Summarizing the qualities fixed in various types of His devotees which He has just mentioned, the Lord now describes the result of hearing and deliberating on the these qualities by devotees desirous of obtaining all those qualities. Since these qualities arise from sense control (śānti, mentioned in verse 12), which in turn arises from bhakti, they are thus not material qualities. bhaktyā tuṣyati kṛṣṇo ṇa guṇaiḥ: Kṛṣṇa is pleased by bhakti, not by good material qualities. (Padyāvalī 8) Such statements are innumerable in the scriptures. Tu here indicates differentiation. The various devotees previously mentioned were fixed in their individual natures with certain qualities. But those practitioners who desire all of the qualities of all the types of devotees are superior to those just mentioned, who have attained only some of the qualities. Therefore, the word atīva (surpassingly) is used. Such devotees, who take up all the qualities, are even dearer to Me. [Note: Paryupāsate means “to completely take up.”] The astonishing qualities of bhakti, which is supreme and blissful, whose goal can be attained by all, and which is easy to perform, have been explained in this chapter. Though it has been shown that jñāna is bitter like nīma fruit and bhakti is sweet like grape juice, still, these two processes are taken up their respective followers who crave that particular taste. Thus end the commentaries on the twelfth chapter of the Gītā, to give joy to the hearts of devotees, through the mercy of the ācāryas.

Let me offer my respects to the Lord’s bhakti, which, by its mercy, resides within jñāna and other processes to a small degree in order to bring about success in those processes. In the last six chapters of the Gītā, jñāna mixed with bhakti is delineated. Within these six chapters, kevalā bhakti also is shown indirectly to be supreme. In the thirteenth chapter, the body where jīva and Paramātmā reside, the practice of jñāna, the jīva and prakṛti are described. In the middle six chapters, it was mentioned that by kevalā bhakti one attains the Lord, Bhagavān, and three other methods of worship, starting with worship of oneself, were then described. Liberation arising from jñāna mixed with bhakti practiced by followers of niṣkāma-karma-yoga and the process of jñāna were briefly described in the first six chapters. The third six chapters explain this jñāna in detail by first examining the field, the knower of the field, the process of knowledge and the object of knowledge.

This verse answers the question “What is the field and who is the knower of the field?” This body with senses, the abode of enjoyment, is the field, since it is the basis for sprouting the tree of repeated births. He who knows that body in terms of “I and mine” in the conditioned state due his attachment to that body, and he who, being devoid of the conception of “I and mine” in the liberated state, knows that he is not attached to that body, is the jīva. He is called the knower of the field, situated in these two conditions. Like one who ploughs the field, he is the knower of the field, and is the enjoyer of the fruit. The Lord says: adanti caikaṁ phalam asya gṛdhrā grāme-carā ekam araṇya-vāsāḥ haṁsā ya ekaṁ bahu-rūpam ijyair māyā-mayaṁ veda sa veda vedam Those lusty after material enjoyment and dedicated to family life enjoy one of the tree’s fruits, and swanlike men in the renounced order of life enjoy the other fruit. One who with the help of the bona fide spiritual masters can understand this tree to be a manifestation of the potency of the one Supreme Truth appearing in many forms actually knows the meaning of the Vedic literature. SB 11.12.23 The meaning of this verse from Bhāgavatam is as follows. Gṛdhraḥ means “those who desire.” [Note: This word also means “vulture.”] Those who have desire and who move in society, the conditioned jīvas, eat one fruit of the tree called distress, because the tree has the ability to generate distress, even with its ripened fruits of Svarga. The swans, which live in the forest, the liberated jīvas, eat another fruit called happiness, because the tree has ability to generate happiness in the form of liberation. Thus, the one tree of saṁsāra has many forms since it has the capacity to let one attain hell, Svarga, and liberation. It is called māyā-mayam, made of māyā, because it is generated from the Lord’s māyā-śakti. He who knows this tree with the help of the worshipable gurus (ijyaiḥ) knows the Vedas. Tad-vidaḥ in the Gītā verse refers to persons who know the field and the knower of the field.

