Gita 12.04 Don’t treat impersonalists impersonally – they are not all the same

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Bhagavad Gita 12.4 Here Krishna is answering Arjuna's question about the nature of the worship, nature and destination of the worship of the impersonal absolute and how it is to be done. So in the previous verse, this is a set of two verses 12.3 and 4, 12.3 describes the characteristics of the absolute, of the impersonal absolute.

And 12.4 here describes the characteristics of, describes, of the worshipper of the impersonal absolute. Sanyamendriya. They control the senses.

Gramam, all the senses. Sanyamendriya. Miniyamya samantataham.

Systematically, from all directions. Te prapnuvantimameva. They too attain.

Sarva-bhutahitairataham. Those who are engaged in the welfare of all living beings. So Krishna states here that even those who worship the impersonal absolute, they too will attain Him.

Now the way they will attain Him is described in the next text, where it is said, Klesho dhiktarashtesham. Avyaktasakta-chetasam. Avyakta-hikatir-dukkham.

Dehavad-vir-avapyate. So Klesha. So Krishna uses two words, Klesha and Dukkha, to convey that progress on this path is actually quite distressing.

It is not pleasant. Krishna has said in the 9th chapter how Bhakti-yoga is susukham kartamauyam. 9.2. Here he is saying Klesha and Dukkha.

That is the next verse. In this verse, Krishna says that te prapnuvantimameva. They too will attain Me.

So Arjuna's question was, who are metal? Is it the evam sattva-yuktaye bhaktasthom paripasate? Ye chaapya aksharam avyaktam teshaam ke yoga-vittamaham. So among the yogis and the bhaktas, among those who worship the impersonal, among the those who worship the personal absolute, ke yoga-vittamaham, who is the best? So Krishna has said, teme yuktamo mataham. In 12.2, yes.

Mayyaveshyamanoyam yukta-yukta-upasate, daya-parayopetas, teme yuktatamo mataham. Those who worship Me in a personal manifestation, they are the best. Krishna is saying that those who worship the impersonal, they are not bad.

They are, they will also attain, but they will attain Me. Te prapnuvantimameva. They also or they certainly, they too will attain Me.

So when we are on the personalist, when we are devotees worshipping the personal absolute, there is the possibility, even the probability of developing severe antipathy towards the impersonalist. Now, not all impersonalists are the same. Now, we can't have an impersonal understanding of impersonalism.

That means there are impersonalists who are offensive to the personal absolute and they are talked about in 9.11 and 12 when Krishna says, avajanantimamurham manushim tanum ashritam parambhavamajanantam bhootamahesvaram moghahasa moghakarvanam moghagyana abhishekasah rakshasimhasurim chaiva prakritim mohinim shuddhaha There Krishna says that those who misunderstand Him, those who think that He has become human because of having come in a human form, He has taken shelter of a human form, they are mudha and moghasa and whatever they do, that becomes in vain. In fact, they take shelter of the demoniac nature, far from the divine nature, which Krishna will talk about in the next verses, daivim prakritim ashritam in 9.13 and 14 he talks about them. So clearly, there are certain impersonalists who are offensive to the form of Krishna, saying that it is a product of maya.

And then Krishna strongly condemns. But there are impersonalists who may be simply attracted to the impersonal aspect of the absolute. And such people, they may become attracted to the impersonal aspect simply because that is the prevailing notion.

That's the conception of the absolute that they have got from their culture, from their elders, from whatever spiritualists they have come in contact with. And they may not have any antipathy towards Krishna's personal form. They may just be somehow, based on whatever they have learned, they may think that merging with the impersonal is the ultimate goal.

But such people, if they're not offensive towards the personal absolute, then they are not to be condemned. Krishna is saying over here, they too will attain me. So far from being condemned, Krishna is saying that they will attain me.

It is as positive a declaration as Krishna can give in this situation. Of course, this is not the best way to attain Him. There is a lot of distress that comes through in this process when they attain Him.

But still, they do attain Him. The point is that they do attain. And that is the important thing which one just needs to stress.

So that means, if we encounter some people who speak some impersonal sounding terminology, we don't have to immediately label them as envious of Krishna or as offensive or anything like that. We can actually give them the benefit of doubt and help them understand in a non-confrontational way how the personal aspect of the absolute, how the personal absolute is the highest reality. If they can understand this, then they can actually take the faster process to spiritual elevation.

And thus, they can come to Krishna faster. So here, Krishna encourages accommodating attitude and appreciative attitude, saying that they too will attain me. Now, of course, the Acharyas explain that they will attain Krishna, not the personal Krishna, they will attain Krishna in the form of the, in His manifestation as the impersonal absolute.

And that is also natural because that is what they want. They are not attracted to the personal manifestation. They are worshipping the impersonal and they will attain the impersonal.

As all people surrender unto me, I reward them accordingly. So Krishna says here, that those who worship the impersonal, they will attain the impersonal. They will attain me in my impersonal manifestation.

And Krishna talks about them also in a positive light, two ways. One is He is saying, that they regulate their senses thoroughly and then they are also engaged in the welfare of all living beings. So the impersonal sadhana for attaining the impersonal Brahman also is quite rigorous.

They have to control the senses and they have to become equally disposed, in fact, not just equally disposed, but benevolently disposed towards all living beings. By so doing, then they can then they will attain me.