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Gita Lesson - 1707: Completing Bhakthi Yoga

Bhagavad Gita
Unit - 17
Lesson - 1707: On Completing Bhakthi Yoga
By Raja Subramaniyan

After enumerating the five stages in Bhakthi Yoga, Lord Krishna starts describing a Pious Person who has completed all the stages. The description of the qualities and mental status of such a person is given with following intentions.

1. This is the final chapter in the second part of Gita. Lord Krishna has started the teaching of Bhakthi Yoga in Chapter 7 and has now completed the teaching. Logically it is expected that the second part be concluded with the benefit of following the path of Bhakthi Yoga.

2. The description of the person who has reached the destination will serve as a motivation to others who wish to join the path of Bhakthi Yoga.

3. For those who are already following the path, it will be a prelude to what is in store for them.

4. This description serves as a scale to measure our personal growth in the path of Bhakthi Yoga.

5. One can put conscious effort to improve the personal score comparing the same with the ideal as described.

6. To clarify all misconceptions which are widely prevalent on the meaning of the destination 'merging with God'.

This description cannot be used to judge others. It is not possible to assess these qualities in others and come to a judgment whether they have reached the destination or not. The description is not about external activities. Although the actions of the Pious Person can give an indication of his mental qualities, one cannot conclude for sure. It is possible only to observe one's own mind and assess the additional effort required to reach the goal.

The description may appear to be highly ideal/ theoretical and not practicable. Depending on the stage one is, the task ahead might look very formidable. One should not lose heart and give up the pursuit to merge with God. The intention of Lord Krishna is to help us to reach the destination. One should have faith in his words and join the prescribed path of Bhakthi Yoga. Lord Krishna assures that everyone who has joined Bhakthi Yoga will reach the destination ultimately.

It should be noted that only very few people can reach this destination. It is very rare and requires enormous time and effort spreading over many lifetimes. Therefore, there is no point in developing a feeling of guilt, if we find ourselves at a very low level compared to the description provided by Lord Krishna. Everyone is equal in God's eyes and all that is required is to do our part sincerely and with devotion. Therefore, it is important that we join Bhakthi Yoga and it does not matter which stage of Bhakthi Yoga we are joining.

Our duty is to join the path of Bhakthi Yoga and follow the prescription given by Lord Krishna. He will take care of the rest and ensure that we reach the destination soon.

Description of Pious Person

The following qualities come to him without any additional effort. This is the natural outcome of completing all the five stages of Bhakthi Yoga. These qualities will be present at a lower degree for those who are traveling in the path of Bhakthi Yoga at the lower stages.

Example: Geography is known at varying levels among the students of various grades in the high school.

Similarly, the following qualities will vary in different degrees depending on the stages in Bhakthi Yoga.

Quality 1: Hates no one

A Pious Person does not hate anyone. This is possible because there are no desires in his mind. He is not trying to achieve anything in life. There are no goals since he has already reached the destination. Therefore, no one can be seen as a hurdle. Therefore, there is no hatred for anyone.

Supposing his wife elopes with his friend, he will hate neither his friend nor his wife. This is because he has no attachment to anyone.

He treats his ego as his shadow. If someone insults him, the insult is attributed to his ego and not to his real self. It is like someone stepping on his shadow. It does not matter to him and therefore he does not hate. Finally, he is aware that there is no one in the world existing for real. The whole creation is an illusion. It is not possible to hate a movie character.

Quality 2: Friendly to everyone

Since it is said that he does not have attachment to anyone/ anything, it does not mean he will run away from the society. He will love everyone and be friendly in all his dealings with others. This is possible for him due to following reasons.
1. He knows how to love without being attached.
2. He has no expectation from anyone
3. Everyone is accepted as they are without expecting any change in them.
4. He knows that the real nature of everyone is identical and is not distracted by the superficial differences.
5. He treats everyone equally and does not differentiate based on wealth, power, position or status.
6. He does not feel that he is superior to others because they are not different from him. They may not know who they are as he does and that does not make them any different from his point of view.
7. He does not get offended if others do not treat him as a friend.

He has his likes and dislikes. However, he will not seek anyone to be his friend because he does not need anyone. Since others may need friends, they may like to be his friends.

He will continue to be an extrovert or an introvert. His personality on this count will not change because he has reached the destination of merging with God.

Quality 3: Kindness to everyone

Since everyone who has not reached the destination is suffering or prone to suffering, he is will be kindhearted to everyone. He is aware that most of them are not yet qualified to reach the final destination. Therefore, he will be kind to all of them and help them to progress in their respective stages, at their own pace.

