Bhakti is supreme. The devotee who is friendly to all, free from possessiveness, even-minded in pleasure and pain, content, self-restrained, firm in resolve — that one is dear to me.
अर्जुन उवाच । एवं सततयुक्ता ये भक्तास्त्वां पर्युपासते । ये चाप्यक्षरमव्यक्तं तेषां के योगवित्तमाः ॥
arjuna uvāca | evaṃ satata-yuktā ye bhaktās-tvāṃ paryupāsate | ye cāpy-akṣaram-avyaktaṃ teṣāṃ ke yoga-vit-tamāḥ ||
Arjuna said: Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus worship you — and those who worship the Imperishable, the Unmanifest — which of these are the best knowers of yoga?
श्रीभगवानुवाच । मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते । श्रद्धया परयोपेतास्ते मे युक्ततमा मताः ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca | mayy-āveśya mano ye māṃ nitya-yuktā upāsate | śraddhayā parayopetās-te me yukta-tamā matāḥ ||
The Blessed Lord said: Those who fix their mind on me and, ever-united, worship me with supreme faith — I consider them most united.
ये त्वक्षरमनिर्देश्यमव्यक्तं पर्युपासते । सर्वत्रगमचिन्त्यं च कूटस्थमचलं ध्रुवम् ॥
ye tv-akṣaram-anirdeśyam-avyaktaṃ paryupāsate | sarvatra-gam-acintyaṃ ca kūṭa-stham-acalaṃ dhruvam ||
But those who worship the Imperishable, the Indefinable, the Unmanifest, the all-pervading, the inconceivable, the unchanging, the immovable, the eternal—
सन्नियम्येन्द्रियग्रामं सर्वत्र समबुद्धयः । ते प्राप्नुवन्ति मामेव सर्वभूतहिते रताः ॥
sanniyamyendriya-grāmaṃ sarvatra sama-buddhayaḥ | te prāpnuvanti mām-eva sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ ||
— restraining the host of senses, even-minded everywhere, delighting in the welfare of all beings — they too reach me.
क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् । अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ॥
kleśo’dhika-taras-teṣām-avyaktāsakta-cetasām | avyaktā hi gatir-duḥkhaṃ dehavadbhir-avāpyate ||
Greater is the difficulty for those whose minds are set on the unmanifest, for the way of the unmanifest is hard to attain by embodied beings.
ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्पराः । अनन्येनैव योगेन मां ध्यायन्त उपासते ॥
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi saṃnyasya mat-parāḥ | ananyenaiva yogena māṃ dhyāyanta upāsate ||
But those who renounce all actions in me, intent on me, worship me, meditating on me with single-pointed yoga—
तेषामहं समुद्धर्ता मृत्युसंसारसागरात् । भवामि नचिरात्पार्थ मय्यावेशितचेतसाम् ॥
teṣām-ahaṃ samuddhartā mṛtyu-saṃsāra-sāgarāt | bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha mayy-āveśita-cetasām ||
— for those whose minds are fixed on me, I quickly become the rescuer from the ocean of mortal samsara, O Partha.
मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय । निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ॥
mayy-eva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṃ niveśaya | nivasiṣyasi mayy-eva ata ūrdhvaṃ na saṃśayaḥ ||
Fix your mind on me alone, place your intellect in me. Henceforth you shall dwell in me alone. Of this there is no doubt.
अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम् । अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय ॥
atha cittaṃ samādhātuṃ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram | abhyāsa-yogena tato mām-icchāptuṃ dhanañjaya ||
If you cannot fix your mind steadily on me, then seek to attain me by the yoga of practice, O Dhananjaya.
अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव । मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ॥
abhyāse’py-asamartho’si mat-karma-paramo bhava | mad-artham-api karmāṇi kurvan-siddhim-avāpsyasi ||
If you are unable even to practise, then be devoted to my work. Doing actions for my sake, you shall attain perfection.
अथैतदप्यशक्तोऽसि कर्तुं मद्योगमाश्रितः । सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं ततः कुरु यतात्मवान् ॥
athaitad-apy-aśakto’si kartuṃ mad-yogam-āśritaḥ | sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṃ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān ||
If even this you are unable to do, then taking refuge in my yoga, with self-control, abandon the fruit of all action.
श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते । ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् ॥
śreyo hi jñānam-abhyāsāj-jñānād-dhyānaṃ viśiṣyate | dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas-tyāgāc-chāntir-anantaram ||
Better than mere practice is knowledge; better than knowledge is meditation; better than meditation is the renunciation of the fruits of action. From such renunciation peace immediately follows.
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च । निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥
adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca | nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣamī ||
Without enmity to any being, friendly and compassionate, free from "mine," free from ego, equal in joy and sorrow, forgiving—
सन्तुष्टः सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चयः । मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥
santuṣṭaḥ satataṃ yogī yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ | mayy-arpita-mano-buddhir-yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||
— ever content, the yogi of controlled self, firm in resolve, with mind and intellect surrendered to me — that devotee is dear to me.
यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः । हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥
yasmān-nodvijate loko lokān-nodvijate ca yaḥ | harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair-mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ ||
One whom the world does not agitate and who does not agitate the world; free from joy, anger, fear, and anxiety — he is dear to me.
अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः । सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥
anapekṣaḥ śucir-dakṣa udāsīno gata-vyathaḥ | sarvārambha-parityāgī yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||
Free from longing, pure, capable, impartial, untroubled, renouncing all undertakings — such a devotee of mine 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 | śubhāśubha-parityāgī bhaktimān yaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||
One who neither rejoices nor hates, neither grieves nor desires, renouncing both good and evil — that one full of devotion is dear to me.
समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः । शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु समः सङ्गविवर्जितः ॥
samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ | śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu samaḥ saṅga-vivarjitaḥ ||
Equal to enemy and friend, equal in honour and dishonour; equal in cold and heat, pleasure and pain; free from attachment—
तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् । अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः ॥
tulya-nindā-stutir-maunī santuṣṭo yena kenacit | aniketaḥ sthira-matir-bhaktimān me priyo naraḥ ||
— alike in blame and praise, silent, content with anything, without a fixed home, of steady mind — that devout person is dear to me.
ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते । श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः ॥
ye tu dharmyāmṛtam-idaṃ yathoktaṃ paryupāsate | śraddadhānā mat-paramā bhaktās-te’tīva me priyāḥ ||
But those who follow this dharma of immortality as I have declared, with faith and holding me as the supreme — those devotees are exceedingly dear to me.