Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga

अध्याय १२ — भक्तियोगः

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च ।
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥ १२.१३ ॥

सन्तुष्टः सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चयः ।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥ १२.१४ ॥

यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः ।
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥ १२.१५ ॥

अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः ।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥ १२.१६ ॥

यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।
शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्यः स मे प्रियः ॥ १२.१७ ॥

समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः ।
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु समः सङ्गविवर्जितः ॥ १२.१८ ॥

तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् ।
अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः ॥ १२.१९ ॥

ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते ।
श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः ॥ १२.२० ॥

“What does devotion look like in a person's life?”

What Does a True Devotee Look Like?
Yesterday, we looked at the first twelve verses of Chapter 12.
Today, we come to perhaps the most beautiful part of Bhakti Yoga. Krishna now describes the qualities of a person who is dear to Him.

Bhagavad Gita | Chapter 12 Verses 13–19

Devotion expressed through lifeKrishna does not describe a devotee by appearance, status or external identity.He describes the qualities of the heart and mind. 

A devotee: does not harbour hatred towards any being
is friendly and compassionate
is free from excessive possessiveness and ego
remains balanced in pleasure and pain
is forgiving and content
is steady and self-controlled
does not disturb others and is not easily disturbed
remains balanced in praise and blame
is not excessively dependent upon external circumstances
remains inwardly steady and devoted.

Read these verses slowly. There is something profound here.Krishna is not merely telling us: 
“Be devoted to Me.” He is showing us: 
“This is what devotion gradually looks like when it becomes part of your life.” 
So the question changes.Not only: “How much do I love God?” 
But also:“What is my devotion doing to me?”
Does it make me more compassionate? Less reactive? More balanced? Less attached to praise?More accepting of situations I cannot control?
These are questions worth carrying into our own sadhana.

Verse 20

The culmination of BhaktiKrishna concludes this teaching by speaking of those who sincerely follow this dharma of devotion, keeping Him as their highest goal. The chapter has now come full circle.
We began with Arjuna asking: “Which path should I follow?” And Krishna has taken us from the question of the path…to the practice of the path…and finally to the qualities that emerge in one who walks that path sincerely.

Today's Sadhana

Read Verses 13–20 together.
Then pause.Don't try to choose every quality. Choose ONE quality that you would like to consciously practise in your own life. Ask yourself:
“If I truly practised this quality today, what would I do differently?”
Then take one small step.

One Verse • One Reflection • One Step Towards the Guru.