In fact, he will have additional kindness to all human beings because he knows that they do not even know that they are suffering. Even if they are under the assumption that they are enjoying life, they are actually being caught more tightly. Since the process of enjoying binds them to the objects of the world, they increase the potential for their suffering without being aware of it.

He would like to help anyone in distress. However, he will not have empathy with anyone. He will not take others suffering as his own.

He does not have any desire of his own to be in action. Therefore, the only motive for all his actions is his kindness to others.

Quality 4: Freedom from ownership

A Pious Person may own a house, car and such properties. However, he will not have the feeling of ownership. He does not feel, 'they are mine'. Freedom of ownership is in the level of mind. He is aware that nothing belongs to him.

If his property is stolen, he takes the required steps to retrieve it. However, he does not have any hatred for the thief, sorrow of losing, anxiety for regaining or worry of the consequences since he has renounced the mental ownership.

His own body/ mind complex is considered as a gift from God. He is aware that all his possessions belong to God and he is using them as a trustee. He does not depend on any of his possessions (including his body/mind complex) for his happiness.

As a natural extension, he does not think even his family members belong to him. He is aware that his newborn child is an individual who has chosen to arrive in this world through him after many cycles of birth and death. Therefore, he treats the child as his guest.

Quality 5: Absence of ego

This is nothing to do with the egoistic attitude that is normally attributed to those who behave arrogantly with a sense of pride.

A Pious Person may appear to be arrogant or proud. For example, he may not visit temples to offer his prayers (since he has already merged with God) and others might assume that he is arrogant.

The ego referred here means the assumed meaning of the word 'I'.

He no longer thinks the meaning of the word, 'I', to mean his body/mind complex. He is aware of his true nature. He uses ego and he is no more the ego. Those who have not reached the destination are under the assumption they are their ego. They think that they are independent of the world.

Quality 6: Lives with equanimity

A Pious Person treats the pairs of opposites offered by the world appropriately. Even after reaching the final destination, he will still be controlled by his past impressions. The experience gained from the world will continue to oscillate between Gain and Loss, Pleasure and Pain, Prosperity and Poverty, Fame and Blame, Honor or Dishonor, Love and Hate, Victory and Defeat, War and Peace, Health and Ill health, as it happens for all others. All others will be affected by these experiences and their mind will oscillate between happiness and sorrow. However, a Pious Person will remain neutral all the time. He will not be elated at the arrival of a pleasant experience nor will be upset at the unpleasant experience.

Quality 7: Has patience and forgiveness

He is aware that everything that happens is the will of God. He has no expectation on the outcome of his actions. Therefore, whatever happens in his life (or does not happen) he remains unaffected. He does not wait for anything. He has nothing to achieve. Therefore, he will be the hallmark of patience.

He will not have any enemies. Even if others treat him as if he is an enemy, he will not be affected by their behavior. If someone spits on his face, he will forgive instantly. He is aware that not everyone has enough intelligence to understand him. He is also aware that people hurt him or behave rudely because they do not have enough strength to be nice. They are bound by their accumulated preferences/knowledge and therefore they cannot but behave in the undesirable way. If he has to face hardships due to them, he knows that the real cause is his own impressions and therefore will not have any reason to blame anyone else.

He will try to avoid unpleasant situations. However, if others cause him suffering which could not be avoided, he will be patient. He will forgive them for their actions.

Example: Jesus Christ said, "Oh Lord, please forgive them. They do not know what they are doing" referring to those who put him on the cross.

Quality 8: Sense of fulfillment

He has complete contentment in life. He will always have more than enough of everything. He does not lack anything nor long to achieve anything in life. He is quite happy with all his relationships, possessions, knowledge, attitude and emotions. He does not wish to augment or reduce them.

He does not even require or expect recognition from others. This is because of his understanding that others cannot understand him prior to reaching the destination in the path of Bhakthi Yoga. To become a Pious Person is very rare and majority is still traveling at the lower stages of Bhakthi Yoga. Therefore, he cannot expect everyone around him to recognize his achievement of reaching the destination.

He has no ambition in life. He has reached the destination and there is nothing more to achieve. He has no sense of inadequacy or insecurity.

He is aware of the inherent nature of insufficiency of the material pursuit. It is impossible for anyone in the world to have enough of something. There will always be a possibility of gaining little more. This futility of the prosperity is fully understood by him.

Further, he is aware all the experiences are within the realm of illusion and therefore will always be inadequate. Since he is aware of his real nature of blissfulness, he does not associate himself with the illusion and feel insecure or inadequate.

