Śrī Viśvanātha explains verses 12.8-12.12 of the Bhagavad Gītā, Part III

In two previous articles (here and here), I examined verses 12.8-12.11 from the Bhagavad-Gītā. There, we saw that these verses outline the following hierarchy —

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)

In this article, I examine the final verse 12.12 which goes as follows (I include Babaji’s translation) —

śreyo hi jñānam abhyāsāj jñānād dhyānaṁ viśiṣyate
dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas tyāgāc chāntir anantaram

Mindfulness of Me is certainly better than practice [devoid of such awareness], and meditation is better than mindfulness, because through meditation, renunciation of the fruits of action occurs automatically, and thereafter by renunciation of the desire for fruits one attains peace.

Now, this verse is particularly cryptic, because it seems to act as a summary or conclusion for verses 12.8-12.11, yet we see no obvious relation with the smaraṇa, manana, abhyāsa or śravaṇa/kīrtana explained there. Further still, it appears as if 12.12 is stating the renunciation of the results of action as the main result which leads to ‘peace’. What constitutes peace here is not clear.

Of course, we are fortunate to have access to Śrī Viśvanātha’s commentary on the verse which makes everything clear. He writes —

viśvanāthaḥ : athoktānāṁ smaraṇa-mananābhyāsānāṁ yathā-pūrvaṁ śraiṣṭhyaṁ spaṣṭīkṛtyāha śreyo hīti |

Now, this verse makes clear the superiority of the preceding [means] among smaraṇa, manana and so on which have been previously mentioned.

Not only is 12.12 not confusing, it actually makes the hierarchy in verses 12.8-12.11 crystal clear. Here is how:

abhyāsāj jñānaṁ mayi buddhiṁ niveśayety uktaṁ man-mananaṁ śreyaḥ śreṣṭham |

Manana, contemplation, on Me, which was stated in “mayi buddhim niveśaya”, “let your intelligence be absorbed in Me”, is superior (śreyaḥ) to abhyāsa, practice.

Here we see that Śrī Viśvanātha glosses jñānam in the verse as mananam. This one gloss brilliantly unravels the apparently confusing nature of the verse and makes its meaning plain. He now provides a reason why manana is superior to abhyāsa, which also naturally supports the conclusion that dhyānam i.e. smaraṇam is superior to jñānam:

abhyāse saty āyāsata eva dhyānaṁ syāt | manane sati tv anāyāsata eva dhyānam iti viśeṣāt tasmāt jñānād api dhyānaṁ viśiṣyate śreṣṭham ity arthaḥ |

In the case of practice [being one’s method], dhyānam occurs [i.e. one attains it] only by effort [while] in the case of manana [contemplation], dhyānam occurs without effort. Because of this distinction, meditation is superior even to that knowledge.

The meaning is that manana is superior to abhyāsa because manana leads to dhyāna without much effort. By extension then, dhyāna is superior to manana.

kuta ity ata āha— dhyānāt karma-phalānāṁ svargādi-sukhānāṁ niṣkāma-karma-phalasya mokṣasya ca tyāgas tat-spṛhā-rāhityaṁ syāt | svataḥ prāptasyāpi tasyopekṣā | niścala-dhyānāt pūrvaṁ tu bhaktānām ajāta-ratīnāṁ mokṣa-tyāgecchaiva bhavet | niścala-dhyānavatāṁ tu mokṣopekṣā | saiva mokṣa-laghutā-kāriṇī | yad uktaṁ bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhau— kleśa-ghnī śubhadā [BRS 1.1.7] ity atra ṣaḍbhiḥ padair etan-māhātmyaṁ kīrtitam iti |

But why is [dhyāna especially superior?]. The second line of the verse replies. As a result of dhyāna, there is the state of lack of aspiration [tyāga] for the results of karma, such as the happiness of heaven, or liberation which is the result of niṣkāma karma. There is indifference even though this [the result of karma] is attained on its own. However, prior to fixity in dhyāna, there is but a desire for giving up mokṣa, in devotees in whom rati is not yet manifest. There is, however, an indifference to mokṣa in those who have fixity in dhyāna. That indifference, in itself, is the cause of mokṣa being insignificant. This is mentioned in the Bhakti rasamṛta sindhu, where this greatness has been sung of with the six words starting with kleśa-ghnī śubhadā.

Here, Śrī Viśvanātha explains the sense of ‘dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgaḥ’ – how can the result of dhyāna, considered the topmost form of bhakti, be something as ordinary as the renunciation of action? The idea is that dhyāna results in an indifference toward mokṣa or liberation even. And here, we see the genius of Śrī Viśvanātha — he correlates this with the six qualities of uttamā bhakti discussed in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, which I have examined here. There, Śrī Rūpa Goswami has explained that bhāva bhakti has the quality of mokṣa-laghutā-kṛt: the deprecator of mokṣa. Thus, dhyāna here is associated with the stage of bhāva. He cites a verse from the Bhāgavata which shows this indifference to any results other than bhakti itself:

yad uktaṁ— As it is stated,
na pārameṣṭhyaṁ na mahendra-dhiṣṇyaṁ na sārvabhaumaṁ na rasādhipatyam |
na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ vā mayy arpitātmecchati mad vinānyat || [bhā.pu. 11.14.14] iti |
One whose authentic self is offered unto Me does not desire any end that excludes Me, whether it be the post of Brahmā, the seat of Indra, sovereignty over the entire earth, rulership of the subterranean realms, the metanormal powers attained through yoga, or even liberation from birth and death.

Now he turns to the meaning of the word śānti, peace, which seems like an utter anticlimax after performing dhyāna! He writes:

mayy arpitātmā mad-dhyāna-niṣṭhaḥ | tyāgād vaitṛṣṇyād anantaram eva śāntir mad-rūpa-guṇādikaṁ vinā sarva-viṣayeṣv evendriyāṇām uparatiḥ | atra pūrvārdhe śreyaḥ iti viśiṣyate iti pada-dvayenānvayād uttarārdhe tu anantaram ity anenaivānvayād eṣaiva vyākhyā samyag upapadyate nānyety avadheyam ||12||

Here, the words mayy arpitātmā refer to one who is fixed in My dhyāna. The śanti that ensues only after the state of desirelessness (tyāgāt), means a cessation of the senses from all sense objects other than My form, qualities etc. Here, in the first half of the verse, the relation is with the words śreyaḥ and viśiṣyate, but in the second half, the relation is with the word anantaram. Therefore, this explanation alone properly fits, and no other. This is to be understood.

This way, everything is explained and reconciled. At the end of this commentary, we see that Śrī Viśvanātha defends his interpretation of the ablative cases of the words in the first line of verse 12.12 versus the second line. In the first line of the verse, the ablative case carries a comparative sense owing to the words śreyaḥ and viśiṣyate. In the second line, the ablative carries the sense of sequential occurrence owing to the word ‘anantaram’ meaning ‘thereafter’. That is, karma-phala-tyāga should not be misconstrued to be superior to dhyāna, and śānti superior to karma-phala-tyāga, because the word anantaram connotes a sequence of events in the second line (one leading to the next).

Summary

1. Jñāna in Bhagavad Gītā 12.12 refers to the manana described in 12.8.
2. Manana is superior to abhyāsa because it gives rise to dhyāna without effort.
3. Dhyāna is superior to manana, and fixed dhyāna produces indifference even to mokṣa.
4. This indifference makes mokṣa insignificant, corresponding to the attribute of mokṣa-laghutā-kṛt of bhāva bhakti.