11. avajananti mam
manusim tandem asritam
param bhavam ajãnanto
mama bhutamahesvaram
(11) The deluded despise Me clad in human body, not knowing My higher nature as Lord of all existences
We see only the outward human body and not the Divine in it. We see the outer appearance, not the inner reality. To recognize God in His earthly disguise means effort. Unless we turn our entire existence towards the Eternal, transcending the limits of phenomenal nature and recover the greater consciousness by which we can live in the Divine, we will be a prey to finite fascinations.
Image worship is to be used as a means to the Divine; other-wise it is faulty. In the Bhagavata the Lord is represented as saying "I am present in all beings as their soul but disregarding My presence, the mortal makes a display of image worship.[1]
12. moghasa moghakarmano
moghajnana vicetasah
raksasim asurim cat
'va prakrtith mohinim sritah
(12) Partaking of the deceptive nature of fiends and demons, their aspirations are vain, their actions vain and their knowledge vain and they are devoid of judgment.
raksasim: fiendish; those who are dominated by tamas and who indulge in acts of cruelty.
asurim: demoniac ; those dominated by rajas and qualities of ambition, greed and the like. Sridhara.
They cling to the world of transient forms and are victims of the deceitful nature (mohini prakrti) and disregard the under-lying Reality.
13. mahatinanas tu mam partha
daivim prakrtim asritah
bhajanty ananyamanaso
jnatva bhuadim avyayam
(13) The great-souled, 0 Partha (Arjuna), who abide in the divine nature, knowing (me as) the imperishable source of all beings, worship Me with an undistracted mind
Deceitful nature, mohini prakrti is contrasted with Divine nature, daivi prakrti. If we are of the demoniac nature, we live
in our separate ego consciousness, and make that the centre of our activities, and get lost in the fruitless cycle of samsara and miss our true destiny On the other hand, if we are of a divine nature, we open out to our true self-awareness, our whole nature is turned towards the Divine and our whole life becomes a continuous adoration of the Supreme. The endeavour to possess the Divine in knowledge and realize It in life succeeds and we act in a dedicated spirit
14. satatam kirtavanto mam
yatantas ca drdhavratah
narnasyanta ca mam bhaktya
nityayukki upasate
(14) Always glorifying Me, strenuous and steadfast in vows, bowing down to Me with devotion, they worship Me, ever disciplined
jnatva (s3) bhaktya . . . nityayuktah. These words indicate how the highest perfection is a combination of knowledge, devotion and work.