The feeling of inadequacy pushes the people towards Bhakthi Yoga. People try to get fulfillment in their material pursuit. Those who are intelligent among them realize that they are chasing a mirage. They will turn towards Bhakthi Yoga for their fulfillment. Once they reach the destination, they will be fully contented.

Quality 9: Ability to use the mind as a tool

Prior to merging with God, the mind assumed itself as a doer. On reaching the destination, the mind is understood to be a tool. A Pious Person knows that the mind does not deserve the higher status of 'doer' and uses it as a tool to deal with life.

By definition, mind is attracted by the objects of the world. The knowledge that there is no happiness in the world restrains it from chasing the mirage. The Pious Person has gained enough control over the mind to use it as an efficient tool since he is aware of the true nature of the world.

Example: While riding a horse the rider should have enough control over the horse. Only then, the horse can be used to go to the desired destination. Else, one will be carried by the horse, according to its wishes.

Similarly, if we do not have enough control over the mind, it will be pulling us towards the objects of the world. We might be lead to what is attractive which may not be good. A Pious Person is free from desires. His mind will continue to experience the world but such experiences do not give rise to desires.

Problems of the mind continue to remain as the problems of the mind. They are not owned up as the problems of the self by the Pious Person.

Quality 10: Control over expression of negative preferences

Preferences are accumulated over many previous births. Preferences filter our vision and instead of seeing the world with neutral eyes, we see them through colored vision of likes and dislikes.

A Pious Person is an exception to this rule. Although he may also continue to have his preferences, they are under his control.

The likes and dislikes, which are the result of accumulated preferences, will continue to prompt him with suggestions. However, such likes and dislikes, will not force him to act in an undesirable manner. While others remain mute spectator to their own actions driven by their preferences, he will act strictly according to his intelligence. This will suppress the expression of any negative preferences in him.

Quality 11: Gained the conviction on the reality

The Pious Person knows the true meaning for the words, 'I' and 'God'. He also has conviction about the true nature of the world. He has acquired the doubtless knowledge that the world is the lower nature of God, which is an illusion. The higher nature of God is Brahman, which is the only reality. By crossing all the five stages of Bhakthi Yoga, he has merged himself with God.

His love for God is complete. Only those who have crossed all the stages of Bhakthi Yoga can love God as he does. It is declared in the Vedanta that everyone primarily loves only the self and it is not possible to love anyone else. Since the Pious Person knows that the true identity of God and him are same, he alone can love God completely.

Quality 12: Surrendered his mind and body to God

He knows that his body/mind complex belongs to the lower nature of God, namely the Illusion. Therefore, he will surrender his body/ mind complex to God willingly. This means he will not be worried about the aging, ill health, disease or other deterioration of the body, including death. Similarly, he will accept the mood swings of his mind as its nature. Even if the mind is affected by the events of the world, he does not care about it. According to him since he has already surrendered his body/ mind complex to God, he uses them as a trustee.

Example: When the wall of the house develops a crack, the tenant will not be worried about it. He knows that he can always move out and take another house on rent.

Similarly, a Pious Person knows that his body/ mind complex is a temporary vehicle given to him to transact with this world. If they become unusable, he can always move out. Therefore, there is no cause for concern to him.

Quality 13: No Suffering

He is not affected by the presence of the world. Since he is aware that the world is illusion, he interacts with it as if he is acting in a drama. For him, everyone that he meets is a character in the play of life. Thus, he knows that life is an entertainment for all concerned. However, other than the Pious Person, no one will know that the life is a drama and therefore get affected by the experiences.

There is no reason for him to scare or hurt anyone. He will be conscious of not scaring any living being. He is aware since the world is a reality to others, his transactions with others will always be non-violent. He will ensure that his actions do not hurt anyone.

He will not cause any suffering to his own body and mind as well. He will never have any guilty feeling. Even if he unintentionally caused misery to others, he will not feel bad about it. He will not have any negative feelings and therefore his mind will be free from any suffering.

At the physical body level, he will keep it in a good condition. One will be careful and maintain the car well, even if it is a rented car. Similarly, the Pious Person will not allow his body to suffer in any way. He does not have any ego to prevent him from begging for food, cloth or shelter to protect and feed his body.

Quality 14: Free from elation, jealousy, fear, upset

A Pious Person does not expect any happiness from any object of the world. A stroke of luck or pleasant news has no special meaning to him. He will accept whatever comes in his way. If any good thing comes, he will be happy and even if it does not come, he will be equally happy.

He will not have any jealous feeling about anyone's progress. A Pious Person has reached a stage that can never be overtaken by anyone. He has crossed all the five stages of Bhakthi and reached the peak. This is the highest point anyone can dream to achieve. After reaching that position, whatever progress made by others will not appear to be great. It is like looking down at the climbers from the top of a mountain.

