Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Ch 12 overview:

1-7: Worship of personal form is superior to impersonal Brahman.

8-12: Talk about progressive stages of Bhakti.

13-20: Talk about qualities that endear (these qualities Krishna likes in His devotees) one to Krishna.

 Bg 12.8

mayy eva mana ādhatsva
mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya
nivasiṣyasi mayy eva
ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ

Synonyms: 

mayi — upon Me; eva — certainly; manaḥ — mind; ādhatsva — fix; mayi — upon Me; buddhim — intelligence; niveśaya — apply; nivasiṣyasi — you will live; mayi — in Me; eva — certainly; ataḥ ūrdhvam — thereafter; na — never; saṁśayaḥ — doubt.

Translation: 

Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.

mayy eva, Me alone 

mana ādhatsva, fixing your mind on Me

mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya, let your intelligence fixed on Me

nivasiṣyasi mayy eva, in this way you will reside in Me

nivas means reside 

ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ, of this there is no doubt

Krishna is giving the highest level, that if you fix your mind, intelligence on Me then you will leave in Me itself, generally we live where our subtle body lives, we don’t live where our physical body lives. E.g. An addict person’s mind is always on the object of addiction.

So if our subtle body is with Krishna we are also with Krishna else not. In introduction also SP mentioned this is the art of KC that to always fix our mind on Krishna wherever we are situated. 

So what is happening now, First 6 chapters is slow development which culminated in the process of Bhakti.7th chapter to 12th chapter Krishna has talked about supremacy of Bhakti in terms of it being the highest reality and after that Krishna is offering a descending ladder. Once it is concluded that Bhakti is the best way it is better than demigod worship, astanga yoga and karma yoga, Jayana Yoga, Visvarupa Upasana, Brahmo Upasana. Then someone may think that Oh Bhakti is best but am I qualified to practice Bhakti? Bhakti seems to be so exalted satata yukta anta mam, constantly engaged in service, constantly think of Me, I am not at that level, what should I do? 

So Krishna says now I will offer you multiple levels of Bhakti. It is described earlier how one moves slowly from Karma Yoga to Jayana Yoga to Bhakti Yoga so if someone doubts that I am not qualified to do bhakti so better I do something else then I come to bhakti then Krishna says that actually Bhakti can also be practiced at multiple levels. We can perform Bhakti at the level we feel comfortable and from there we can rise upwards to the highest level. 

So Krishna is not going to offer a ladder of devotion ladder of love so 8 to 12 talk about this where 12th is very complicated verse.

“12.08-12.10 – Locating ourselves on the Gita’s ladder of love” is the Gita Daily article which HG CC Pr has written.

The BG 12.8 to 12.10 outlines a ladder of love that extends down to from the highest level:

  1. What is the highest level?: 1. Offer the mind and intelligence to Krishna entirely and thereby live in Him. (12.8)
  2. Practice Sadhana-Bhakti to fix the mind on Krishna and thereby increase our desire for Him (12.9).
  3. Work for Krishna (12.10). This level includes two implicit sub-levels.

What is the difference between 12.8 and 12.9? 

In 12.8 mind is directly attached to Krishna. That is how one is able to fix the mind on Krishna. 

In 12.9 mind doesn’t have natural attachment to Krishna. Therefore one has to practice fixing mind on Krishna. Mind goes here and there but one has to bring it back. 

Below above is working for Krishna. 

So the best level Krishna recommends is fix mind on Me always and that is level of Pure Devotion. SP was in America but he was not in America. When he left Vrindavan he did not leave Vrindavan. SP carried Vrindavan with him. We can take a pure devotee out of Vrindavan but we cannot take Vrindavan out of Pure devotee.

End of transcription.