What is the right order of greatness of the different forms of worship?

[Dr. Nikhil asked: Padanamaskarams Swamiji, I request You to kindly clarify the apparent contradiction in the correct order of greatness in the forms of worship namely, practice, knowledge, devotion, service, and sacrifice, which appear in the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. At You Divine Lotus Feet, Nikhil.

What is the right order of greatness of the different forms of worship?

In the twelfth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa initially explains that worshipping the mediated form of God preferable to worshipping the formless God (Avyaktāhi gatir duḥkham…৷৷12.5৷৷. Therefore, Lord Kṛṣṇa recommends to Arjuna to worship the mediated form of God, which is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. In the eighth verse, Lord Kṛṣṇa asks to Arjuna to immerse his mind in the devotion to Kṛṣṇa (Mayyeva mana ādhatsva), and his intellect in the divine knowledge of Kṛṣṇa (Mayi buddhiṃ niveśaya). He assures Arjuna that if Arjuna does this, he will certainly attain permanent association with Kṛṣṇa (Nivasiṣyasi mayyeva, ata ūrdhvaṃ na saṃśayaḥ ৷৷12.8৷৷). Lord Kṛṣṇa says that in case Arjuna is unable to fix his mind and intellect on Kṛṣṇa, as mentioned above, he should attempt to achieve the same through practice (Atha cittaṃ samādhātuṃ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram, abhyāsa yogena tato māmicchāptuṃ dhanañjaya ৷৷12.9৷৷). Lord Kṛṣṇa further says that if Arjuna is unable to practice as mentioned above, he should serve Kṛṣṇa, treating Kṛṣṇa’s (personal) service to be the highest, which will take him to the final goal (abhyāsē’pyasamarthō’si mat-karma-paramō bhava. madarthamapi karmāṇi kurvan siddhiṃ avāpsyasi ৷৷12.10৷৷). Finally, Lord Kṛṣṇa says that if Arjuna is incapable of even serving Him, then Arjuna could simply sacrifice all the fruits of his actions to Kṛṣṇa (Athaitadapyaśaktō’si kartuṃ madyōgamāśritaḥ. Sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṃ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān ৷৷12.11৷৷). Since only on being unable to perform the earlier form of worship, the subsequent forms of worship are recommended, one infers that devotion, knowledge, practice, service, and sacrifice, must be in decreasing order of greatness.

However, surprisingly, in Verse 12, Lord Kṛṣṇa declares that practice (abhyāsa), knowledge, devotion, (service), and the sacrifice of the fruit of work, are in increasing order of greatness. This is more or less in the opposite order of what is expressed in Verses 8–11. Could You kindly resolve this apparent contradiction?]

Swami replied: It is a good doubt indeed. In the earlier verses of Gita, God Krishna told the descending order of importance from left to right in the list of knowledge, devotion, service and sacrifice of fruit of work. But, in the final subsequent verse (śreyo hi jñāna mabhyāsāt…), the same God Krishna is telling the ascending order of importance of the same four items. It looks like a clear contradiction of opposite concepts. This is the objection raised by Dr. Nikhil.

Before answering this question, we have to recognise two types of people in the world.

(1) First type:- This type of people are of two sub types:- (a) People having no time to spend their mind, intelligence and work for the sake of God since they are always involved in worldly work of their business or profession, but have sufficient finance. (b) People, who are very lazy to use mind or intelligence or body for the work of God, but have sufficient finance due to their ancestral wealth etc. This first type of people (including both of the above mentioned sub types) are ready to sacrifice some finance but are not ready to sacrifice mind or intelligence or work. In the case of this first type of people, the descending order mentioned by God becomes correct.

(2) Second type:- These people are very much ready to sacrifice mind, intelligence and work, but not any finance due to their inherent greediness. (Sometimes, some of these people may not have sufficient finance to do the sacrifice of fruit of work. But, this point is not valid because the sacrifice of fruit of work is not given any importance in its magnitude. This means that in such case, whatever little possible sacrifice is done, that will be considered as a very great sacrifice because the percentage of sacrificed money in the total possessed money is the real important point.) In these people, greediness alone is the hindering factor. This type of people constitutes the majority of humanity. For the sake of this second type of people, God mentioned the ascending order of these four items in the list.

The intention of God is to help every type of human being irrespective of his/her psychology to uplift the soul in the spiritual path. By these verses, God covered all types of people in the creation. Hence, there is no contradiction between the two opposing concepts since they cover the entire humanity. The tragedy of all the people is that they are donating something like mind or intelligence or work or fruit of work for the sake of God not due to full faith in the existence of God, but due to the probable existence of God in this infinite space based on 50:50 probability! The real devotees having hundred percent faith in the existence of God are countable on fingers (kaścit māṃ vetti tattvataḥ – Gita).

★ ★ ★ ★ ★