Bhagavad Gita 13.11
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 11 of 34
मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिर् अव्यभिचारिणी / विविक्तदेशसेवित्वम् अरतिर् जनसंसदि
mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī / vivikta-deśa-sevitvam aratir jana-saṃsadi
Unswerving devotion to Krishna, love of solitude, aversion to crowds — these three close the 20 jñāna qualities!
Word by word (3)
- mayi ca ananya-yogena bhaktiḥ avyabhicāriṇī
- — unswerving devotion to Me through undivided yoga — bhakti that does not waver or turn to other objects (avyabhicāriṇī = non-straying) · Quality 15. Avyabhicāriṇī = avi + abhicāra + iṇī; 'that which does not stray/deviate.' Ananya-yoga = yoga of non-otherness (the same term as ananya-cetasaḥ in Ch.9 V13). That bhakti appears in the jñāna portrait is the Gita's subtle insistence: jñāna without bhakti remains sterile; bhakti is itself a quality of the highest knower.
- vivikta-deśa-sevitvam
- — fondness for solitary/secluded places — seeking quiet, clean, undistracted environments for practice · Quality 16. Vivikta = discriminated, separated, solitary (from vi + vic = to discriminate/separate). Deśa = place. Sevitvam = serving, frequenting, being devoted to. The sādhaka who has viveka (discrimination) naturally seeks vivikta (discriminated/quiet) places. The outer vivikta-deśa reflects the inner vairāgya.
- aratiḥ jana-saṃsadi
- — disrelish/aversion for gatherings of people — distaste for idle crowds, gossip, noisy society · Quality 17. Arati = non-enjoyment, disrelish, the opposite of rati (delight in). Jana-saṃsad = assembly/crowd of people. This is not misanthropy but the natural pull of the contemplative — the mind that is turning inward finds overstimulating social noise to be a genuine obstacle. It is a symptom of vairāgya maturing.
Unswerving devotion to Me through undivided yoga; a love of secluded places, and no taste for the throng of people —
A modern analogy
Quality 16-17 are ecological: a seed germinates best in quiet soil with appropriate conditions. The contemplative mind is the seed — vivikta-deśa is the right soil (quiet, clean, undistracted), and aratir jana-saṃsadi is the natural disinterest in being transplanted to noisy, trampled ground. The seed doesn't hate other environments; it simply flourishes in the right one.
What it does NOT mean
Aratir jana-saṃsadi is not antisocial behaviour or spiritual elitism. The jñānī who has this quality can be among people perfectly well — Chapter 5 already showed the realised one living in the body's city while inwardly renouncing. It is a quality of inner orientation, not a rule of physical withdrawal.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Unswerving devotion to Me by the Yoga of non-separation, resort to sequestered places, distaste for the society of men [4]
[Arnold full chapter text; verse covers unswerving devotion, love of solitude, distaste for crowds] [7]
Devotion to me by the Yoga of non-separation; resorting to sequestered places; absence of fondness for assemblies of men [9]
Devotion to Me through the Yoga of non-mingling with others; resorting to sequestered spots, absence of delight in the company of men [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
With mind attached, practising yoga, taking refuge in Me — hear how you shall know Me fully, without doubt.
This divine māyā of Mine, made of the guṇas, is hard to cross — but those who take refuge in Me alone do cross it.
Four kinds of virtuous persons worship Me: the distressed, the seeker, the ends-seeker, and the wise.
Of the four, the jñānī excels — ever steadfast, one-pointed: I am supremely dear to the wise; the wise is dear to Me.
At the end of many births, the wise takes refuge in Me — 'Vāsudeva is all.' That great soul is exceedingly rare.
Whatever form a devotee seeks to worship with śraddhā — that very faith I make unwavering.
Verse 11 of 34 · back to Chapter 13