Now Lord Krsna conclude...
ye tu dharmyāmṛtam idaṁ yathoktaṁ paryupāsate | śraddadhānā matparamā bhaktāste ‘tīva me priyāḥ ||12.20||
However, those who follow this life that is in keeping with dharma leading to immortality, as was told, who are endowed with śraddhā and for whom I am the ultimate, those devotees are exceedingly beloved to Me.
ye tu - however, to indicate for those who are not jñānī, yet on the way to pursue self-knowledge, they are: 1.karmayogī who meditates upon nirguna-brahman, 2.karmayogī who meditates upon saguna-brahman, 3.karmayogī who doesn't meditate, and 4.one who does whatever he/she desires as long as acknowledges the grace of Īśvara. dharmyam - they are people who don't move away from dharma. This life of dharma which consists of conducting oneself in keeping with the description of a wise man that was just told - idaṁ yathoktaṁ, is the means for liberation - āmṛtam. The wise man's natural expression becomes the values of those who seek this wisdom. They are able to pursue this well and with great enthusiasm because they are śraddadhānā - endowed with śraddhā towards Īśvara, the śāstra, the teacher, and in themselves. Through śraddhā towards Īśvara in the form of prayer we gather the grace of Īśvara which is called Īśvara-krpā. Because of śraddhā in śāstra, there is śāstra-krpā whereby what the śāstra says is understood properly. Otherwise śāstra will be interpreted differently. We also require teacher's grace - guru-krpa who can communicate the teaching of śāstra , and finally your own - ātmā-krpa, having a healthy attitude towards myself and this pursuit. When they are all there, one will have conducive situations and atmosphere, and trust in oneself then knowledge can take place.
Lord Krsna makes it very clear by saying matparamāh - those whose commitment is to Īśvara, they are atīva me priyāḥ - exceedingly beloved to me. If one invoking the grace of Īśvara for the sake of health or economic welfare or any other reason, then one's commitment is to those things, no to Īśvara. There is nothing wrong with that but the one who wants to know Īśvara, is an entirely different thing. He is a jijñāsu - one who desires of jñānam, because there is no moksa other than the knowledge of Īśvara. Therefore one has to recognise Īśvara for whom one must necessarily be matparamāh.
om tat sat. This is the twelfth chapter in which the topic is bhakti.
Introduction to chapter 13th.
Gītā is having its subject matter in the Upanisad mahāvākya - sentence which reveals "tat tvam asi - you are that", a statement which contains the whole teaching of vedānta. "You" means the person who is addressed, the jīva who wants to be enlightened, was the theme for the first six chapters. "That" is Īśvara, to whom the individual is equated in this statement, was the theme for seventh to twelfth chapter. The first chapter talked about the fundamental problem of individual jīva who sorrows over the nature of impermanence of the manifested world because of the ignorance and attachment. In our life we usually resort to various methods to release sorrow like entertainment, accomplishment even helping people. Here, Arjuna no longer wants to resort to any mode of escape but wants to address the problem, even earlier he wanted to run away through renunciation. Thus, in second chapter Arjuna placing himself at the Lord's feet as a disciple. And the teaching began with the knowledge of the real meaning of the word tvam - you, the pratyagātmā - the inner self was unfolded as avināsī - one who is not subject to destruction, nitya - eternal, ajam - one who is unborn and avyayam - not subject to change. Individual - jīva is not the body-mind-sense-complex which is born, going through all the changes and destroyed at the end. Jīva is the one who witnesses the changes and assumes another body after death. Since jīva is immortal, you are grieving over that which is not deserved to be grieved. Further Lord Krsna said that weapon doesn't cut, fire doesn't burn, etc. In these various verses the nature of pratyagātmā, which is equated to Īśvara, was unfolded.
Since Arjuna doesn't understand the teaching, Lord Krsna presents the means karma-yoga for Arjuna as qualification to understand this knowledge, which extends to third chapter. Arjuna expressed his doubt about whether he should adopt a life of sannyāsa, or continue with karma-yoga, then Lord Krsna presents two fold commitment lifestyle namely karma-yoga and sannyāsa, but self-knowledge is the only means. Then fourth chapter unfolds the real nature of sannyāsa - renunciation as giving up of actions through knowledge - jñānakarmasannyāsa, again revealing that the pratyagātmā - inner self is not an agent of any action - akartā. "The one who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is the one who has discrimination, and has done all that is to be done" (Gītā 4.18). In fifth chapter sannyāsa is further unfolded that prayagātma is not a doer - akarta or experiencer - abhoktā. Even seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, and so on. In sixth chapter contemplation upon the pratyagātma is advised. Thus the first six chapters are centred on the word "you" in the sentence "that you are".
The whole emphasis changed when Lord Krsna talks about Īśvara, the meaning of the word "that", as the cause of the entire world. There are two aspect/nature of Īśvara which are called jñānam and vijñānam. Jñānam here means the lower nature, which is the entire manifested world, and vijñānam is the higher nature by which the entire world is sustained (Gītā 7.4). All beings and elements are having their cause in this two fold prakrti. Then Lord Krsna talks about māyā which endowed with triguna. Because of these two fold prakrti, Īśvara attained the status of creator, sustainer, and resolution ground of the universe. Explanation of the meaning "that" continues to eighth and ninth chapter. In tenth chapter he talks of the glories - vibhūthi of Īśvara, and in eleventh chapter he shows the cosmic form - viśvarūpa. Twelfth chapter onwards (Gītā 12.13) the characteristic of jñānī. The knowledge by which this jñānī is equated to Īsvara becomes the subject matter of the next six chapters. For the purpose of ascertainment the truth of Īśvara which endowed with two fold prakrti which seemingly opposite to each other, through description of two fold prakrti characterised by ksetra - field and ksetrajña - knower of the field, the thirteenth chapter is started.