Verse 12.1

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 12.1:

एवं सतत-युक्ता ये भक्तास् त्वां पर्युपासते ।
ये चाप्य् अक्षरम् अव्यक्तं तेषां के योग-वित्तमाः ॥ १ ॥

evaṃ satata-yuktā ye bhaktās tvāṃ paryupāsate |
ye cāpy akṣaram avyaktaṃ teṣāṃ ke yoga-vittamāḥ || 1 ||

arjunaḥ uvāca–Arjuna said; evam–in this way; satata-yuktāḥ–continuously fixed in You; ye–who; bhaktāḥ–the devotees; tvām–You; paryupāsate–worship; ye–who; ca–and; api–also; akṣaram–the imperishable; avyaktam–unmanifest; teṣām–of them; ke–which?; yoga-vittamāḥ–the best of those who know yoga.

Arjuna said: According to Your earlier explanation, there are devotees endowed with niṣṭhā (firm faith), who continuously engage in the worship of Your Śyāmasundara form, and there are also those who worship the impersonal feature. Of these two, who is superior in knowledge of yoga?

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

In this Twelfth Chapter, Śrī Bhagavān confirms the superiority of all types of devotees over the jñānīs. And among the devotees, only those who possess qualities such as non-enviousness are glorified.

When the subject of bhakti was introduced, Arjuna heard that those who are endowed with faith and who engage in bhajana to Śrī Bhagavān, their hearts devoted to Him, are the best among all types of yogīs. This is the opinion of Śrī Bhagavān (Gītā 6.47). Arjuna heard about the supremacy of the devotees in introductory statements such as these, and as this section concludes, he inquires further, being desirous to hear more about that supremacy. “You explained that satata-yuktāḥ means ‘those who are devoted to performing work for You’. Those who possess the symptoms You previously described engage in service to Your Śyāmasundara form. Others worship the featureless, imperishable brahma, which is described in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Śruti: ‘O Gārgī, the brāhmaṇas know this akṣara-brahma, or imperishable spirit, as asthūla (that which is not gross), asūkṣma (that which is not subtle), ahrasva (that which is not small) and so forth.’ Of these two types of persons who know yoga, which is superior? That is, which one is acquainted with the better means to know and achieve You?”

Here, in the original verse, the word yoga-vittamāḥ has been used. The word yoga-vittara is generally used to compare two types of worshippers, whereas the word yoga-vittamāḥ indicates the superlative degree and is used to decide the best of all types of people who perform worship. By using vittamāḥ, Arjuna not only compares the two but wants to know who the best is.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Of the various types of sādhana practised to quickly attain Bhagavān, pure devotion (śuddha-bhakti) is the most simple, most easy and most natural to perform. Its influence is unfailing. In this chapter, śuddha-bhakti is established as superior.

Up to this point, Arjuna has been listening to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s instructions with rapt attention. In the Sixth Chapter, in the verse yogīnām api sarveṣām (6.47), Śrī Kṛṣṇa said that of all yogīs–such as the karma-yogī, or fruitive worker, the dhyāna-yogī, or meditator, and the tapa-yogī, or performer of severe austerities–the bhakti-yogī is superior. In the Seventh Chapter, in the verse mayy āsakta-manāḥ (7.1), He said that to take shelter of bhakti-yoga is best. In the Eighth Chapter, in the verse prayāṇa-kāle manasācalena (8.10), He described the glory of the power of yoga. In the Ninth Chapter, in the verse jñāna-yajñena cāpy anye (9.15), He talked about jñāna-yoga, and at the end of the Eleventh Chapter, in the verse mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo (11.55), He again described the excellence of bhakti-yoga. Having heard about these various types of yoga, Arjuna was unable to ascertain which is better: to worship the saviśeṣa-svarūpa (the personal form) of Yaśodā-nandana Śyāmasundara Śrī Kṛṣṇa or to worship brahma, which is devoid of energy (niḥśaktika), formless (nirākāra), unmanifest (avyakta-svarūpa) and featureless (nirviśeṣa). Which of these two types of yogīs possesses superior knowledge of yoga? By saying yoga-vittamāḥ, Arjuna is inquiring who the best of all yogīs is.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura quotes Arjuna as saying, “O Kṛṣṇa, from all the instructions You have given so far, I have understood that there are two types of yogīs. One type, bound by exclusive devotion to You (ananyā-bhakti), worships You by dedicating all bodily and social activities to You. The other type of yogī performs bodily and social activities only according to his needs by following the principles of niṣkāma-karma-yoga, and he takes shelter of Your imperishable and unmanifest impersonal feature by performing yoga related to brahma (adhyātmika-yoga). Of these two types of yogīs, who is superior?”