The twelfth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is Bhakti Yoga. In this chapter, Krishna emphasizes the superiority of Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion) over all other types of spiritual disciplines and reveals various aspects of devotion. He further explains that the devotees who perform pure devotional service to Him, with their consciousness, merged in Him and all their actions dedicated to Him, are quickly liberated from the cycle of life and death. He also describes the various qualities of the devotees who are very dear to Him.

slok:’12.1′,

‘arjuna uvāca . evaṃ satatayuktā ye bhaktāstvāṃ paryupāsate . ye cāpyakṣaramavyaktaṃ teṣāṃ ke yogavittamāḥ ||12-1||’,

‘12.1 Arjuna said Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus worship Thee and those also who worship the imperishable and the unmanifested which of them are better versed in Yoga?’,

slok:’12.2′,

‘śrībhagavānuvāca . mayyāveśya mano ye māṃ nityayuktā upāsate . śraddhayā parayopetāḥ te me yuktatamā matāḥ ||12-2||’,

‘12.2 The Blessed Lord said Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, are the best in Yoga in My opinion.’,

slok:’12.3′,

‘ye tvakṣaramanirdeśyamavyaktaṃ paryupāsate . sarvatragamacintyañca kūṭasthamacalandhruvam ||12-3||’,

‘Swami Sivananda did not comment on this sloka’,

slok:’12.4′,

‘sanniyamyendriyagrāmaṃ sarvatra samabuddhayaḥ . te prāpnuvanti māmeva sarvabhūtahite ratāḥ ||12-4||’,

‘12.4 Having restrained all the senses, even-minded everywhere, intent on the welfare of all beings verily they also come unto Me.’,

slok:’12.5′,

‘kleśo.adhikatarasteṣāmavyaktāsaktacetasām || avyaktā hi gatirduḥkhaṃ dehavadbhiravāpyate ||12-5||’,

‘12.5 Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the unmanifested; for the goal; the unmanifested, is very hard for the embodied to reach.’,

slok:’12.6′,

‘ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi saṃnyasya matparaḥ . ananyenaiva yogena māṃ dhyāyanta upāsate ||12-6||’,

‘12.6 But to those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me, regarding Me as the supreme gaol, meditating on Me with single-minded Yoga.’,

slok:’12.7′,

‘teṣāmahaṃ samuddhartā mṛtyusaṃsārasāgarāt . bhavāmi nacirātpārtha mayyāveśitacetasām ||12-7||’,

‘12.7 To those whose minds are set on Me, O Arjuna, verily I become ere long the saviour out of the ocean of Samsara.’,

slok:’12.8′,

‘mayyeva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṃ niveśaya . nivasiṣyasi mayyeva ata ūrdhvaṃ na saṃśayaḥ ||12-8||’,

‘12.8 Fix thy mind in Me only, thy intellect in Me, (then) thou shalt no doubt live in Me alone hereafter.’,

slok:’12.9′,

‘atha cittaṃ samādhātuṃ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram . abhyāsayogena tato māmicchāptuṃ dhanañjaya ||12-9||’,

‘12.9 If thou art unable to fix thy mind steadily on Me, then by the Yoga of constant practice do thou seek to reach Me, O Arjuna.’,

slok:’12.10′,

‘abhyāse.apyasamartho.asi matkarmaparamo bhava . madarthamapi karmāṇi kurvansiddhimavāpsyasi ||12-10||’,

‘12.10 If thou art unable to practise even this Abhyasa Yoga, be thou intent on doing actions for My sake; even by doing actions for My sake, thou shalt attain perfection.’,

slok:’12.11′,

‘athaitadapyaśakto.asi kartuṃ madyogamāśritaḥ . sarvakarmaphalatyāgaṃ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān ||12-11||’,

‘12.11 If thou art unable to do even this, then, resorting to union with Me, renounce the fruits of all actions with the self controlled.’,

slok:’12.12′,

‘śreyo hi jñānamabhyāsājjñānāddhyānaṃ viśiṣyate . dhyānātkarmaphalatyāgastyāgācchāntiranantaram ||12-12||’,

‘12.12 Better indeed is knowledge than practice; than knowledge meditation is better; than meditation the renunciation of the fruits of actions: peace immediately follows renunciation.’,

slok:’12.13′,

‘adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca . nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī ||12-13||’,

‘12.13 He who hates no creature, who is friendly and compassionate to all, who is free from attachment and egoism, balanced in pleasure and pain, and forgiving.’,

slok:’12.14′,

‘santuṣṭaḥ satataṃ yogī yatātmā dṛḍhaniścayaḥ . mayyarpitamanobuddhiryo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||12-14||’,

‘12.14 Ever content, steady in meditation, self-controlled, possessed of firm conviction, with the mind and intellect dedicated to Me, he, My devtoee, is dear to Me.’,

slok:’12.15′,

‘yasmānnodvijate loko lokānnodvijate ca yaḥ . harṣāmarṣabhayodvegairmukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ ||12-15||’,

‘12.15 He by whom the world is not agitated and who cannot be agitated by the world, and who is freed from joy, anger, fear and anxiety he is dear to Me.’,

slok:’12.16′,

‘anapekṣaḥ śucirdakṣa udāsīno gatavyathaḥ . sarvārambhaparityāgī yo madbhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||12-16||’,

‘12.16 He who is free from wants, pure, expert, unconcerned, and free from pain, renouncing all undertakings or commencements he who is (thus) devoted to Me, is dear to Me.’,

slok:’12.17′,

‘yo na hṛṣyati na dveṣṭi na śocati na kāṅkṣati . śubhāśubhaparityāgī bhaktimānyaḥ sa me priyaḥ ||12-17||’,

‘12.17 He who neither rejoices, nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, renouncing good and evil, and who is full of devotion, is dear to Me.’,

slok:’12.18′,

‘samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ . śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkheṣu samaḥ saṅgavivarjitaḥ ||12-18||’,

‘Swami Sivananda did not comment on this sloka’,

slok:’12.19′,

‘tulyanindāstutirmaunī santuṣṭo yena kenacit . aniketaḥ sthiramatirbhaktimānme priyo naraḥ ||12-19||’,

‘12.19 He to whom censure and praise are eal, who is silent, content with anything, homeless, of a steady mind, and full of devotion that man is dear to Me.’,

slok:’12.20′,

‘ye tu dharmyāmṛtamidaṃ yathoktaṃ paryupāsate . śraddadhānā matparamā bhaktāste.atīva me priyāḥ ||12-20||’,

‘12.20 They verily who follow this immortal Dharma (law or doctrine) as described above, endowed with faith, regarding Me as their supreme goal, they, the devotees, are exceedingly dear to Me.’,

slok:’12.21′,

‘OM tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṃ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṃvāde bhaktiyogo nāma dvādaśo.adhyāyaḥ ||12-21||’,

‘Swami Sivananda did not comment on this sloka’,