118 - The Ideal Devotee Sees Oneness in Existence | Swami Tattwamayananda

Its meaning is: “O’ Mother Gita, I bow down to you. I invoke your divine presence in my heart. This text<br />has 18 chapters and was preached by Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna. It was written by the great<br />sage, Vyasa, and is placed in the middle of a much great work, Mahabharata. Its central theme is the<br />philosophy of Advaita – it preaches that creation is one spiritual family and all religions represent so<br />many paths leading to the same spiritual goal. “<br />The 12th chapter is about Bhakti Yoga – the path of Devotion. The three other paths taught in the Gita<br />are Jnana Yoga – the path of knowledge, Karma Yoga – the path of selfless actions, and Dhyana Yoga –<br />the path of self-restraint.<br />In the 13 th and 14 th verses, Lord Krishna describes the characteristics of a devotee. He does not mention<br />rituals or going to a temple. He essentially says that all genuine devotees are good human beings.<br />15 th verse: “A devotee is not agitated by anyone, and nobody is agitated by him. He is free from elation,<br />envy, fear and anxiety.”<br />18 th and 19 th verses: “His attitude is the same towards a friend or someone hostile to him, towards honor<br />and dishonor, towards praise and criticism, towards heat and cold, and towards happiness and misery.<br />He is content with whatever comes his way and is not attached to a place of residence – such a devotee<br />is dear to Me.”<br />A devotee is well-established in strong faith and inner equanimity, because he has a sense of inner<br />fulfillment. The line of demarcation between the duals disappears for him. The world does not agitate<br />him – he has no reason to be excited, envious, fearful or anxious. There is no otherness for him – he sees<br />the whole world as one spiritual family. He does not do anything to violate the Ritm of nature.<br />20 th verse: “Anyone who practices this great spiritual discipline with sanctity and sacredness, with<br />unselfishness, with a universal outlook – he is extremely dear to Me.”<br />