Why does the Gita give its essence of bhakti in its middle and not at its end?
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Question So if the Bhagavad Gita’s central message, essential message is Bhakti then why is it given in the center instead of at the end I have heard a sandwich metaphor to explain it but then usually a book’s most important message comes at the end Answer, yes the Bhagavad Gita does talk about Bhakti at its end also it’s very clear at the end sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja give up everything else and just surrender to me man-manabhav man-bhakto so 18 verse 65 and 66 are very clearly Bhakti verses so the Bhagavad Gita does talk about Bhakti at the end no doubt now along with that when we understand the Bhagavad Gita’s message, it has its own flow so sometimes it is said that the first 6 chapters talk about karma the second 6 chapters talk about Bhakti and the third 6 chapters talk about Jnana last 6 chapters, but it’s not like that exactly the first 6 chapters talk about karma more in terms of how karma culminates in Bhakti second 6 chapters focus on Bhakti and the last set of 6 chapters talk about how Jnana culminates in Bhakti so in that sense, the thread of Bhakti permeates the whole of the Bhagavad Gita and it is most clearly manifested towards the end of each section so for example 5th chapter ends with so the Yajnas which are a part of Karma Kanda, Krishna says that they end in the practice of Bhakti to understand Krishna as our greatest well-wisher another way is that a Karma Yogi may renounce the world and take up Dhyan Yoga or Ashtang Yoga and Krishna talks about how Ashtang Yoga also ends in Bhakti in 6.47 then chapters 6-12 talk about Bhakti specifically, they focus on Bhakti and it culminates in 12.13-20 it talks about the qualities of devotees and from chapter 13 onwards, Krishna talks about the process of Jnana, Arjuna asks questions about terms which are associated with Sankhya and Arjuna answers those questions and does he lead the thought onwards from the 13th chapter to the 18th chapter where the 18th chapter also culminates in showing how the summit of Jnana practice is to attain Bhakti it’s 18.454, so one was Brahman realized that person attains my Bhakti, Parabhakti pure devotion thus the Bhagavad Gita throughout its flow points towards the conclusion of Bhakti at the same time, the Bhagavad Gita is not exclusive exclusive means it doesn’t reject other paths it tells that the other paths also have their utility so for example it says that Sanyasa and Karma Yoga giving up activity and doing activity both of them Nishreyasa, both can lead towards liberation both are auspicious, but but among them Karma Yoga is better means basically action with renounced mood rather than renunciation of action that is better so the Bhagavad Gita recognizes that other paths paths different from Bhakti also have an important place in the path of spiritual growth for people and as we keep practicing those paths we all evolve but for those who want to evolve faster in the fastest way for them Bhakti Yoga is recommended 8.14 Krishna says it is the only place where Krishna says that he can be easily attained and he can be easily attained through the practice of Bhakti so that Bhakti is the recommended way in the Bhagavad Gita throughout