संनियम्येन्द्रियग्रामं सर्वत्र समबुद्धयः।
ते प्राप्नुवन्ति मामेव सर्वभूतहिते रताः।।12.4।।
12.4 By fully controlling all the organs and always being even-minded, they, engaged in the welfare of all beings, attain Me alone.
12.4 Having restrained all the senses, even-minded everywhere, intent on the welfare of all beings verily they also come unto Me.
12.4. Who, by restraining properly the group of sense-organs have eanimity at all stages, and find pleasure in the welfare of all beings - they attain nothing but Me.
12.4 संनियम्य having restrained? इन्द्रियग्रामम् the aggregate of the senses? सर्वत्र everywhere? समबुद्धयः evenminded? ते they? प्राप्नुवन्ति obtian? माम् Me? एव only? सर्वभूतहिते in the welfare of all beings? रताः rejoicers.Commentary Those who are free from likes and dislikes (attraction and repulsion) can possess,eanimity of mind. Those who have destroyed ignorance which is the cause for exhilaration and grief? through the knowledge of the Self? those who are free from all kinds of sensual cravings through the constant practice of finding the defects or the evil in sensual pleasures can have evenness of mind. Those who are neither elated nor troubled when they get desirable or undesirable objects can possess evenness of mind.The two currents of love and hatred (likes and dislikes) make a man think of harming others. When these two are destroyed through meditation on the Self? the Yogi is intent on the welfare of others. He rejoices in doing service to the people. He plunges himself in service. He works constantly for the solidarity or wellbeing of this world. He gives fearlessness (Abhayadana) to all creatures. No creature is afraid of him. He becomes a Paramahamsa Sannyasi who gives shelter to all in his heart. He attains Selfrealisation. He becoes a knower of Brahman. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman.By means of the control of the senses the Yogi closes the ten doors (the senses) and withdraws the senses from the sensual objects and fixes the mind on the innermost Self. Those who meditate on the imperishable transcendental Brahman? restraining and subduing the senses? regarding everything eally? rejoicing in the welfare of all beings -- these also come to Me. It needs no saying that they reach Myself? because I hold the wise as verily Myself (Cf.VII.18). Further it is not necessary to say that they are the best Yogins as they are one with Brahman Himself. (Cf.V.25XI.55)But --
12.4 Samniyamya, by fully controlling, withdrawing; indriya-gramam, all the organs; and sarvatra, always at all times; sama-buddhayah, being even-minded-the even-minded are those whose minds remain eipoised in getting anything desirable or undesirable; te, they, those who are of this kind; ratah, engaged; sarva-bhuta-hite, in the welfare of all beings prapnuvanti, attain; mam, Me; eva, alone. As regards them it needs no saying that they attain Me, for it has been said, ৷৷.but the man of Knowledge is the very Self. (This is) My opinion (7.18). It is certainly not proper to speak of being or not being the best among the yogis with regard to those who have attained identity with the Lord. But,
12.4 See Comment under 12.5
12.3 - 12.5 The individual self meditated upon by those who follow the path of the Aksara (the Imperishable) is thus described: It cannot be defined in terms indicated by expressions like gods and men etc., for It is different from the body; It is imperceptible through the senses such as eyes; It is omnipresent and unthinkable, for though It exists everywhere in bodies such as those of gods and others, It cannot be conceived in terms of those bodies, as It is an entity of an altogether different kind; It is common to all beings i.e., alike in all beings but different from the bodily forms distinguishing them; It is immovable as It does not move out of Its unie nature, being unmodifiable, and therefore eternal. Such aspirants are further described as those who, subduing their senses like the eye from their natural operations, look upon all beings of different forms as eal by virtue of their knowledge of the sameness of the nature of the selves as knowers in all. Therefore they are not given to take pleasure in the misfortune of others, as such feelings proceed from ones identification with ones own special bodily form. Those who meditate on the Imperishable Principle (individual self) in this way, even they come to Me. It means that they also realise their essential self, which, in respect of freedom from Samsara, is like My own Self. So Sri Krsna will declare later on: Partaking of My nature (14.2). Also the Sruti says: Untainted, he attains supreme eality (Mun. U., 3.1.3). Likewise He will declare the Supreme Brahman as being distinct from the freed self which is without modification and is denoted by the term Imperishable (Aksara), and is described as unchanging (Kutastha). The Highest Person is other than this Imperishable (15.16 - 17). But in the teaching in Aksara-vidya Now that higher science by which that Aksara is known (Mun. U., 1.5) the entity that is designated by the term Aksara is Supreme Brahman Himself; for He is the source of all beings, etc. Greater is the difficulty of those whose minds are attached to the unmanifest. The path of the unmanifest is a psychosis of the mind with the unmanifest as its object. It is accomplished with difficulty by embodied beings, who have misconceived the body as the self. For, embodied beings mistake the body for the self. The superiority of those who adore the Supreme Being is now stated clearly:
The question might arise why is not the impersonal path superior. Lord Krishna answers this in this verse and the next. Although those who contemplate, reflect upon, meditate on and worship the abstract, impersonal, imperishable brahman or the spiritual substratum pervading all existence can eventually attain Lord Krishna as well; it is extremely difficult to do so. This is because the characteristics of the brahman are beyond the ability of the mind to comprehend. Why so? Because although it is a reality the brahman is avyaktam or devoid of material qualities and attributes. Thus it is acintyam or inconceivable and not possible to be conceptualized. It is anirdesyam or indescribable and cannot be expressed by words because it is unable to be conceived. Although it is sarvatra-gam or all pervading it is unmanifest possessing no form and cannot be perceived, As it is kuta-stham it is unchanging and thus never changing it is dhruvam or eternal and everlasting. The rest is clear.
