Verse-53
Chapter 11 — Vishwaroop Darshan Yoga
Verse 53
🕉 Original Sanskrit Shloka
näham vedairna tapasā na dānena na cejyayā
śakya evamvidho draştum drşțavānasi māṁ yathā
🕉 English Translation
Ek dil ho jo meri bhakti kare,
Mai jaise hun vaise mujhe jaan le.
Safal hota hai veh dekhne mein mujhe,
Parantap Bhakt aisa mujhme mile.
📜 Translation
English
The form in which you have seen Me, in this form I cannot be viewed either through the medium of the Vedas or by austerity nor by charity or even by sacrifice.
On the path of spirituality one question is ever present-whether God-realization can be attained by self-effort or due to the grace of the Lord. This is being made explicit in this verse by the Lord Himself, "O Parth! As you have seen Me, I cannot be seen by any means like the sacrifice, charity, austerity or the study of the Vedas, etc.
The attainment of the divine is not through self-effort but is the subject of God's grace. The Lord is the power which transcends the senses. With the efforts somewhere or the other, the senses or the mind is associated. Any effort will be an activity which will be connected to some sense. Then the question arises-what is the necessity of the spiritual effort? It is not proper to give up effort. But this should not give rise to arrogance that through self-effort God has been realized; that is why efforts should
Bhagvad Gita
be made by acknowledging this reality. If the effort is mingled with egoism then the benefit of the effort made will not be attained. The benefit of spiritual self-effort is that it purifies the inner-self. In the pure inner-self one experiences divine grace which leads to the attainment of God realization! That is why in the following verse the Blessed Lord clarifies-