| Discourses On Gita By Acharya Vinoba Bhave |
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| Discourses On Gita |
| BHAKTI : SAGUNA AND NIRGUNA |
| The saguna devotee and the nirguna devotee - both children of the same mother 3. Now, in the Twelfth Chapter we come to the end of the treatment of the philosophy of bhakti. Arjuna questioned the Lord here about the perfect state, as once before in the Fifth Chapter he questioned Him at the end of the discussion about the philosophy of life. Arjuna asks, "Lord, some worship you as saguna, with form, others as nirguna, without form. Tell me which of the two pleases you more." 4. What answer could the Lord give? This is like asking a mother to choose between her two sons. One of the two is a little child, who clings to his mother, who is filled with joy at sight of his mother, and cries when he is parted from her even for a moment. Without her the world seems empty to him. This is the younger son. The other son is older. He too loves his mother dearly, but he has grown up and has reached the age of discretion. He can bear to stay away from his mother. Even if he has to stay away from her for five or six months, he would not mind it. He serves his mother, taking full responsibility on himself. Because he is busy with his work, he is able to endure separation from her. He is respected by the world, and his mother is happy listening to people speaking highly of him. That is the elder son. |
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