Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

10th chapter: 20th verse, 41st verse, verses 21-24The central thesis of the 10th chapter is in the 20th verse. It says: “O Arjuna, I am present in the heart of all beings as the indweller– residing there I regulate and function everything. I am the beginning; I am the middle; and I am the end of all beings.”By “I”, Lord Krishna means the divine spirit that is present everywhere. As we evolve in spiritual life, our idea of God evolves. In the beginning, we think of a creator God, confined to a place of worship and a book. As we evolve, we associate spirituality outside of this idea of God – beyond the place of worship or a book. At the highest level, every spiritual activity is given a spiritual orientation – the line of demarcation between secular and spiritual disappears.There is a mantra in Rigveda which means: “Let every thought become a meditation, let every word become a mantra, let every action become an act of worship, let every travel become a pilgrimage, let every movement become a circumambulation around the deity, and let the whole life become an offering to God.”In the Bhagavata Purana, there is a dialogue 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.“ He also states that the lowest level of devotee is one who confines his idea of God to a place of worship or a book.Swami Vivekananda said: “It is good to be born in a church. But it is terrible to die there.” We have to begin somewhere. But we should not end our spiritual life there.41st verse: It is important to properly understand the 20th and the 41st verse to make sense of verse 21 onwards in the 10th chapter, where Lord Krishna describes his manifestations. In the 41st verse he says: “Wherever you find some greatness, prosperity, power or excellence – know that to be a part of My splendor.”In whatever profession one may be, if that person reaches a level of human excellence – that perfection is a spark of the divinity within him. When the scholarship of a scholar is combined with sattvic nature such as humility, or the power of a person is combined with wisdom and maturity – then it becomes an expression of the divine.21st to 24th verse: In these verses, Lord Krishna describes his manifestations – “Among Adityas, I am Vishnu; among vedas, I am sama veda; among deities, I am Indra; among senses, I am mind; among beings, I am intelligence; among priests, I am Brihaspati, and so on.” What he means is - the divine reality is present in all beings; wherever we find a unique manifestation that is sublime and beautiful, it is an expression of the divine reality.Among Vedas, sama veda is considered the most musical. Among the senses, the mind is the most crucial because to cognize anything both senses and mind have to come together. Lord Krishna cites these as examples of excellence, and therefore a manifestation of His divinity. They only provide a general idea of His divine nature – ultimately, these vibhutis have to be experienced.In ancient times, every king had a priest so that they could practice being a Rajarshi. Rajarshi is a person who has the dual qualities of a king (Rajatvam) and a saint (Rishitvam). As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers. Brihaspati is mentioned in the 24th verse – he was the great teacher of the devas.Our pursuit of material prosperity (artha and kama) should be guided by the regulating power of ethics and morality (dharma).Abraham Lincoln said: “If you want to know the true character of a man, give him power.” How he uses the power will reveal his character.

10th chapter: 13th verse to 20th verseThe central thesis of the 10th chapter is in the 20th verse. It says: “O Arjuna, I am present in the heart of all beings as the indweller– residing there I regulate and function everything. I am the beginning; I am the middle; and I am the end of all beings.”Based on this verse, Swami Vivekananda defined religion. “Religion is the manifestation of divinity already in man.” Body mind complex is distinct from the divine – it is an instrument for the manifestation of the divine.In modern times, it is more appropriate to replace religion with spirituality in Swamiji’s quote. Religion is a man-made structure comprising of a book, a place of worship, a set of rituals and an intermediary between God and man. Swamiji was defining spirituality, which is the essence of all religions, and which is the manifestation of divinity within us.How do we recognize spirituality in a person? When a person lives a spiritual life, it will reflect in his character. The more we live a spiritual life, the more the divinity within expresses itself.In the 20th verse, Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna as Gudakesha – one who is alert, has sense control and is fit for spiritual enquiry. Vedanta prescribes four-fold spiritual disciplines called sadhana chatusthaya to become fit for spiritual enquiry. The four disciplines are: (1) a proper understanding of what is real and what isn't real (2) a sincere renunciation of worldly desires (3) self-restraint and control of the senses and mind (4) a strong urge for spiritual liberation. Nitya anitya vastu viveka Ihāmutra phala bhoga virāga Śamādi ṣatka sampatti Mumukṣutvam. And after one becomes desirous of spiritual pursuit, there are three additional disciplines he should pursue. He should listen to spiritual instructions, focus on their meaning and finally he should meditate and realize their meaning. It is called Sravana, Manana, Nididhyāsana.It is important to properly understand the 20th verse to make sense of verse 21 onwards in the 