So it has been established that the devotees who with full faith focus their minds on the Supreme Lord Krishna and offer bhakti or exclusive loving devotion to Him are the most superior. But what about the other votaries of the Vedic culture who follow the path of worshipping the imperishable brahman or the spiritual substratum pervading all existence which is unmanifest being imperceptible? What are there rewards? This Lord Krishna elucidates in these two verses. In the Bhagavat Purana, the attribute of imperceptibility has been ascribed to illusion because it is acintyam or inconceivable and incapable of being rationalized although it is able to be perceived by some advanced beings. The word aksaram is not referring directly to the Supreme Lord but rather to His impersonal unmanifest aspect known as the imperishable brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence. In the very beginning there was neither existence or non-existence, there was neither superior elements or inferior elements. Then there existed only tamas or the obscurity of darkness and within this obscurity alone was the unmanifest, inconceivable, ever renewable and was none other then prakriti the material substratum pervading physical existence which is imperceptible, possessing no distinctive atributes to distinguish her by. Similarly it has been stated in the Moksa Dharma: That being supported by the attributes of the Supreme Lord, Sri Laxsmi is ever fresh and inaccessible to the senses. Beyond the mind, unborn, existing even after universal dissolution are her special subsidiary attributes. The Manu Samhita states that Sri Laxsmi is: Harmful to none, unaffected by time, without enmity to any, immutable, without loss of form, manifested in everything, performing every action, she is always existing, symbolizing the principles of tamas and inactivity, dormant during dissolution, beyond the scope of logic and reason, unknowable and passive in all activities. Later in chapter 15, verse 16 Lord Krishna states: kutastho ksara ucyate meaning those who are personal associates of the Supreme Lord are eternal and infallible like the atma or soul. The Rig Veda states: That which is abiding within that space is kutastho of an eternal nature. So Sri Laxsmi is eternal because she abides there within that space. The Gautama section of the Sama Veda states: The consort of the Supreme Lord is Sri Laxsmi and she is all pervading, immutable, inscrutable, the progenitor and support of creation the same as the Supreme Lord which is accomplished without any influence of rajas or passion. According to the Agni Purana as Sri Laxsmi is never leaving her place at the feet of the Supreme Lord, she is achala or stationary. The Narada Purana states that: Sri Laxsmi and the Supreme Lord are unperceivable, unmanifest and beyond the scope of the mind. Now begins the summation. It has been shown how the Supreme Lord and His sakti or spiritual feminine potency known as Sri Laxsmi are both unborn and eternal. When all else ceases to exist at the time of universal dissolution the Supreme Lord and His sakti being unaffected facilitate the next cycle to start creation anew. The Supreme Lord is called akshara the absolute and ultimate source of all. His sakti is called kshara who is limited to the extent that she remains dormant until the Supreme Lord begins creation. At that time the dual nature of the Supreme Lord and His sakti activates the creative energy by which such interaction causes the phenomena in the material nature for unlimited plethoras of species, forms and names of beings pouring into existence. The internal unified form of the Supreme Lord and Sri Laxsmi are known as akshara and kshara and their external manifestations are know as Purusha the Supreme Personality and prakriti the material substratum pervading all physical existence.
