Having described the lofty state of a yogi in the last verse of the preceding chapter,
the Lord how naturally proceeds to sing the glory of bhakti (devotion).
For the yogi in terms of the Gita is neither a dry-as-dust man of knowledge, nor
a devotee carried away by his own enthusiasm, but a selfless performer of action
imbued with the spirit of wisdom as well as devotion. So the Lord said, 'As you
are free from hatred, I shall now tell you the secret of wisdom, a knowledge of
which will contribute to your welfare. This is the holy knowledge above all
other and is easy to translate into action. Those who have no faith in it fail
to find Me. Men cannot perceive My unmanifested form by their senses, yet it
pervades the universe. It supports the universe; the universe does not support
it. Again in a sense it may be said that all these beings are not in Me and I am
not in them. Although I am the source of all beings and their sustainer, they
are not in Me and I am not in them; for in ignorance they do not know Me and are
not devoted to Me. Know this to be my divine mystery.
'But though it seems as if I am not in these beings, I am like the air moving
everywhere. All creatures pass into My nature at the end of a cycle and are
reborn at the beginning of creation. These acts are Mine, but they do not bind
Me, for I act in a spirit of detachment and am indifferent as to the fruit they
bear. These events happen as such is My nature. But people do not recognize Me
in such a guise and deny My existence altogether. They entertain vain
aspirations, perform vain actions and are full of ignorance, so that they can be
said to partake of the nature of demons. But those who abide in the divine
nature know and worship Me as the imperishable creator. They are firm in their
determination. They are always striving for virtue, praising Me, and meditating
on Me. Others again believe Me to be one or to be many. There are countless
attributes of Me; therefore those who believe Me to be many think of different
attributes as so many different faces of Mine. But one and all, they are My
devotees.
'I am the intention to offer a sacrifice, I the sacrifice itself, I the offering made to
the spirits of the fathers, I the herb, I the sacred verse (mantra), I
the oblation, I the fire to which it is offered. I am the father of this world,
I the mother, the supporter and the grandsire, the object of knowledge, the
syllable Om, 1Rigveda, 1Samaveda and 1Yajurveda.
I am the end of the pilgrim's path, the sustainer, the lord, the witness. I am
the shelter, the lover, the origin, the dissolution, heat and cold, being and
nonbeing. Those who perform the rites mentioned in the Vedas do so in order to
gain their fruit. They may thus attain the world of heaven, but they have to
return to the world of mortals and to die. But if a man meditates upon Me with
an undistracted mind and worships Me alone, I bear all his burdens, supply all
his needs and protect his possessions. Some others who worship other deities
with faith in their hearts are victims of ignorance, but they are really
worshipping Me for I. am the lord of all sacrifices. However they do not know Me
in My comprehensive nature and therefore are unable to reach the supreme state.
Worshippers of the gods go to the world of the gods, the ancestor worshippers to
the world of the fathers and those who worship the spirits go to the spirits,
while those who worship Me with the right approach come to Me. I accept the
offering of love made by seekers, even if it be only a leaf or a flower.
Therefore whatever you do, do it only as an offering to Me, so that your responsibility
for the good and evil results will cease altogether. As you will have renounced
all the fruits of action, there will be no more births and deaths for you. I am
the same to all beings, none is hateful or dear to Me. But those who worship Me
with devotion are in Me, and I am in them. This is not partiality but only the
natural consequence of their devotion. Devotion indeed works wonders. He who
worships Me in utter devotion becomes a saint even if he has been a sinner. As
darkness vanishes before the sun, a man abandons his evil ways as soon as he
comes to Me. Therefore know for certain that My devotee shall not perish. He
becomes a man of religion and enters into My peace. Those who are born in the
so-called lower castes and illiterate women, 2vaishyas and 2shudras
who take refuge in Me come to Me. It goes without saying, that so do Brahmins
and Kshatriyas who lead a holy life. Every devotee enjoys the fruit of his
devotion. Therefore you who have been born in this unsubstantial world should
worship Me and work out your salvation. Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me,
offer your sacrifices for My sake, prostrate yourself before Me. And if you are
intent on Me and reduce yourself to zero by attuning yourself to Me, you are
sure to come to Me.'
Note: We learn from this chapter that devotion (bhakti) means attachment (asakti)
to God. This is the royal road to the cultivation of a selfless spirit.
Therefore we are told at the very beginning that devotion is the sovereign yoga
and is easy to practise. It is easy to practise if it takes hold of our heart,
but hard going if it does not. Hence it has been described as something for
which we have to offer our life itself as the price. But he who has plunged into
it enjoys perfect bliss though it scares the mere spectator. Sudhanva was
laughing as he lay in the boiling oil while the bystanders were seized with
terror and anxiety. The 'untouchable' Nanda is said to have danced as he was
tried by the ordeal of fire. We need not bother whether or not these are true
stories. But the fact is that a man reaches such a state of calmness and
imperturbability when he is absorbed in something or other. He forgets himself.
But who would set his heart on anything except God? 'Do not prefer the bitter
nimba to sugar-cane or the glowworm to the sun and the moon.' The ninth chapter
thus shows that renunciation of the fruit of action is impossible without
devotion (bhakti). Its last verse sums up the whole chapter and in a word
means, 'Seeking nothing, give yourself utterly to Me.'