Verse 13.25

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 13.25:

ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिद् आत्मानम् आत्मना ।
अन्ये साङ्ख्येन योगेन कर्म-योगेन चापरे ॥ २५ ॥

dhyānenātmani paśyanti kecid ātmānam ātmanā |
anye sāṅkhyena yogena karma-yogena cāpare || 25 ||

dhyānena–through meditation (upon Bhagavān); ātmani–within their hearts; paśyanti–they behold; kecit–some (persons); ātmānam–the Supersoul; ātmanāḥ–personally; anye–others (the jñānīs); sāṅkhyena–through the yoga of analyzing the elements of the material world; yogena–through the eightfold process of mystic yoga; karma-yogena–by unmotivated activity within karma-yoga; ca apare–and others.

By meditating on the Supreme Person, the devotees see Him within their hearts. The jñānīs try to see Him by analytical philosophy, sāṅkhya-yoga. The yogīs meditate on Him as the Supersoul by the eightfold process of mystic yoga, and others attempt to perceive Him through the process of selflessly performing their prescribed duty and offering Him the results, niṣkāma-karma-yoga.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

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

Śrī Bhagavān is explaining the various means to attain ātma-jñāna‚ knowledge of the self‚ in this verse beginning with dhyānena and in the next. By dhyāna‚ meditation on Bhagavān, some devotees see Him within their hearts. This will be explained in Gītā 18.55–bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. “But I am not visible to other types of worshippers. The word anye (others) indicates that the jñānīs endeavour to see Me by sāṅkhya, the analytical study of conscious and inert matter. The yogīs endeavour to see Me by the eightfold yoga process, aṣṭāṅga-yoga, and the karma-yogīs try to see Me by selflessly performing their prescribed duty, niṣkāma-karma-yoga.”

Here, sāṅkhya-yoga, aṣṭāṅga-yoga and niṣkāma-karma-yoga are not the direct causes of receiving darśana of Paramātmā, because they are in the mode of goodness, and Paramātmā is beyond the modes of nature. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.19.1) also states “jñānaṃ ca mayi sannyaset–one should surrender that knowledge to Me.” Furthermore “bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ–I am attained only by pure devotion” (11.14.21). It is clear from the above statements of Bhagavān that He is attained only by bhakti that is devoid of jñāna.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

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

In this verse, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is explaining how one can attain pure knowledge of the self (viśuddha-ātma-jñāna), which was described in the previous verse. Although the scriptures mention various processes such as sāṅkhya-yoga, aṣṭāṅga-yoga and niṣkāma-karma-yoga, one can only attain this pristinely pure jñāna in a simple and natural way by bhakti-yoga. In the dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Uddhava in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.14.21), Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa personally says, “bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ–I can be attained only by bhakti.”

Furthermore, He says in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.20.6–8):

yogās trayo mayā proktā nṛṇāṃ śreyo-vidhitsayā
jñānaṃ karma ca bhaktiś ca nopāyo’nyo’sti kutracit
nirviṇṇānāṃ jñāna-yogo nyāsinām iha karmasu
teṣv anirviṇṇa-cittānāṃ karma-yogas tu kāminām
yadṛcchayā mat-kathādau jāta-śraddhas tu yaḥ pumān
na nirviṇṇo nāti-sakto bhakti-yogo’sya siddhi-daḥ

For the welfare of human beings, I have described three types of yoga: karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga. There is no other way to achieve Me. Those who are completely detached from the material world become eligible to perform jñāna-yoga, but those who are neither too detached from worldliness nor too attached to it, and who, by the will of providence, have faith in hearing about My pastimes‚ are qualified to engage in bhakti. By following the path of bhakti‚ they attain perfection very quickly.

“Bhakti-yoga is the best of these three types of yoga. In fact, I am only fully attained by devotion. This is a very deep secret. ‘Na sādhayati māṃ yogo–I am not controlled by sāṅkhya, etc.’ (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.14.20). In other words, I do not become pleased by the processes of karma-yoga or jñāna-yoga, nor by the chanting of mantras (japa), the performance of austerities (tapa), fire-sacrifices (yajña), meditation upon the self and so forth. I am conquered only by bhakti.”

This is also confirmed in the Gītā (6.47):

yogīnām api sarveṣāṃ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṃ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

However, he who constantly worships Me with full faith, his mind undeviatingly attached to Me, is in My opinion the topmost of all yogīs.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura quotes Śrī Kṛṣṇa as saying, “O Arjuna, in regard to spiritual attainment, the conditioned souls are divided into two divisions: those averse to Me (bahir-mukha) and those inclined to Me (antar-mukha). Atheists, materialists, sceptics and moralists are counted among those averse to Me. An inquisitive and faithful person, a karma-yogī and a devotee are of the second type, as they are inclined toward Me. Devotees are the best of all because they take shelter of cit, the spiritual nature, which is beyond matter, and they meditate on Paramātmā within the self. The sāṅkhya-yogīs who search after Īśvara (the Controller) are the next best. After deliberating on prakṛti, material nature, which consists of twenty-four elements, they come to know that the twenty-fifth element, the jīva‚ is a pure conscious entity. They gradually engage in bhakti-yoga to Bhagavān, the twenty-sixth element. The karma-yogīs are inferior to them. By the process of niṣkāma-karma-yoga, selflessly performing their prescribed duty and offering the results to Bhagavān, they attain the facility to deliberate on and worship Him.”