2 Those who are attracted to meditation and upasate or worship on the avyakta or the unmanifest, impersonal brahman being the spiritual substratum pervading all existence or are devoted to realising the imperishable nature of their atma or eternal soul which is indefinable by the mind and imperceptible find that both ways are completely impossible to be perceived by any of the senses. The phrase sarvatra-gam acintyam means all pervading and inconceivable, respectively. The understanding is that despite the atma or eternal soul being present in the etheric heart of every living entity everywhere in creation in the demigods, the humans, the animals, the fish, the plants etc. It is completely inconceivable how the total aggregate of all these trillions upon trillions of souls approaching even an infinite amount actually comprise the transcendental, spiritual body of the Supreme Lord Krishna. Not only is it not possible to conceive this, it is also impossible to imagine what such an infinite spiritual form would appear like so it is completely indescribable. Even if one achieved atma- tattva or soul realisation and were able to perceive the form of their individual atma it would not be of any consequence in conceiving by any stretch of the imagination such an infinite and phenomenal spiritual form. The word kutastham means stable or uniform denoting that essence which never changes in form regardless of the constant changing of bodies of all living beings every life, thus it is acalam or immutable because of its singular unmoving nature and thus dhruvam or everlasting. Along with this must be sanniyamyendriya-gramam meaning all the senses must be fully controlled and restrained from absorption in their accustomed sense objects. The phrase sarvatra sama-buddhayah means equanimity towards all living entities which manifests itself when the cognition of the atma residing in the etheric heart of all living entities being of variegated and diverse species seen specifically as consciousness although concealed by various forms becomes a reality. Firmly fixed in this understanding one automatically becomes sarva-bhuta-hite ratah or favourably disposed to the welfare of all living entities or it can mean well removed from wishing any enmity towards any jiva or embodied being, for enmity is a product engendered by false ego due to imagining gradations in the atmas between jivas because of external differences in their physical bodies.
2 Those who are attracted to meditation and upasate or worship on the avyakta or the unmanifest, impersonal brahman being the spiritual substratum pervading all existence or are devoted to realising the imperishable nature of their atma or eternal soul which is indefinable by the mind and imperceptible find that both ways are completely impossible to be perceived by any of the senses. The phrase sarvatra-gam acintyam means all pervading and inconceivable, respectively. The understanding is that despite the atma or eternal soul being present in the etheric heart of every living entity everywhere in creation in the demigods, the humans, the animals, the fish, the plants etc. It is completely inconceivable how the total aggregate of all these trillions upon trillions of souls approaching even an infinite amount actually comprise the transcendental, spiritual body of the Supreme Lord Krishna. Not only is it not possible to conceive this, it is also impossible to imagine what such an infinite spiritual form would appear like so it is completely indescribable. Even if one achieved atma- tattva or soul realisation and were able to perceive the form of their individual atma it would not be of any consequence in conceiving by any stretch of the imagination such an infinite and phenomenal spiritual form. The word kutastham means stable or uniform denoting that essence which never changes in form regardless of the constant changing of bodies of all living beings every life, thus it is acalam or immutable because of its singular unmoving nature and thus dhruvam or everlasting. Along with this must be sanniyamyendriya-gramam meaning all the senses must be fully controlled and restrained from absorption in their accustomed sense objects. The phrase sarvatra sama-buddhayah means equanimity towards all living entities which manifests itself when the cognition of the atma residing in the etheric heart of all living entities being of variegated and diverse species seen specifically as consciousness although concealed by various forms becomes a reality. Firmly fixed in this understanding one automatically becomes sarva-bhuta-hite ratah or favourably disposed to the welfare of all living entities or it can mean well removed from wishing any enmity towards any jiva or embodied being, for enmity is a product engendered by false ego due to imagining gradations in the atmas between jivas because of external differences in their physical bodies.
Samniyamyendriyagraamam sarvatra samabuddhayah; Te praapnuvanti maameva sarvabhootahite rataah.
ye—who; tu—but; akṣharam—the imperishable; anirdeśhyam—the indefinable; avyaktam—the unmanifest; paryupāsate—worship; sarvatra-gam—the all-pervading; achintyam—the unthinkable; cha—and; kūṭa-stham—the unchanging; achalam—the immovable; dhruvam—the eternal; sanniyamya—restraining; indriya-grāmam—the senses; sarvatra—everywhere; sama-buddhayaḥ—even-minded; te—they; prāpnuvanti—attain; mām—Me; eva—also; sarva-bhūta-hite—in the welfare of all beings; ratāḥ—engaged
