श्रीमद् भगवद्गीता

मूल श्लोकः

क्लेशोऽधिकतरस्तेषामव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम्।

अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते।।12.5।।

 

English Commentary By Swami Sivananda

12.5 क्लेशः the trouble, अधिकतरः (is) greater, तेषाम् of those, अव्यक्तासक्तचेतसाम् whose minds are set on the unmanifested, अव्यक्ता the unmanifested, हि for, गतिः goal, दुःखम् pain, देहवद्भिः by the embodied, अवाप्यते is reached.

Commentary:
Worshippers of the Saguna (alified) and the Nirguna (unalified) Brahman reach the same goal. But the latter path is very hard and arduous, because the aspirant has to give up attachment to the body from the very beginning of his spiritual practice.The embodied Those who identify themselves with their bodies. Identification with the body is Dehabhimana. The imperishable Brahman is very hard to reach for those who are attached to their bodies. Further, it is extremely difficult to fix the resltess mind on the formless and attributeless Brahman. Contemplation on the imperishable, attributeless Brahman demands a very sharp, onepointed and subtle intellect. The Upanishad says Drisyate tu agraya buddhya sukshmaya sukshmadarsibhih -- It is seen by subtle seers through their subtle intellect.He who meditates on the unmanifested should possess the four means. Then he will have to approach a Guru who is well versed in the scriptures and who is also established in Brahman. He will have to hear the Truth from him, then reflect and meditate on It.He who realises the Nirguna (attributeless) Brahman attains eternal bliss or Selfrealisation or Kaivalya (Moksha) which is preceded by the destruction of ignorance with its effects. He who realises the Saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes) goes to Brahmaloka and enjoys all the wealth and powers of the Lord. He then gets initiation into the mysteries of the Absolute from Hiranyagarbha and without any effort and without the practice of hearing, reflection and meditation attains, through the grace of the Lord alone, the same state as attained by those who have realised the Nirguna Brahman. Through the knowledge of the Self, ignorance and its effects,are destroyed in the case of the worshippers of the Saguna Brahman also.

English Translation of Abhinavgupta's Sanskrit Commentary By Dr. S. Sankaranarayan

12.3-5 Ye tu etc. upto avapyate. On the other hand, those, who contemplate on the Self as the motionless Brahman - by them also all the attributes of Absolute Lord are superimposed on the Self - the attributes that are indicated by the adjectives 'omni-present' etc. Therefore even the contemplators of the [attributeless] Brahman reach nothing but Me, of course. However, the trouble they undergo, is much more. For, they [first] superimposed on the Self the actonary of attributes like absence-of-sin etc., and then comtemplate on It. Thus, while without any effort [on the part of the contemplator] the Lord is readily available with the greatness due to the host of self-accomplished attributes, these persons undergo two-fold trouble.

English Translation Of Sri Shankaracharya's Sanskrit Commentary By Swami Gambirananda

12.5 Tesam, for them; avyakta-asakta-cetasam, who have their minds attached to the Unmanifest; klesah,the struggle; is adhika-tarah, greater. Although the trouble is certainly great for those who are engaged in works etc. for Me, still owing to the need of giving up self-identification with the body, it is greater in the case of those who accept the Immutable as the Self and who kept in view the supreme Reality. Hi, for; avyakta gatih, the Goal which is the Unmanifest-(the goal) which stands in the form of the Immutable; that is avapyate, attained; duhkham, with difficulty; dehavadbhih, by the embodied ones, by those who identify themselves with the body. Hence the struggle is greater. We shall speak later of the conduct of those who meditate on the Unmanifest.

English Translation By Swami Gambirananda

12.5 For them who have their minds attached to the Unmanifested the struggle is greater; for, the Goal which is the Unmanifest is attained with difficulty by the embodied ones.