181. The Starting Point
K rishna says, “Those who fix their minds on Me, worship Me (in the manifested Form) endowed with shraddha (trust), I consider them to be the best in yoga ” (12.2). Though this answer is specific to Arjuna, it broadly applies to all of us. Secondly, shraddha is the foundation for any spiritual journey. Krishna immediately clarifies that the path of the Formless or Unmanifest is also a path to reach him. He says, “But those who worship the Formless aspect of the Imperishable, the Indescribable, the Unmanifest, the All-pervading, the Incomprehensible, the Unchanging, the Eternal, and the Immutable; by restraining their senses and possess even mindedness in every circumstance, such persons, rejoicing in the welfare of all beings, also attain Me” (12.3-12.4). He compares both paths and says, “For those whose minds are attached to the Unmanifest, the path of realization is full of difficulties. Worship of the Unmanifest is exceedingly difficult for embodied beings” (...