Introduction
Krsna speaks about bhakti or devotion in these verses. You see, devotion can be one of the most powerful ways to reach God. Many saints showed the world the path of devotion. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was devoted to Krsna. He sang songs and danced in ecstasy while singing about Krsna. Mira was another devotee of Krsna who was in love with Him. Mira's devotional songs, Mira bhajans, are sung even today to show her devotion towards Krsna.
Devotion is one of the most powerful ways to reach God, however, it depends on how we express devotion. Many people go to temples. Some people have a habit of going to a particular temple every week. Going to temples becomes a fashion statement. Making mechanical visits to the temple is just a sort of ego. We mostly go to temples to ask for something. We make business deals with God. As long as God gives what we want, he is our God, otherwise, He is no longer God. Our prayers should express our devotion, gratitude, and love to God. All great devotees of Krsna and Rama showed complete gratitude and love. When devotion reaches that state, they reach the ultimate consciousness.
Prayers are powerful, however, we should not get stuck at prayers. They are good for initial stages. When we pray, we are stuck in words. We should go beyond words. Our devotion should help us see the ultimate energy behind the idol of Krsna or Rama. Actually, complete devotion puts us in a completely different plane. When we show our devotion to someone, we surrender ourselves to him or her.
Krsna continues to explain to Arjuna the ways in which people worship Him. Here he talks about the path of jnana, knowledge: those following the path of knowledge try to worship Me by acquiring and propagating knowledge. Understand, mere accumulation of knowledge only increases ego. It does not give enlightenment. Internalize the knowledge by meditation and contemplation, and relate it to experiential wisdom. Then the breeze of joy will flow into your life. Many people read many books and scriptures. Many people discuss spirituality and have debates over this subject. Debates are not wrong, but the motive with which they discuss should be correct. If they discuss to show others how much they know, then they are debating purely out of ego. Please be very clear, if we show off our knowledge to show how much we know, there is no use of that knowledge.
The only way knowledge in the scriptures helps us is through experience. Instead of debating, apply it in day-to-day activities. See the results on yourself first. Only when we experience it, we have the right to speak about it to others. Till then, they are mere words. Meditation helps us here, especially in the path of jnana or knowledge. You see, in the path of devotion all we have to do is pray to some form. We must completely surrender. Actually that is difficult. In the path of devotion at least we have someone to whom we can pray and look up to. In the path of knowledge, there is no reference point. There is nothing called you and He. In the path of devotion, there is a clear separation between Krsna and us. Here, Krsna says that everything is Krsna. Everything is one.
When we meditate, we connect to our inner space. The scriptures, the Upanisad, talk about microcosm and macrocosm. Actually, they are one and the same. If we talk about this knowledge without experience, all our knowledge is only words. The difference happens when we experience that truth. During meditation, we merge with the cosmic energy. We enter that space where our inner space merges with the outer space. In the path of devotion, even if we meditate on the form, after a point we will see that there is no form. We experience the same thing as in the path of knowledge. Nothing is better than the other.