Bhagavad Gita 12.2
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 2 of 20
मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते।श्रद्धया परयोपेतास्ते मे युक्ततमा मताः ॥
mayyāveśya mano ye māṃ nityayuktā upāsate|śraddhayā parayopetāste me yuktatamā matāḥ ||
Those who fix their mind in Me and worship with supreme śraddhā — these I consider the most perfectly yoked!
Word by word (3)
- mayyāveśya mano ye māṃ nitya-yuktā upāsate
- — Those who, having fixed their mind in Me, worship Me, ever-united · Mayyāveśya = having fixed/placed in Me (mayi = in Me; āveśya = having entered/placed; from ā + viś = to enter into = to fully immerse; āveśa = possession, full entry; mayyāveśya = having fully placed into Me). Manaḥ = the mind (the inner faculty of ordinary thought and intention). Mayyāveśya manaḥ = having placed the mind fully into Me = the mind in Krishna-āveśa (immersion). Ye māṃ = those who Me (relative pronoun). Nitya-yuktāḥ = perpetually united (nitya = ever, perpetually; yukta = yoked; nitya-yukta = ever-yoked/ever-united). Upāsate = worship, sit near, serve (upa + āsate = sit near = to serve/worship by presence). The key addition over V1's satata-yukta: mayyāveśya manaḥ = the MIND is specifically PLACED IN Krishna. Not just devotional action but cognitive orientation: the mind's home is Krishna.
- śraddhayā parayopetās te me yuktatamā matāḥ
- — endowed with supreme śraddhā — these I consider the most perfectly yoked · Śraddhayā = with śraddhā (instrumental; śraddhā = faith, confidence, trust — the word's root: śrat + dhā = placing the heart/head = putting one's very being into = total cognitive commitment). Parayā = supreme/highest (instrumental feminine of para = highest, supreme). Upetāḥ = endowed with, possessing (from upa + √i = to come to = having arrived at having = possessing). Śraddhayā parayopetāḥ = endowed with the highest śraddhā. Te me = those in My opinion. Yuktatamāḥ = the most perfectly yoked (superlative of yukta; yuktatama = the most fully united, the best yogī). Matāḥ = considered (past participle of √man = to think). The verse's answer: śraddhā (faith/trust/commitment) + mano-āveśa (mind-fixation in Krishna) + nitya-yoga (perpetual practice) = yuktatama. The supreme qualifier is not ritual correctness or intellectual sophistication but śraddhā — the total commitment of one's being.
- mayyāveśya manaḥ — the cognitive act of bhakti
- — The mind's placement in Krishna as the defining act of bhakti · Mayyāveśya manaḥ (having placed the mind in Me) is the Gita's most precise description of bhakti's cognitive act. In the psychology of the Gita (Ch.3.40-42's faculty hierarchy: indriya → manas → buddhi → ātman), the manas (mind/sensory processor) is the interface between the outer world and the inner self. When the mind's HOME is Krishna (mayyāveśya), all perception passes through a Krishna-oriented filter. This is different from mere intellectual belief about Krishna — it is the restructuring of ordinary consciousness so that its center-of-gravity is the beloved divine. Compare Ch.6.47 (yoginām api sarveṣāṃ... mad-gatenāntarātmanā = among all yogis, the one who with inner-self gone-to-Me is best).
Those who fix their minds on Me and worship Me, ever steadfast, filled with supreme faith — them I hold to be the most perfectly devoted.
A modern analogy
Like a teacher saying: 'The student who loves what they study so much that it lives in their mind constantly — not just during study hours, but during meals, during walks — that student learns the deepest.' Mayyāveśya = the subject you can't stop thinking about.
Sit with this: Krishna says the key qualifier is śraddhayā parayā (supreme śraddhā/faith) + mind fixed in Me. Is śraddhā (total trust-commitment) something you choose, or something that happens? Can you practice your way into that level of śraddhā, or does it require a gift?
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Those who, fixing their thought on Me, contemplate Me, always devout, endued with supreme faith, those in my opinion are the best Yogins. [1]
Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever-steadfast, and endowed with supreme Shraddha — they in my opinion are the best versed in Yoga. [4]
Whoever serve Me — as I show Myself — Constantly true, in full devotion fixed, Those hold I very holy. [7]
Fixing (their) mind on me, they that constantly adore me, being endued (besides) with the highest faith, are deemed by me to be the most devoted. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Of all yogis, the one whose inner self is merged in Me, worshipping with śraddhā — that one I hold to be most united.
Therefore remember Me at all times and fight — mind and intellect fixed on Me, you will come to Me without doubt.
Do My work, hold Me supreme, be My devotee, attachment-free, without enmity toward all — such a one comes to Me!
I am your student. My mind is bewildered about what is right. Teach me.
Peaceful, fearless, vowed to brahmacharya, mind on Krishna — yoked in practice, with the Supreme as the final goal.
With mind attached, practising yoga, taking refuge in Me — hear how you shall know Me fully, without doubt.
Verse 2 of 20 · back to Chapter 12