10th chapter, where Lord Krishna describes his manifestations – “I am Vishnu among Adityas, I am sama veda among vedas, and so on.” What he means is - the divine reality is present in all beings; wherever we find a unique manifestation that is sublime and beautiful, it is an expression of the divine reality.To understand verse 21 onwards, it is also important to know the three levels of Hindu Vedantic canonical hierarchy. The highest are the vedas, next are smritis and then the puranas. Among vedas, the Upanishads talk about the natural spiritual aspiration of humanity. Vedantic tradition accepts all religions because it does not take a single book as the wisdom coming from God.From the 13th to 18th verse, Arjuna demonstrates his understanding that Lord Krishna is not a normal charioteer. He is Brahman, the cause of everything, the essence of purity and present everywhere as Atman. He states that only Lord Krishna understands how his spiritual characteristics manifest in this universe. He then asks Lord Krishna to explain all his manifestations to him.In the 19th verse, Lord Krishna expresses his willingness to tell Arjuna about his vibhutis. We cannot know God except through his vibhutis. Spirituality is not an intellectual concept – it is a matter of realization.In the beginning, the mind may not cooperate with our sadhana, as the past samskaras assert themselves. To progress, we have to accumulate healthy samskaras. We should begin our spiritual journey by focusing on a higher ideal and practice spiritual sadhanas. What we meditate upon, that we become. When we always think of a higher ideal, we begin to imbibe the qualities of that higher ideal. Then our mind co-operates.As we progress in spiritual life, we develop a unique spiritual common sense. The inner light within us becomes more effulgent.

10th chapter: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 116th verse: “The seven great rishis, the four great ancestors, and the Manus – they are born from one supreme reality. All creatures in this world emerge from them.”7th verse: “Anyone who in reality knows Me as the supreme spiritual ideal which is present everywhere – that person will naturally understand the truth. There is no doubt about it.”Vibhuti means manifestation of divine qualities. They naturally come to a person when he meditates on God. The glory of the ocean is reflected in every pebble and wave in the ocean. Similarly, in all human beings who meditate on God, some unique characteristics manifest. Sunlight falls on water in a pot and the quality of its reflection depends on the cleanliness of the water. Similarly, the degree of manifestation depends on the purity of the person’s mind. Swami Vivekananda said that the difference between an amoeba and a Buddha is only of degrees, not of kind. Buddha is like the clean mirror, in whom the presence of the lord manifests in His full effulgence.Absolute Reality has two dimensions. One is the unmanifested or impersonal dimension, and the other is the manifested or personal dimension. We should not begin our spiritual journey with the unmanifest. We should begin by focusing on a higher ideal and practice spiritual sadhanas. What we meditate upon, that we become. When we always think of a higher ideal, we begin to imbibe the qualities of that higher ideal. That makes us ready to transcend the personal and practice the impersonal – it is a matter of one’s evolution, not choice.8th verse: “I am the origin of everything. And everything originates from Me. If a person understands this and recognizes Me with loving consciousness, he will become enlightened.”When Lord Krishna uses “I” or “Me” he refers to the one supreme reality. 164th sukta of the first mandala of Rigveda Samhita says: “Reality is one; sages call it by various names.”. The full mantra is: इन्द्रं॑ मि॒त्रं वरु॑णम॒ग्निमा॑हु॒रथॊ॑ दि॒व्यः स सु॑प॒र्णॊ ग॒रुत्मा॑न् । ऎकं॒ सद्विप्रा॑ बहु॒धा व॑दन्त्य॒ग्निं य॒मं मा॑त॒रिश्वा॑नमाहुः ॥Just as electricity manifests through different gadgets, the same divine energy enables different living beings to function. The one who understands this is enlightened.In the next few verses, Lord Krishna states that wherever we find a unique manifestation that is sublime and beautiful – physical strength, intellectual power, creativity, grandeur of a mountain, beauty of a flower – they are all an expression of the divine reality.9th verse: In this verse, Lord Krishna explains how a spiritually enlightened person functions in the world. “Those who get this enlightenment, their minds are absorbed in this divine reality. They spend their time talking about this higher truth and discussing spiritual teachings. They always speak about God and this gives them eternal contentment and happiness.”Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has a profound dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi where Maitreyi questions whether wealth can give eternal happiness and immortality. Finally, both of them become spiritually enlightened and spent their lifetime in contemplation, meditation and scripture reading and studying.10th verse: “Those who are steadfast, who are devoted, who are contemplative – I give them that higher intuition called Buddhi Yoga.”Buddhi Yoga is the higher faculty of the human mind that enables us to get contentment along with knowledge. Along with knowledge we get the ability to make proper use of that knowledge and avoid the temptation to make improper use of that knowledge.Intellectual ability alone is not enough to interpret the meaning of life. When we take to spiritual life, our mind becomes pure, it becomes our friend. And along with that, we develop an intuition that gives us a unique clarity of life and its mysteries. That faculty is called Buddhi Yoga. It naturally comes to us irrespective of the spiritual path we follow, such as Bhakti Yoga or Jnana Yoga.11th verse: “When they become completely devoted to Me, out of mere compassion for them, I enter into their hearts and light the lamp of effulgence, the luminous lamp of knowledge.”Light is an important symbol in Vedanta. It symbolizes enlightenment and knowledge. The mantra: ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय । तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय । मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः means “Lead me from the unreal to the real. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality. Om Peace Peace Peace.”God, as light or atma-jyoti, is already within us. When we do our spiritual practices such as japa and meditation with sincerity, compassion and looking upon the whole humanity as one – then our mind becomes pure and this divine light within us reveals itself.King Janaka asked Sage Yajnavalkya: “Endowed with what light does a person live in this world”. The first answer was sunlight. As each option provided in previous answers was eliminated, subsequent answers were moonlight, agni, and sound. When all four of these options were eliminated, the final answer was Atma-Jyoti, which is in all of us and that is self-revealing. It is the light of all lights - that enables all other lights, such as sunlight, moonlight, agni to function.When a person identifies with this light, he experiences spiritual freedom, happiness within, and illumined within.

The 10th chapter of Bhagavad Gita is Vibhuti Yoga. Vibhuti means power of manifestation. This chapter lists several characteristics that are manifestations of the divine.Absolute Reality has two dimensions. One is the unmanifested or impersonal dimension, and the other is the manifested or personal dimension. In its pristine nature, it is impersonal and goes beyond all personal dimensions. While infinite, the Absolute Reality can have a finite dimension.Everything in this world – good, bad, indifference – all come from the same source, the divine reality. Just as electricity manifests in different ways depending on the gadget it powers, similarly, everything in this world is a different manifestation of the same divine reality.Depending on our samskaras and the state of our mind, the divine manifests itself as good or evil. We can refine our samskaras through good physical actions. They generate spiritual energy and refine our samskaras.We are not really as free as we imagine. Our mind, under the influence of samskaras, prevents us from what we want to do. With constant effort and by doing good actions, the resistance of the mind wears down, and we achieve more freedom.3rd verse: “Those who understand Me as birthless, beginning-less and infinite – they are the greatest, they are the wisest and they understand Me.”The absolute reality cannot be defined or explained. It is infinite and transcends all possibilities of description. It is beyond the six changes: birth, existence, growth, evolution, degeneration and death. The supreme reality in its highest dimension, is guna-atita - it is beyond gunas; it transcends gunas.4th and 5th verses list 20 different characteristics as manifestations of the divine reality. These characteristics are: (1) Intellect (2) Jnanam, which refers to knowledge, and the discerning wisdom to make proper use of what we know (3) Asammohah or freedom from delusion – ability to see into the reality of things (4) Forgiveness (5) Truth (6) Restraint of external senses (7) Control over thoughts and emotions (8) Happiness – feeling joy when good happens to others (9) Misery – what we feel when something unpleasant happens (10) Birth (11) Death (12) Fear (13) Fearlessness (14) Non-violence (15) Even-mindedness (16) Contentment – understanding the limitations of what we aspire for (17) Austerity – restrain our aspirations and desires (18) Charity – wisdom to know that material things do not give contentment (19) Reputation (20) ill-fame.Regarding death (11th quality), Yaksha posed a question to Yudhishthira – “What is the most mysterious fact of life?” In answer, Yudhishthira said – “Every minute and second, we see so many creatures moving towards the abode of death. Still, we believe that we will not have to join this procession. This is the most mysterious fact of life.”Regarding Asammohah (3rd quality), Shankaracharya says that through purity of mind we develop the ability to look deep into things and understand their true nature. An intellectual person is not necessarily the wisest. There are others, who may not be educated, but are wise and can see deep into things. Such wisdom is a manifestation of the divine.To perceive things as they are, we should take an interest in higher ideas, develop a discerning wisdom and have a higher ideal in life, which can help us focus our energies in one direction.Both positive and negative characteristics are mentioned in this list as manifestations of the divine. In Vedanta, evil is not a separate category from good. Vedanta believes in the doctrine of error, not doctrine of evil. Error refers to our ignorance, which prevents us from recognizing the divine within.6th verse: “The seven great rishis, the four great ancestors, and the Manus – they are born from My mind. All creatures in this world emerge from them.”The essence of this verse is that the wisdom of all the great ancestors of humanity comes from the divine reality.

