In a previous post, I examined Śrī Viśvanātha’s commentary on verses 12.8-12.10. There, we saw that verses 12.8-12.10 describe a hierarchy of sādhana as follows:
smaraṇa (remembrance) and manana (contemplation) according to śāstric methods of dhyāna (12.8) >> abhyāsa, consisting of repeatedly bringing the mind back to Bhagavān’s form, for one unable to perform smaraṇa (12.9) >> external acts of bhakti such as hearing, singing, glorifying, worship and service (12.10)
Here, I will translate Śrī Viśvanātha’s commentaries on the remaining two verses.
Verse 12.11
As we saw in the previous post, verses 12.9, 10 and 11 provide alternatives sequentially. That is, if Arjuna cannot perform the sādhana of verse 12.8, Śrī Kṛṣṇa provides simpler alternatives in 12.9. 12.10 is a simpler alternative for 12.9. All three verses recommend bhakti in some form or the other. However, in 12.11, Śrī Kṛṣṇa recommends karma yoga —
athaitad apy aśakto’si kartuṁ mad-yogam āśritaḥ | sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān ||
But if you cannot do even this, then taking shelter of My yoga and being self-controlled, offer the fruits of all your actions to Me.
Karma yoga is a sort of concession for those who do not have the requisite adhikāra for bhakti, which is śraddhā. Śrī Viśvanātha’s commentary is particularly illuminating and I will go through it line by line —
viśvanāthaḥ : etad api kartum aśaktaś cet tarhi mad-yogam āśrito mayi sarva-karma-samarpaṇam | mad-yogas tam āśritaḥ san sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ prathama-ṣaṭkoktaṁ kuru |
If you are unable to do even this, then taking shelter of My yoga, [which consists of] offering all actions to Me, give up the results of all actions as described in the first six chapters of the Bhagavad-Gītā.
A remarkable and comforting feature of Śrī Viśvanātha’s commentary on the Gītā is that it is unerringly consistent. He has a complete picture of the Gītā in mind, and he regularly refers back to different portions of the Gītā in order to explain the continuity of thought or the logic of the Gītā. We see this in his commentary above.
This, I might add, is the actual sign of a true master – the internal consistency across commentaries. Indeed, his writings are consistent throughout all his works – whether we take his commentaries on the Bhāgavatam, which is an enormous work, or his commentaries on the Gītā or really any other works.
He now explains why he considers verse 12.11 as a recommendation for the sādhana explained in the first six chapters of the Bhagavad Gītā —
ayam arthaḥ—prathama-ṣaṭke bhagavad-arpita-niṣkāma-karma-yoga eva mokṣopāya uktaḥ |
The overall sense is as follows. In the first six chapters, the sādhana for mokṣa (liberation) was described as niṣkāma karma yoga offered to Bhagavān.
This shows that, in Śrī Viśvanātha’s view, niṣkāma karma yoga described in the first few chapters of the Gītā is not a means to attain bhakti, as is argued by many modern Gauḍīyas. It is a means for liberation.
Now he explains that the second group of six chapters teach bhakti yoga as the means for attaining Bhagavān (not mokṣa) —
dvitīya-ṣaṭke’smin bhakti-yoga eva bhagavat-prāpty-upāya uktaḥ | sa ca bhakti-yogo dvividhaḥ— bhagavan-niṣṭho’ntaḥ-karaṇa-vyāpāro, bahiṣkaraṇa-vyāpāraś ca |
In this second group of six chapters, the means to attain Bhagavān is stated to be bhakti yoga alone. And this bhakti yoga is of two types — the activities of the antaḥ-karaṇa (manas, buddhi, citta and ahaṅkāra) and of the external senses.
This shows that verses 12.8-12.10 are, in fact, a sort of summary of chapters 7 to 12. He continues:
tatra prathamas trividhaḥ— smaraṇātmako, mananātmakaś cākhaṇḍa-smaraṇāsāmarthye tad-anurāgināṁ tad-abhyāsa-rūpaṁ ceti trika evāyaṁ manda-dhiyāṁ durgamaḥ | sudhiyāṁ niraparādhānāṁ tu sugama eva |
Of these, the first type (i.e. bhakti done by the mind etc.) is of three types: of the nature of smaraṇa, manana, and when there is a lack of capacity for unbroken smaraṇa which is present in those attached [to these two types of bhakti], of the nature of abhyāsa. These three types of bhakti are difficult for the dull-minded. But they are simple for those who have good intelligence and are free from aparādha.
Those who are free from aparādha, and have a sound intellect, can do smaraṇa, manana or abhyāsa of smaraṇa. But this is not for everybody, obviously. Śrī Viśvanātha writes:
dvitīyaḥ śravaṇa-kīrtanātmakaṁ tu sarveṣāṁ sugama evopāyaḥ | evam ubhayopāya-vanto’dhikāriṇaḥ sarvataḥ prakṛṣṭā dvitīya-ṣaṭke’sminn uktāḥ |
The second type of bhakti is of the nature of śravaṇa and kīrtana, which is a simple method for everyone. The adhikāris (i.e. those who are qualified) for these two types of methods are superior in every respect. They have been described in this group of six chapters [i.e. from chapters 7-12].
It is interesting to note here that Śrī Viśvanātha lists śravaṇa and kīrtana below smaraṇa, manana and abhyāsa. Of course, śravaṇa is a pre-requisite even for smaraṇa and manana.
etat-kṛtya-asamarthā indriyāṇāṁ bhagavan-niṣṭhīkṛtāv aśraddhālavaś ca bhagavad-arpita-niṣkāma-karmiṇaḥ prathama-ṣaṭkotādhikāriṇo’smān nikṛṣṭā eveti ||11||
The adhikāris for [the method of ] niṣkāma-karma offered to Bhagavān, spoken of in the first group of six chapters, are inferior [being] incapable of performing these methods [of smaraṇa, manana or abhyāsa], and lacking sraddhā in [methods of fixing] the senses on Bhagavān [such as śravaṇa and kīrtana].
Thus, the adhikāris for the karma-yoga taught in the first six chapters are those who are unable to perform smaraṇa, manana, and abhyāsa, and who lack śraddhā in external forms of bhakti such as śravaṇa and kīrtana.
I will cover the final verse (12.12) in the final article of this series.
Summary
The hierarchy for bhakti in verses 12.8-12.11 is as follows
smaraṇa and manana (12.8) >> abhyāsa, consisting of repeatedly bringing the mind back to Bhagavān’s form, for one unable to perform direct smaraṇa (12.9) >> external acts of bhakti such as śravaṇa, kīrtana, vandana, arcana and service (12.10)
Niṣkāma karma yoga, described in the first six chapters of the Bhagavad-Gītā, is for those who desire mokṣa. These sādhakas lack the ability to perform smaraṇa, manana or abhyāsa, and do not have faith in śravaṇa and kīrtana.
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