Gita Series – 129: Bhagavad Gita Chapter XII. Verse 17 – 20

“He, who neither rejoices nor hates, nor grieves, nor have desires and who renounces both good and evil actions is dear to Me. He, who treats friends and foes alike, honour and disgrace alike, balanced in heat and cold and pleasure and pain, praise and blame, observing silence, contended, no sense of ownership, devoid of fixed residence and always engaged in devotion with a stable mind is dear to Me. Those who follow these gracious principles of life, declared by Me so far, reposing full faith in Me and insouciant with fruits of their actions are extremely dear to Me.”

At the end of this Bhagavad gita chapter 12, Kṛṣṇa sums up the qualifications for being dearer to Him. Rejoice is the result of having acquired a desired object and hatred and frustration is the result of not acquiring the desired object. The cause for such intense variations in the mind is the desire. Unsatisfied desires lead to evil thoughts, making the mind subvert. Since the spiritual advancement happens only in the mind, a subverted mind cannot be a ground for spiritual unfoldment. When the result of any action, be it good or bad, is surrendered to the Lord, one is able to get rid of ego or “I” ness.

When one sheds his ego, a friend or a foe does not make any difference for the aspirant. In the higher realms of spirituality, ego gradually gets transformed into universal brotherhood. For that aspirant, all are equal and he always comes forward to help those, who are in distress. His heart is filled with compassion and kindness. During his normal actions, someone could appreciate him and someone else could disgrace him. He will not be enthralled by those appreciative words and he will not be disgraced by anguishing words. This is because he has surrendered his ego to the Lord. He has no “I” consciousness. Further, his equalitarian attitude does differentiate organisms as friends or foes. His mind has undergone complete transformation, as s result of which he does not think about any dyads. The calmness of the mind is directly related to slow breathing. If one’s mind is agitated, one can observe that his breathing becomes faster. A person who has destroyed I – me – mine is absolved of fear. Fear is yet another factor that affects the mind. It is said, “be not afraid of the universe”. As long “I” ness prevails, fear also prevails.

Yet another factor of the mind is silence. It is said that silence is golden. Spiritual illumination occurs only when one is able to feel the pure awareness of stillness and vastness of the Supreme Silence. During the period of silence, one’s perception gets transformed and his mind gets cleansed and he becomes gradually aware of the inner transformation that unfolds intimately and empathetically. It is said that “all final spiritual reference is to the silence beyond sound...It can be spoken of as the great silence, or as the void, or as the transcendent absolute.” The inner silence automatically happens during intent meditation. During the inner silence, the aspirant finds his mind and body wiped out of existence and he becomes awakened.

When one gives importance to I – me – mine, the quality of the ownership also prevails. This is home is mine, this is my car, this land belongs to me, that property is mine, etc. are the resultant factors of ownership. Once a property is owned, the human tendency is to multiply it. Then the mind becomes seriously engaged in planning and gives no room for spiritual aspiration. A true spiritual aspirant does not need a place of his own. He becomes a vagrant going from one place to another. Spirituality does not exist in palatial places, lawns and grounds. Spirituality does not exist in huge gatherings. Spirituality does not exist in dance and music. Spirituality exists within, that can be realised in a few minutes of solitude and silence. Spirituality does not exist in a group of minds, but in an isolated mind. Spirituality cannot be bought or sold. It is not a commercial venture. Spirituality is a benevolent attitude, where one’s purified consciousness alone should rule.

Kṛṣṇa completes this bhagavad gita chapter by saying that one should repose complete faith in Him. One should not be concerned with the fruits of his actions, as the fruits of actions are surrendered to the Lord. The Lord says that true devotees are very dear to Him. Concern to fruits of actions gives rise to egoism selfishness. This chapter exclusively deals with the purification of mind, where true devotion begins to dawn. It is up to the aspirant to follow the spiritual path to its logical conclusion, the final liberation. All the pleasures of the body are only temporary. The ignorant ones indulge in all sorts of evil thoughts and actions as a result of which they are not able to redeem themselves from the pains of transmigration.

CHAPTER XII OF BHAGAVAD GITA IS CONCLUDED

Further Readings:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter XII. 13 - 16

Bhagavad Gita Chapter XII. 10 - 12

Bhagavad Gita Chapter XIII. 1 - 3