180. Form or Formless
A t the end of the eleventh chapter (11.55), Krishna says that He can only be attained through bhakti (devotion). Thus, the revered twelfth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is called ‘Bhakti Yoga’ . Arjuna was terrified and frightened to see the original Form ( saakaar ) of Krishna ( Vishwaroop ) and enquires, “Between those who are steadfastly devoted to You (Form) and those who worship the imperishable and unmanifest (Formless - niraakaar, nirgun ), whom do you consider to be more perfect in yoga ” (12.1)? Incidentally, all cultures have roots in this question. In the Gita, three broad paths are given. karma (action) for mind-oriented people; sankhya (awareness) for buddhi (intellect) oriented and bhakti (devotion) for heart oriented. Certainly, they are not watertight paths, and a lot of crisscrossing takes place between them and that’s what is reflected in this chapter. Krishna earlier gave a hierarchy and said that the mind is superior to the senses; buddhi is super...