9th chapter, 30th verse: “Even a wicked person, if he takes a decision to turns to God with one sided devotion - at that decisive moment, he is actually liberated. Such a person should be regarded as a noble person.”Such a sincere decision brings positive changes to our mental system. It purifies our vrittis, vasanas and samskaras. All psychological obstacles are gone. With that decision, we have boarded the bus and are bound to reach the destination. We are then endowed with a new sense of inner fulfillment and contentment.The story of Sadasiva Brahmendra Saraswati is a good example of such a spiritual transformation. In early days, he was arrogant and defeated many scholars in logic and debates. Upon hearing this news, his guru rebuked him and asked him one question: “When are you going to keep quiet.” In response, he did not utter a word, closed his mouth with one hand, and signaled with his other hand – “Today and now.” He then practiced non-speaking, both vocally and mentally. He went on to become a great mystic.9th chapter, 34th verse: “Fill your mind with the thought of Me (God), become My devotee, resign yourself to My will, undergo your rituals, keep your heart/mind steadfast and fixed on Me – then you will eventually reach Me.”This verse represents the harmonization of the three Yogas. One can realize God through any of the three Yogas. Practice rituals with devotion (Bhakti Yoga) or think of God all the time (Jnana Yoga) or do everything as an offering to God (Karma Yoga).In the Bhagavata Purana, Prahalada explains Navadha Bhakti (nine devotional disciplines) as a way to give a spiritual orientation to all conceivable human activities. These nine disciplines are: 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 (Offering Oneself to Him). In the 34th verse, Lord Krishna is also asking us to be his devotee in whatever way possible.Prahalada is the greatest devotee in the Bhagavata Purana, which is the story of King Parikshit who has seven days left to live because of a curse. The entire Purana is a response to his question to Sage Suka – “What should a dying man do? How should he live the rest of his life?” Suka says: “One should be able to live life in such a way that he can leave the body with a smile on his face and with God’s thought in his mind.”The 10th chapter of Bhagavad Gita is Vibhuti Yoga. It lists several divine characteristics. God does not look at the grammatical or phonetical accuracy of our prayers. God only focuses on the state of our mind and the attitude with which we pray. In whatever way possible, if we can think of the characteristics of God, that is one method of evolving in spiritual life. The real purpose of this spiritual practice is to imbibe within us the qualities that we attribute to God. For example, if we think of God as compassionate, we should develop compassion within us.Lord Krishna discusses the characteristics of a spiritually enlightened person in the second chapter. Shankaracharya says that these characteristics constitute the road by which we should travel to reach the goal that the enlightened person has reached. We can develop these characteristics with our own effort. We should read about the life of great saints – then we will be inclined to develop the great qualities of these saints.These qualities should not be the focus of our meditation and spiritual practices. The focus should be on God Himself. If we cannot focus on God, then as a secondary practice, we can focus on these qualities. Shandilya Bhakti Sutra says that the highest spiritual liberation is not possible by focusing on certain characteristics. At the highest level, we should be able to focus on an incarnation or a saint, who is an embodiment of these qualities.10th chapter, 1st verse: “Listen Arjuna. I am going to give you an exposition of vibhutis (divine characteristics). It is for your spiritual growth.”From the highest Advaitic standpoint, the supreme reality is beyond all characteristics. It is impersonal and transcends name, form, characteristics, time, space and causation. Adavaita does not reject a personal God. It says that at a higher level of evolution, we realize that the supreme reality in its highest dimension, is guna-atita - it is beyond gunas, it transcends gunas.

