Stabilising the Mind in God: The Twelfth Chapter of the Bhagavadgita: 4. Swami Krishnananda.

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Wednesday 14, November 2025, 17:50.
Article
Scriptures
Stabilising the Mind in God: The Twelfth Chapter of the - Bhagavadgita: 3.
Swami Krishnananda
(Spoken on June 26, 1983)
Post-4.

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The final way is ātma-nivedanam. That is the highest form of devotion, where realising the greatness, grandeur, magnificence, power, sweetness, compassion and mercy of God, you feel that you are no more. You have gone into utter extinction before the mighty radiance of these universal solar rays. These are the nine ways of bhakti, and Madhusudana Saraswati says that though these are not mentioned in detail in the Bhagavadgita, we have to read between the lines and understand that the indication is for devotion to God, and as these are the principal accepted ways of devotion, we may consider that this is the prescription here.

Also, we have what are called attitudes of devotion, bhavas. There is the attitude of a father. Mostly religions consider God as a Father in heaven, as a Parent Supreme. Sometimes in India we have the concept of considering God as Mother. Or, as I mentioned, there are other ways such as sakhya and other things, which are not usually practised these days. The predominant concept is the concept of a parent – God, the Supreme Father – though other ways are also there. However, all these are mentioned in connection with the understanding of this third way, which is prescribed when it is felt that the first two ways are too difficult. And even this third way is difficult, we may say. Athaitad apy aśaktosi kartuṁ madyogam āśritaḥ, sarvakarmaphalatyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān: “Foolish man, you say everything is difficult, so I give you the final, easiest way. You are doing so many things. Why are you doing all these things? Who told you to do anything? What for are you doing these things? Anyhow, you are doing it for some purpose. Let the fruit of whatever you do be dedicated to Me. Abandon craving for the fruit of your actions. Don't ask something in return for what you do.”

This is something hard indeed for us. Even this is difficult. Who can do anything without expecting some reward? What for is anything if nothing is going to come out of it? We are business people, root and branch. We cannot think in any other way. The business attitude is the expectation of something from something. Something has to follow from something; otherwise, why should we do something? This attitude is not applicable to God Almighty, as He is not a commercial magnate. He is a different thing altogether.

So while it is made out here that this is perhaps the easiest way in comparison with the other three methods already stated, one will find that this is more difficult than the other three. This refers to what is generally known as the practice of karma yoga. People think that karma yoga is the cheapest and the easiest and the least. But if you try to practise it, you will find that it is the most difficult thing because it is ordinarily not possible for us to find an incentive for work unless something is to follow.

Now, it is not that nothing follows from your actions. Something does follow indeed. Let something follow, but let that be dedicated to God. If you consider yourself as merely an instrument of action in the hands of God, this dedication of the fruit of action is not difficult. But you are sure that you are doing it, and therefore you are expecting a result for yourself. When you do a thing, why should the result go to God? This you don't like, that God should be the beneficiary of the actions that you sweat for. Even here you are very greedy. You do the work; therefore, you must get the benefit of it. But you are not doing the work. The whole point of karma yoga is a simple way of understanding the relationship of man to God.

Nobody does anything in this world. All activity is the movement of the fingers of God's all-pervading hands. Everything is done by Him. Even a leaf cannot move. A sparrow cannot fall on your head, as Christ said, without the will of the Father. If anything is happening, it is because of the will of the Almighty. And if you are standing on your feet and moving your hands, it is because of the will of the Almighty. He has willed that you shall do this, and therefore you are appearing to do it. The carriages behind the railway engine do not move of their own accord though they are moving with high-speed. They move because something else is moving them. The engine moves them. As the will of the Almighty is operating, we all seem to be very active. The activity of the universe is sympathetically felt in all parts of the universe by a reverberating process, and it is communicated to us as a central ordinance may be communicated to the lower officials and the public in general. It is sympathetically felt by every citizen though the ordinance is issued by the Central Authority. We do nothing, and the feeling that we are doing something ourselves is our undoing.

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Continues

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