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Chapter 12
SAGUNA AND NIRGUNA BHAKTI
60. The Saguna And The Nirguna Devotee
5. The Lord has been put exactly in the same predicament. Arjuna asks the Lord, “O Lord! One of the two devotees loves You madly. His mind is riveted on You. His eyes long to see You, his ears are eager to hear Your praise, his hands yearn to serve and worship You. The other one is self-reliant, he has controlled his senses and is ever-absorbed in working for the well-being of all. Engaged in selfless service of the society day and night, he does not even seem to remember You. He has realised oneness with the entire creation. Out of these two, whom do You love more?” The Lord has replied exactly like that mother. He says, ‘I love the former—the saguna bhakta—and the latter too is Mine.’ The Lord is clearly on the horns of a dilemma. He has somehow given a reply just for the sake of replying. 6. In fact, this is the truth. There is absolutely no difference between these two types of devotees. Both have equal merit. To compare the two is to transgress the limit of propriety. The question that Arjuna had asked in the Fifth Chapter about karma has been asked here about bhakti. In the Fifth Chapter, it has been told that man attains the state of akarma with the help of karma and vikarma and that the state of akarma appears in two forms. The yogi works ceaselessly, but does nothing inwardly; while the sannyasi sets the world in motion without doing anything outwardly. How to compare these two states? How to compare the two halves of the same sphere? They are completely identical. For the two states of akarma, two different terms have been used: yoga and sannyasa; but they have the same meaning. The question of choice between them has finally been clinched on the ground of relative easiness. 7.The question of choice between saguna and nirguna is similar. The saguna devotee serves the Lord through his organs, whereas the nirguna devotee thinks of the good of the whole world. The former appears absorbed in outward service, but his mind is absorbed in the contemplation of the Lord. The latter does not appear to be rendering any concrete service, but he is certainly rendering a great service from within. Which one of these two devotees is superior? These two types of devotees may appear outwardly different, but they are intrinsically one and the same. Both of them are dear to the Lord. But saguna bhakti is easier. The answer given here is similar to the one given in the Fifth Chapter. |
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