kleśho ’dhikataras teṣhām avyaktāsakta-chetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ dehavadbhir avāpyate
kleśhaḥ — tribulations;
adhika-taraḥ — full of;
teṣhām — of those;
avyakta — to the unmanifest;
āsakta — attached;
chetasām — whose minds;
avyaktā — the unmanifest;
hi — indeed;
gatiḥ — path;
duḥkham — exceeding difficulty;
deha-vadbhiḥ — for the embodied;
avāpyate — is reached
This verse discusses the challenges faced by people, known as jnana-yogis, who try to connect with a higher power in a way that is abstract and without form. They focus on the idea of a formless God, which they believe is everywhere but cannot be seen or understood easily. This approach is called jnana-yoga, or the path of knowledge.
On the other hand, there are people known as bhakti-yogis, who worship a personal form of God, like Krishna. This type of worship is called bhakti-yoga. It is a more straightforward path because it involves serving and loving someone you can picture and feel connected to, rather than trying to connect with something that cannot be grasped.
The verse explains that for those who are trying to understand and focus on the unmanifested aspect of God, it is very hard to make progress. The reason for this is that as people living in physical bodies, we are used to things that we can see, touch, and experience. The idea of something that is not visible or personal is very hard to understand and connect with. Our minds are naturally attached to our physical experiences and the world around us.
This is why bhakti-yogis find it easier to connect with God. They can worship Krishna in a temple, seeing Him in a form that they can relate to. This form helps them feel a sense of closeness and connection. When they offer their devotion, prayers, and love, it feels more natural because they are interacting with a being they can envision and can have a relationship with.
It's also important to understand that worshiping the deity of Krishna in the temple is not the same as idol worship in a superficial sense. According to ancient texts, there are two ways to worship God: one involves attributes (where God has form, like in bhakti-yoga) and the other is without attributes (where God is formless, like in jnana-yoga). Worshiping God in a form, like a statue or image made of stone, wood, or paint, is considered saguna worship, which means it involves qualities. Although these forms are made of materials, they symbolically represent the divine being, which is not limited to materials.
This highlights that while the forms may seem ordinary, they are actually connecting us to something deeply spiritual. For many people, this tangible connection is crucial for understanding and feeling the presence of the divine, making their spiritual journey more accessible and rewarding.