At the same time, the Pious Person will tolerate the imperfection and limitations of others. He does not allow or acknowledge such limitation or imperfection as a positive factor but he accepts them in his mind because he is aware it is impossible for others to be perfect. He has reached the perfection and everyone is trying to come there knowingly or unknowingly.

He does not have any fear from anyone or anything in the world. He does not fear death or fear for suffering. He has no anxiety about the future. The life is in the hands of God and the Pious Person knows that God will do his job well. He will function as His tool. Therefore, there is no anxiety in him.

No one can upset him. He is aware that there is nothing permanent in the world except change. He knows everything will be changing and it is not necessary that all the changes are conducive or positive. Therefore, he accepts all changes without getting upset about anything.

It is not possible for anyone to upset him or irritate him. He understands that everyone is behaving in line with his or her accumulated preferences and knowledge. It is like dealing with machines. It is not possible to develop hatred towards a robot.

Quality 15: Independent

A Pious Person is free and independent. He does not depend on the world for peace, security and happiness. His body and mind complex is part of the world and therefore it is impossible for it to be independent. He will continue to depend on the world for food, shelter, living etc. It is not possible for anyone to do anything without depending on others. However, most people depend on others for their peace, security and happiness. A Pious Person does not depend on the world for these.

He does not even need recognition from others. Even if the whole world does not understand him, he will not be upset. This is so because that he is aware that he is living in a different plane after merging with the God. Others cannot comprehend this fact.

Quality 16: Maintains purity

The universe is a work of perfection. It functions in a systematic way. As a part of the creation, a Pious Person keeps his environment orderly and clean. He maintains both external and internal purity without any additional effort.

Since the Pious Person has the ability to control his mind and make it as a tool to serve under his intelligence, he can direct it to maintain orderliness. For others, they may want to be systematic, orderly and maintain purity in their lives. However, they may not be able to achieve such goals because their mind is not under the complete control of their intelligence.

Quality 17: Highly capable, alert in completing unselfish tasks

A Pious Person is sufficiently trained to be highly capable while pursuing the path of Bhakthi Yoga. His dedication to a chosen task is fully tested and when he completes the path, he becomes a symbol of perfection.

Example: In an army training school, the candidates are trained rigorously. When they successfully complete the course, alertness and the readiness to perform will be a natural part of them.

Similarly, a Pious Person is rigorously trained in the path of Bhakthi Yoga and he will be highly capable and alert in completing all the tasks that come in his way.

Quality 18: Non Aligned

A Pious Person does not take sides except that he functions in line with Dharma.

Example: A young parent will attempt to resolve the conflict between his children without taking anyone's side.

Similarly, a Pious Person behaves impartially towards all the living beings. He cannot be partial to anyone because he does not have any attachment.

Quality 19: Free from depression, mental pressure, feeling of guilt

Prior to reaching the destination of Bhakthi Yoga, one feels oneness with the mind. People claim, 'I am depressed'. A pious person treats his mind as his tool. Afflictions to his mind do not affect him. Therefore, he is never depressed or under mental pressure.

It is quite possible for him to make mistake of judgment or take a wrong decision. Such actions do not cause a feeling of guilt in him. He functions as an extension of God. He sees that all his actions as that of God. Therefore, he does not feel that the mistakes and errors in judgment are his responsibility.

He does not take credit for the positive outcome as well. Everything belongs to God.

Quality 20: No long-term project

The Pious Person will not plan his future. All his actions will be motivated towards helping others. This does not mean that he will plan to build a global organization for eradicating poverty. He is aware that the world will always remain as a mixture of positive and negative aspects. It is not possible to make a perfect world.

Therefore, he will do those tasks that come by his way. He will not have his own agenda how he can make the world a better place to live. He will not take any initiative and plan any long-term project that stretches beyond a day.

However, he may support such efforts of others. He may even offer his suggestions in conceiving and planning a long-term project for others.

Teaching 118: The Pious Person enjoys life with twenty qualities

Chapter 12: Liberation through Bhakthi Yoga [Verses: 13 - 20]

12.13-14 One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied is very dear to Me.

12.15 He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me.

12.16 A devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and who does not strive for some result, is very dear to Me.

12.17 One who neither grasps pleasure or grief, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things, is very dear to Me.

12.18-19 One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoise in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and engaged in any activities, is very dear to Me.

12.20 He who follows this imperishable path and who completely engages himself with faith, making Me the supreme goal, is very, very dear to Me.

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