9th chapter: verse 30, 31, 32, 3330th and 31st verse: When we take a real decision to turn to God with complete surrender, we have boarded the bus and are bound to reach the destination. We are then endowed with a new sense of inner fulfillment and contentment. Lord Krishna promises that such a spiritual devotee will not come to harm anywhere, anytime. Therefore, we should make the right decision.Such a sincere decision brings positive changes to our mental system. It purifies our vrittis, vasanas and samskaras. All psychological obstacles are gone. On the spot, one becomes a dharmatma.When we try to make such a decision, there are two voices within the mind. One voice blocks. The other encourages. Every failed attempt to make the right decision weakens the mental block and strengthens our ability to make the decision.How do we know that we have made the right decision? We feel inner tranquility and contentment. We feel – “I have done what I ought to have done and I have attained what I ought to have attained.” Such a decision is good for the person and for others.32nd verse: “Anyone can attain this supreme, spiritual goal. There is no discrimination based on caste or gender.”Gita was written at a time when there were some inequalities in the social structure. Certain classes of society were not allowed to participate in vedic rituals. Lord Krishna says that the highest goal is within the reach of everyone, even people with sinful deeds.Regarding feminine gender, in the 34th verse of the 10th chapter, Lord Krishna says: “I take the form of the exquisite, refined, feminine qualities such as speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and peace.”33rd verse: “If everyone can attain the supreme spiritual goal, what to speak about holy sages and rajarshis (philosopher kings). They will naturally attain the highest goal. Having come to this anityam-asukham-lokam (transient, joyless, world), you worship Me.”This verse makes two important points. First, the highest goal is open to everyone. It is the freedom of the soul. Second, the highest goal is worthy of attainment. It should be the goal of all human endeavors.Rajarshi is a person who has the dual qualities of a king (Rajatvam) and a saint (Rishitvam). As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers.When we understand the subtle truth of secular prosperity – that it is not eternal (anityam), that it is within time, space and causation, that it only provides transitory happiness (asukham) – then we take to higher thinking and become a philosopher while doing our secular activities. Anityam does not mean non-existent. It exists, but it does not exist eternally.Lord Krishna says to Arjuna that this world is transient and can only provide transitory happiness. You should realize this truth and then think of Me (the highest truth). Then your life, which is a blessing from God, will become complete.In the Vivekachudamani, Shankaracharya describes the three rare gifts from God. First gift is to be born as a human being. After being born as a human being, the second gift is to have mumukshutvam (desire for spiritual enlightenment). After being endowed with the first two gifts, the third gift is to have the association of an illumined teacher.Intellectually, we know that the world is transient, but we are not able to translate this intellectual awareness to emotional awareness. We attribute permanence to things that are inherently impermanent. When we realize the transitory nature of the world, we develop higher common sense and get peace of mind.Behind every worry, there is an undue expectation. This life becomes a blessing when we realize that this world is anityam-asukham-lokam.

Summary:9th chapter: verse 23, 24, 25, 26, 2723rd and 24th verse: “Depending upon our own mental makeup, we evolve our ideas of God. Those who worship other gods with shraddha – not for highest enlightenment but for material prosperity – in reality, they are worshipping Me, although they are using the wrong method and are not aware of it. To whichever god we pray, the prayer goes to Brahman. Fulfillment also comes from Brahman.”25th verse: “The votaries of different deities, they reach those deities. The one whom you worship, you reach him.”There are two ways that we can think about Absolute Reality. In the early stage, we may look upon it as the presiding deity, as the creator god, that decides the destiny of creation. As we evolve and get closer to the divine within, we develop a higher, universal outlook. At the highest level, we see Absolute Reality as the source of everything.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.“ This ideal devotee sees the entire creation as one spiritual family.26th verse: “If you offer with bhakti (devotion) even a leaf or flower or fruit or water – I accept it as the devout gift of the pure-hearted devotee.”Bhakti is defined as the spontaneous, natural flow of love towards God. It is not for God’s sake that we love God. Spirituality is the manifestation of higher qualities present in us. When they are developed, our minds naturally turn towards God.Bhakti and purity of heart are what is important – it is what compels the Lord to accept the offering. A big ritual is in no way superior to a leaf offered with a pure heart. What we are offering is not a leaf or flower – we are offering ourselves and our own heart, which is what the Lord cares about.The story of Lord Krishna and Sudama illustrates that the Lord only cares about the bhakti with which the offering is made. Sudama carried ordinary, parched rice as a gift for Lord Krishna – he was hesitant to even offer it to him. But Lord Krishna accepted it with great delight, exclaiming how wonderful the gift was. Lord Krishna’s acceptance (of the gift) returned to Sudama as prosperity in an invisible way.In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, there are contrasting illustrations of bhakti. One example is of a person offering the choicest