113 - Navadha Bhakti Nine Methods of Worship | Swami Tattwamayananda

Title: Navadha Bhakti – Nine Methods of Worship<br /><br />12th chapter: verse 1, 2, 3, 4<br /><br />1st verse: Arjuna asks: “Some people worship God with name and form – they chant and pray. Others worship the imperishable, the unmanifest. Which is better?”<br /><br />Arjuna’s question comes from a conflict he is facing. From earlier chapters, Arjuna knew that there are two ways of looking upon God. (1) God as the creator and protector, who listens to our prayers (2) God as the all-pervading divine spirit, transcending names and forms. Arjuna thought he could choose between God with form or God without form.<br /><br />It is not a matter of our intellectual choice. It is a matter of our own spiritual evolution. A ten-year-old boy has to attend primary school first – he cannot just choose to go to a university. Similarly, we need to start our spiritual life based on where we stand and what we are fit for. Even Buddha had to evolve through 543 life cycles before becoming Buddha.<br /><br />2nd verse: To encourage Arjuna and to have him focus on God with name and form, Lord Krishna answers in the second verse. “There are some devotees who put their whole mind on Me, they worship Me, and they are completely dedicated to Me. To them, I reveal My true nature. They are certainly great Yogis.”<br /><br />Lord Krishna continues with his answer in the 3rd through 20th verse.<br /><br />3rd and 4th verses: “But those higher spiritual seekers, who have their senses under control, who are even-minded, who are fully focused on the Atman as the divine spirit within them and as the all-pervading divine reality without names and forms – they also attain Me alone.”<br /><br />Normally our mind flows towards the external world through our senses of perception and action. These advanced seekers, when they think of God, they can keep their mind focused on that divine idea. Swami Vivekananda said: “Standing in the middle of market street in San Francisco, if you can meditate, then you are a Yogi.”<br /><br />For those who have not re