Concluding the description of bhakti yoga, the Lord speaks of the results of that bhakti. Those devotees who take full shelter (paryupāsate) of the sweet means to attain Me which has just been described, starting with mayy āveśya mano ye mām (BG 12.2; those who take shelter of the process to attain Me, just as they take shelter of Me, who am to be attained by the method; devotees who are faithful to bhakti and who are absorbed in Me (mat paramā), are very dear to Me. Kṛṣṇa is controlled by the persons devoted to Him alone, and by the persons devoted solely to the process of bhakti dedicated to Him. The most beautiful Kṛṣṇa is conquered completely by love. This has been explained in the twelfth chapter. Chapter 13 Bg 13.1, Bg 13.2, Bg 13.1-2 AJauRNa ovac Pa[k*-iTa& Pauṛz& cEv +ae}a& +ae}ajMaev c ) WTaŪeidTauiMaC^aiMa jaNa& jeYa& c ke-Xav )) 1 )) ī[q>aGavaNauvacwd& Xarqr& k-aENTaeYa +ae}aiMaTYai>aDaqYaTae ) WTaÛae veita Ta& Pa[ahu" +ae}aj wiTa TaiŪd" )) 2 )) arjuna uvāca prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva kṣetraṁ kṣetra-jñam eva ca etad veditum icchāmi jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ ca keśava śrī-bhagavān uvāca idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya kṣetram ity abhidhīyate etad yo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ kṣetra-jña iti tad-vidaḥ arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna said; prakṛtim—nature; puruṣam—the enjoyer; ca—also; eva—certainly; kṣetram—the field; kṣetra-jñam—the knower of the field; eva—certainly; ca—also; etat—all this; veditum—to understand; icchāmi—I wish; jñānam—knowledge; jñeyam—the object of knowledge; ca—also; keśava—O Kṛṣṇa; śrī-bhagavān uvāca—the Personality of Godhead said; idam—this; śarīram—body; kaunteya—O son of Kuntī; kṣetram—the field; iti—thus; abhidhīyate—is called; etat—this; yaḥ—one who; vetti—knows; tam—he; prāhuḥ—is called; kṣetra-jñaḥ—the knower of the field; iti—thus; tat—vidaḥ—by those who know this.

Arjuna said: O Keśava, I desire to know about prakṛti, puruṣa, the field and knower of the filed, as well as the process of knowing and the object of knowledge. [Note: This verse is omitted in some editions.]

The precise natures of the jīva, the Lord and matter, which were discussed in the previous six chapters will be further explained in the last six chapters. Jnāna serves as the door to bhakti, which was just taught. In the thirteenth chapter the Lord will speak detailed knowledge of the body, the jīva and the Lord. The first six chapters described knowledge of the jīvātmā which is attained through niṣkāma karma yoga, and which is useful to attain knowledge of paramātmā. In the second six chapters worship of paramātmā, called bhakti, was taught along with a description of the Lord’s powers. Only pure bhakti however brings the Lord under control and lets one attain the Lord. This worship of paramātmā destroys the suffering of those worshippers desiring relief from distress, wealth or knowledge. By association with the exclusive devotees, such mixed devotees become pure, and that pure bhakti allows them to attain the Lord. When the bhakti process is mixed with jñāna or yoga, one attains perception of the majestic form of the Lord and this yields liberation. This has already been described. Now, in the last six chapters, the universe caused by the combination of prakṛti and puruṣa, the forms of the Lord, and the essential natures of karma, bhakti and jñāna will be explained. In order to clarify jñāna, in the thirteenth chapter the real natures of the body, the jīva, the Supreme Lord will be delineated. The cause of relation of the body with the jīva, who is distinct from his body, and the method of making the distinction will be considered. The Lord begins to speak in order to explain these things. O son of Kuntī, the wise call this body, along with its senses and prāṇa, the field, because it causes growth of experiences of happiness and distress for the jīva, the enjoyer. Those who know (tad vidaḥ) the real nature of the field and the knower of the field, define “the knower of the field” (who is a knower different from the body which it knows), as a person who, while sleeping, eating and performing other activities, knows that this body is not the ātmā, though it is perceived by the ignorant as themselves (as deva, man or object), and knows that the body is the means of both enjoyment and liberation for the ātmā. Bhāgavatām explains that the body is a means for enjoyment and liberation: adanti caikaṁ phalam asya gṛdhnā grāmecarā ekam araṇya-vāsā| comhaṁsā ya ekaṁ bahu-rūpam ijyair māyā-mayaṁ veda sa veda vedam Those lusty after material enjoyment and dedicated to family life enjoy one of the tree’s fruits, and swanlike men in the renounced order of life enjoy the other fruit. One who with the help of the bona fide spiritual masters can understand this tree to be a manifestation of the potency of the one Supreme Truth appearing in many forms actually knows the meaning of the Vedic literature. (SB 11.12.23) Thus those who think that the body is the self are not knowers of the field, since they do not know that real nature and function of the body.

Good association is necessary. One who executes sadhana bhakti is very dear to Krsna, but one who can actually have those qualities which are a manifestation of pure bhakti, he is very, very dear to Krsna.

Summary of this Chapter: In the beginning Arjuna has asked Krsna which is better. The conclusion is that devotional service is better. The goal is more complete and the process is simplier, it is joyfully performed. The process of impersonal meditation it is not joyfully performed, it is miserable because it involves abnegation which is practically a torture for the embodied soul. And if one wants to take the impersonal realization and yet engage in devotional service ‑ he is a muddha, a fool.

THUS ENDS THE STUDY OF CHAPTER TWELVE.