items to God, but with elaborate display and splendor. This is rajasic bhakti – it is not the most sublime. Another example is of a person who lives in a humble hut, offers fruit or water, but spends his time in meditation. This is sattvic bhakti. The third type of bhakti is tamasic bhakti, which expresses itself as laziness, indifference, and ignorance.When we are evolving spiritually, we should have a sense of value for what we offer to God. We should offer something that we consider as precious, not something insignificant. When we reach a stage where the mind naturally flows to God, then we can mentally offer our hearts to God.Shankaracharya, in one of his verses, gives a beautiful description of the spiritual psychology of a devotee of the highest type. He feels “O Lord, you are my Atman. My friends are my own pranas. My body is your holy shrine. Everything I do – all my actions and interactions, in thought, word and deed – are my puja (offerings) to you.”For such a devotee of the highest type, his whole life becomes spiritualized. 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.27th verse: “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer, whatever gift you give to others, whatever austerities you practice – do that as an offering to Me.”This is the highest state of a spiritual person, where every secular activity becomes spiritualized. Every secular activity becomes puja. The difference between work and worship disappears.

Summary: 9th chapter: verse 22, 23, 2422nd verse: “People who meditate on God as not separate, who worship Him in all beings, who are always engaged in that divine pursuit, who engage in noble, unselfish deeds – for such people, I carry what they lack, and preserve what they already have.”This is one of the most celebrated verses of the Gita. Lord Krishna makes a big promise in this verse. “If you do God’s work, God will work for you.” When we do good, noble deeds without selfish motive, then some of our problems are automatically solved.In all spiritual traditions, there is a strong emphasis on God’s grace. If we surrender to God, our problems are mysteriously solved; our karmic blocks are removed. Such surrender needs to be complete, without any second thought or doubt. If there are doubts or second thoughts, our energy and concentration get dissipated.Doubt can be of two types. (1) Creative doubt, which is coupled with shraddha, and demonstrates a true thirst for knowledge. (2) Skepticism– seekers who ask questions without any shraddha. Their mind is closed, they don’t derive any benefits from answers to their questions, and they keep asking the same questions again and again.The devotee needs to blend his own effort with God’s grace. Self-effort helps him reach a level of spiritual fitness to become graceworthy and recognize God’s grace as God’s grace, not an accident.The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna provides an analogy on combining self-effort with God’s grace. If a boat is tied to an anchor, the effort is needed to first untie it and row it to the middle of the river. Only then, it can use the power of the wind to move further.Saint Teresa of Avila provides an analogy on the need to remove all doubts when surrendering to God. Before irrigating a field, one needs to remove the weeds and make it ready for irrigation. Similarly, doubts should be removed and then the mind should be connected to the perennial waters of God’s grace.Sri Ramakrishna and Girish Chandra Ghosh’s story illustrates the importance of sincerity and integrity in self-surrender. Girish had high integrity but was an alcoholic and not ready to do even a single prayer every day. Sri Ramakrishna asked him to give him his power of attorney. Thereafter, it became impossible for Girish to touch alcohol.There is a contrasting example in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Pratap Chandra Hazra was a devotee who lacked sincerity. He worshipped in a bombastic manner and had a high opinion of his own spiritual attainment. As a result, he could not completely surrender to Sri Ramakrishna.According to Narada Bhakti Sutra, highest devotion means complete dedication to a higher ideal. When we pour oil, it has a natural, continuous flow. Similarly, the mind should flow to God, naturally and continuously.23rd verse: “Those who worship other gods with shraddha – not for highest enlightenment but for material prosperity – in reality, they are worshipping Me, although they are using the wrong method and are not aware of it.”To whichever god we pray, the prayer goes to Brahman. Fulfillment also comes from Brahman.There is a difference between a spiritual person and a religious person. A spiritual person is dedicated to a higher ideal without any selfish, worldly motive. A religious person may pray for material comforts, and he has more distance to travel before he becomes spiritual. Both are knocking at the same door, but depending on how they approach, they get different results. The spiritual person prays for contentment, devotion and welfare of humanity.25th verse: “The votaries of different deities, they reach those deities. The one whom you worship, you reach him.”Depending upon our own mental makeup, we evolve our own ideas of God. First stage in our evolution of concept of godhead was ancestor worship. The next stage was the worship of the divine power behind natural phenomena.At the primitive stage, we may give a human dimension to the transcendental reality. As we evolve further, we are not satisfied with that idea of God. We feel it cannot be the highest idea of God.According to the Bhagavata Purana, the highest devotee of God is one who sees the presence of God in everything, and the presence of everything in God. All lines of demarcation disappear for him. He sees all humanity as one spiritual family.23rd and 24th verses are about those devotees who have not reached the highest stage, but who are working towards reaching that stage.

