karma Yoga – the path of selfless actions, and Dhyana Yoga –
the path of self-restraint.
In the 13 th and 14 th verses, Lord Krishna describes the characteristics of a devotee. He does not mention
rituals or going to a temple. He essentially says that all genuine devotees are good human beings.
15 th verse: “A devotee is not agitated by anyone, and nobody is agitated by him. He is free from elation,
envy, fear and anxiety.”
18 th and 19 th verses: “His attitude is the same towards a friend or someone hostile to him, towards honor
and dishonor, towards praise and criticism, towards heat and cold, and towards happiness and misery.
He is content with whatever comes his way and is not attached to a place of residence – such a devotee
is dear to Me.”
A devotee is well-established in strong faith and inner equanimity, because he has a sense of inner
fulfillment. The line of demarcation between the duals disappears for him. The world does not agitate
him – he has no reason to be excited, envious, fearful or anxious. There is no otherness for him – he sees
the whole world as one spiritual family. He does not do anything to violate the Ritm of nature.
20 th verse: “Anyone who practices this great spiritual discipline with sanctity and sacredness, with
unselfishness, with a universal outlook – he is extremely dear to Me.”
In the Bhagavata Purana, there is a dialog between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the
King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The
one who sees the presence of God in all beings, and who sees the presence of all beings in God. “
Bhagavata Purana describes that we can reach this highest level of devotion by practicing Navadha
Bhakti - Sravanam (Hearing about God), Kirtanam (Chanting His Name and Glory), Vishnu smaranam
(Remembering Him), Pada sevanam (Serving His Lotus Feet), Archanam (Worshipping Him), Vandanam
(Prostrating before Him), Dasyam (Being His Servant), Sakhyam (Befriending Him), and Atma Nivedanam
(Surrendering to Him).
The 12th chapter of Gita can be seen as a commentary on an important verse in the Bhagavata Purana.
The essence of this verse is: “A spiritual seeker can begin his journey at a temple or with a book. That is
just a starting point. As he moves forward, he starts seeing the presence of God outside the temple
walls. As he evolves further, he sees the presence of God everywhere and in everything. Everything
becomes an act of worship. Every thought becomes a meditation, every word becomes a mantra, every
action becomes an act of worship, every travel becomes a pilgrimage, every movement becomes a
circumambulation around the deity, and the whole life becomes an offering to God. “
What is the residential address of God. Lord Krishna says that his permanent residential address is the
heart of all beings.
Every Gita chapter ends with a verse which starts as an auspicious prayer referring to the unity and
oneness of existence. It then says that Gita was written by Vyasa and appears in the sixth section of
Mahabharata. Finally, it equates Gita to the Upanishads. It teaches the science of spiritual
enlightenment through four important paths.
has 18 chapters and was preached by Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna. It was written by the great
sage, Vyasa, and is placed in the middle of a much great work, Mahabharata. Its central theme is the
philosophy of Advaita – it preaches that creation is one spiritual family and all religions represent so
many paths leading to the same spiritual goal. “
The 12th chapter is about Bhakti Yoga – the path of Devotion. The three other paths taught in the Gita
are Jnana Yoga – the path of knowledge, Karma Yoga – the path of selfless actions, and Dhyana Yoga –
the path of self-restraint.
In the 13 th and 14 th verses, Lord Krishna describes the characteristics of a devotee. He does not mention
rituals or going to a temple. He essentially says that all genuine devotees are good human beings.
15 th verse: “A devotee is not agitated by anyone, and nobody is agitated by him. He is free from elation,
envy, fear and anxiety.”
18 th and 19 th verses: “His attitude is the same towards a friend or someone hostile to him, towards honor
and dishonor, towards praise and criticism, towards heat and cold, and towards happiness and misery.
He is content with whatever comes his way and is not attached to a place of residence – such a devotee
is dear to Me.”
A devotee is well-established in strong faith and inner equanimity, because he has a sense of inner
fulfillment. The line of demarcation between the duals disappears for him. The world does not agitate
him – he has no reason to be excited, envious, fearful or anxious. There is no otherness for him – he sees
the whole world as one spiritual family. He does not do anything to violate the Ritm of nature.
20 th verse: “Anyone who practices this great spiritual discipline with sanctity and sacredness, with
unselfishness, with a universal outlook – he is extremely dear to Me.”
In the Bhagavata Purana, there is a dialog between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the
King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The
one who sees the presence of God in all beings, and who sees the presence of all beings in God. “
Bhagavata Purana describes that we can reach this highest level of devotion by practicing Navadha
Bhakti - Sravanam (Hearing about God), Kirtanam (Chanting His Name and Glory), Vishnu smaranam
(Remembering Him), Pada sevanam (Serving His Lotus Feet), Archanam (Worshipping Him), Vandanam
(Prostrating before Him), Dasyam (Being His Servant), Sakhyam (Befriending Him), and Atma Nivedanam
(Surrendering to Him).
The 12th chapter of Gita can be seen as a commentary on an important verse in the Bhagavata Purana.
The essence of this verse is: “A spiritual seeker can begin his journey at a temple or with a book. That is
just a starting point. As he moves forward, he starts seeing the presence of God outside the temple
walls. As he evolves further, he sees the presence of God everywhere and in everything. Everything
becomes an act of worship. Every thought becomes a meditation, every word becomes a mantra, every
action becomes an act of worship, every travel becomes a pilgrimage, every movement becomes a
circumambulation around the deity, and the whole life becomes an offering to God. “
What is the residential address of God. Lord Krishna says that his permanent residential address is the
heart of all beings.
Every Gita chapter ends with a verse which starts as an auspicious prayer referring to the unity and
oneness of existence. It then says that Gita was written by Vyasa and appears in the sixth section of
Mahabharata. Finally, it equates Gita to the Upanishads. It teaches the science of spiritual
enlightenment through four important paths.