Gita 12.10 Bhakti means dedicating our external to the eternal internal instead of the ephemeral internal

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and that means that is life's perfection. Thank you.

So here, Krishna is now giving one more level at which bhakti can be practiced. He's talked about multiple levels at which bhakti can be practiced and here one level he states is that in 12.8 to 12, he's talking about different levels. 12.8, he talks about just being absorbed in him with one's mind and one's intelligence.

In 12.9, he talks about in 12.9, he talks about practicing to fix the consciousness on him and here he talks about if one cannot do that also abhyasa means practice, repeatedly doing this again and again. What was that? So Arjuna, by doing repeated abhyasa, by doing repeated practice, you can come to me, you will get the desire for me and after you get the desire for me, ultimately you will get me. But if that is not possible, then what can be done? If you are incapable of doing abhyasa, Arjuna, work for me.

That means work with your intention fixed in me, with your parama means making that as the supreme, making me as your dedication. Sometimes when we write a book, you know, that the book is dedicated to so and so. So it's a significant statement because when we use that kind of declaration, we have, when we use that kind of specific categorical announcement that, okay, this book is dedicated to so and so.

That means even if that person may not be the subject of that book, sometimes that person may not be even mentioned much in that book. But we understand that this book is, all that is written is ultimately for this person. Now it is out of one's affection, one's appreciation, one's devotion, one's gratitude to that person that his whole book has been written.

So Prabhupada uses the word paramo, I translate here as dedicated to. That means that work, that dedicate your work to me, dedicate your work to me. This means that work in a mood of dedication rather than working in a mood of aggrandizement that, you know, this is what I need, this is what I have to get this, I have to get that, I have to get that.

No, rather than working in a mood of aggrandizement, work in a mood of devotion. Your work, I want it to be devoted to me, dedicated to me and if you work in this way, you will attain perfection. So in one sense, 12.8 and 9 were talking about internals, that internally be absorbed in me.

That was 12.8, and 12.9 was that try to fix your consciousness on me, do the practice, discipline yourself, do this as a matter of discipline. Now 12.10 talks about external, that you work. Now, of course, Krishna is actually here also talking about the internal only because he is talking about the dedication of the external for the internal.

So dedicate, there is the external and internal. Now everybody has something internal. Some people may have internally the desire for money, they may have internally the desire for love, for sex, they may have desire for this, desire for that.

Everybody has something internal. Now, that internal actually is ephemeral. So the power of wealth can give us ephemeral pleasure, beauty to which we are attracted, the beauty in this world is ephemeral.

So everybody has something internal to which their external is dedicated. So a person may work very hard to achieve something, to earn something, to get something. It is because they are inspired by some internal, some internal vision.

And, but the important thing is that what is that internal? If that internal is ephemeral, then there is not much enduring result. But if the internal is eternal, then that brings eternal result. So bhakti involves ensuring that our internal is eternal, that our internal is Krishna, who is not just eternal, the supreme eternal.

So when we devote ourselves to Krishna, when we strive to dedicate our work to Krishna, externally we will be engaged, as we will see that in the example of Arjuna, that externally he does not give up the practice of his Kshatriya Dharma. He does continue his Kshatriya Dharma, but his stress is on, his stress is on devotion to Krishna. His stress is on, his stress is on moving onwards towards, going closer to Krishna.

He does not say at the end of the Bhavata, I'll fight. He says, I will do your will. That means his stress is on doing what Krishna wants him to do.

That means dedicating whatever his work is doing to Krishna. So at a practical level, this verse applies very importantly for all of us. Sadhana Bhakti has a big inner dimension to it, wherein we try to redirect our thoughts towards Krishna.

But additionally, it has a significant external dimension also, wherein we strive tirelessly to take our thoughts towards Krishna. We strive determinately to redirect our thought world towards Krishna by doing our externals for the eternal internal. So we have our jobs, we have our families, we have our hobbies.

We do all of these for Krishna. And by that, we ultimately attain Krishna. It is without doubt.

So work, but work with dedication for Krishna. And by such dedication, one will attain Krishna. That is the assurance of this verse.

So Bhakti doesn't ask us to change our externals. It is not asking Arjuna to renounce the world, but rather to change the internal motivation for.