Summary:9th chapter: verse 2222nd verse: “People who meditate on God as not separate, who worship Him in all beings, who are always engaged in that divine pursuit, who engage in noble, unselfish deeds – for such people, I carry what they lack, and preserve what they already have.”Lord Krishna makes a big promise in this verse. “If you do God’s work, God will work for you.” When we do good, noble deeds without selfish motives, then some of our problems are automatically solved. Sometimes we are not aware of this, and we think results are due to our own efforts.Suppose a person is traveling on a train. If he moves around on the train, he cannot reach the destination faster. He will reach the destination when the train reaches its destination. He is better off sitting quietly and letting the train driver do the work. This example illustrates the self-surrender attitude of a devotee of the highest type. He is an instrument in the hands of God – the higher power works through him.Devotees, who have not reached the highest level, need a combination of their own effort and God’s grace. They should reach a level of spiritual fitness to become graceworthy and recognize God’s grace as God’s grace, not an accident.Those who pray to God for material prosperity. They are also worshipping the same divine Lord, but not in its most sublime sense. There are four levels of spiritual seekers: (1) Those who are in distress and seek God’s help (2) Those who pray for material comforts (3) Those who are inquisitive to know what lies beyond empirical comforts (4) Those who have realized the highest spiritual truth. All these seekers are noble-hearted, as they are directing their minds to God instead of undesirable channels.Even though God answers prayers for material prosperity, he does not give what is harmful to the devotee. Along with granting desires, he grants higher wisdom to understand the harmful effects of material things and develop aversion towards them.Sri Ramakrishna and Girish Chandra Ghosh’s story illustrates how a teacher determines what is the right spiritual dosage for the student. Girish had high integrity but was an alcoholic and not ready to do even a single prayer every day. Sri Ramakrishna asked him to give him his power of attorney. Thereafter, it became impossible for Girish to touch alcohol.There are four stages of surrender. They are Sarupya, Samipya, Salokya and Sayujya. Sarupya means the worshipper assumes some similarity with the object of worship. Samipya means the devotee feels nearness to God. Salokya means that the devotee feels he is living on the same abode as the deity. Sayujya means merging in God – becoming one with Him.As a devotee evolves spiritually, mysteriously he gets assistance. His questions are no more questions. His problems are no more problems. Every problem becomes a means for his spiritual evolution.When a person, who has done spiritual practices in a previous life, deviates from that path, God will help put him back on the right path. In Vaishnava tradition, there is a verse, where God says: “The person whom I want to bless, I shall steal all his wealth, I shall ensure he is deserted by his friends and becomes isolated. If he still retains his faith, I shall elevate him to such a high position that he will be the envy of angels.”In the 6th chapter of Gita, Arjuna asks: “Suppose a sincere devotee fails to attain perfection. What happens to such a person?” In answer to Arjuna’s questions, Lord Krishna says that such a person will be born again with spiritual inheritance. Nothing will be lost. The spiritual disciplines and samskaras from a previous life – constitute the momentum that moves such a seeker forward.Unlike Ramana Maharshi, who looked at spiritual life from the highest level, Lord Krishna comes down to our level and teaches us spiritual life step by step. He does not teach Arjuna the highest philosophy in the beginning. Rather he asks him to be active first. Then he teaches him to do his duty with detachment.There is a difference between detachment and surrender. Detachment is a tool we can use in everyday life, where we look upon success and failure from the same equanimity of mind. Surrender is the natural state of a devotee of the highest type. It can also be practiced in everyday life by offering every action and its results to God.