Verse 12.8

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 12.8:

मय्य् एव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय ।
निवसिष्यसि मय्य् एव अत ऊर्द्ध्वं न संशयः ॥ ८ ॥

mayy eva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṃ niveśaya |
nivasiṣyasi mayy eva ata ūrddhvaṃ na saṃśayaḥ || 8 ||

mayi–on Me (in the form of Śyāmasundara); eva–only; manaḥ–mind; ādhatsva–fix (or remember); mayi–in Me; buddhim–intelligence; niveśaya–offer, or repose; nivasiṣyasi–you shall reside; mayi–near Me; eva–certainly; ataḥ ūrddhvam–thus at the last moment of quitting the body; na saṃśayaḥ–there is no doubt at all.

Fix your mind exclusively on My Śyāmasundara form and offer your intelligence to Me. Thus, upon leaving your body, you shall certainly come to reside with Me. Of this there is no doubt.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

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

“Since My bhakti is the topmost process, you should perform bhakti only.” To instruct Arjuna in this way, Śrī Bhagavān is speaking three verses, beginning here with mayy eva. By use of the word eva, worship of the nirviśeṣa-svarūpa has been prohibited. Śrī Bhagavān says mayi, meaning ‘upon Me’. “You should fix your mind exclusively on My Śyāmasundara form, which is decorated with yellow garments and a beautiful garland of forest flowers. In other words, remember Me and engage your discriminating intelligence in Me; that is, think only of Me. This thinking should be in accordance with the statements of scriptures that establish dhyāna (meditation). You will then come to live near Me only, who am described in the Vedas.”

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

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

Here in these few verses, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is explaining the practices adopted by His exclusive devotees. First, He said to Arjuna, “O Arjuna, I quickly deliver from the ocean of birth and death, My exclusive devotee who is dedicated to Me and who has given up varṇāśrama-dharma, and I bestow upon him loving devotional service to Me. Therefore, you should fix your mind exclusively on Me, Parabrahma, the Supreme Transcendental Reality. Remove all desires for sense gratification from your heart, and absorb your heart in remembering Me alone.” The mind has the tendencies to accept (saṅkalpa) and reject (vikalpa). Therefore, to fix it on anything related to Bhagavān, it is necessary to surrender one’s intelligence to Him, after disengaging the mind from all sense objects. Upon acquiring knowledge of Bhagavān’s svarūpa with one’s resolute intelligence, know Him alone to be the supreme worshipable Reality. Direct the functions of the pure intelligence toward Him by performing practices such as hearing (śravaṇam), chanting (kīrtanam) and remembering (smaraṇam). This will bring the mind under the control of such resolute intelligence and one will automatically become absorbed in thoughts of Him. In such a state, you will always be close to Him.

Therefore, by making Arjuna His instrument, Śrī Bhagavān is instructing all of us that bhakti alone is the best sādhana (practice) and the best sādhya (goal). Thus it is our one and only duty to constantly remember the eternal form of Śyāmasundara by fixing our mind on Him and surrendering our intelligence exclusively to Him. When this is done, one will attain the highest fruit of sādhana-bhakti: becoming His associate and attaining unalloyed prema. There is no doubt about this. Thus it is explained that the attainment of bhakti-yoga and the destination achieved by its practitioners are superior to all others.