But those who contemplate the Imperishable, Indefinable, Unmanifest, Omnipresent, Unthinkable, Unchangeable, Immovable and Eternal. (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 – Verse 3)
Having subdued all the senses, even-minded everywhere, and engaged in doing good to all beings, verily they attain Me. (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 – Verse 4)
Now Bhagavan speaks of the jnanis. They contemplate the Absolute. They worship the Indefinable. Worship, or upasana, means approaching the object of worship by way of meditation on it, in accordance with the teachings of the shastras and the guru, and dwelling steadily in the current of one thought without break, as continuously as a stream of oil runs, poured from one vessel into another. They meditate in order to realize their own divine nature as being one with God. As the flame of a lamp burns without flickering when protected from the wind, so the yogi’s mind shines steadily when protected from the wind of worldly desires. And how do they meditate on God? As the Imperishable Unmanifest, not accessible to words, and therefore not to be defined. He is not manifest to any of the organs of knowledge and therefore He is unthinkable. Because of His omnipresence, He is also immovable. And He is kutasatha, that is, as explained by the commentators, the support of the phenomenal universe; He is the noumenon, the One seated in maya as its witness, as its lord, as Consciousness, never affected by maya.
Those who thus contemplate Bhagavan, curbing all their senses and always poised, whether they meet with fortune or misfortune, always peaceful, no matter where they are or what they do, never dejected and always engaged in doing good to others without selfish motive - verily such persons attain to Me. It needs no saying that they come to Me, for in verse 9.18 Bhagavan has spoken of such jnanis as wise men whom He regards as His very Self. And since they are one with Bhagavan Himself, it needs no saying that they are the best of yogis.
What then is Sri Krishna’s answer to Arjuna’s question? Sri Krishna has said in verse 2 that in His opinion the bhaktas, as there described, are the best versed in yoga. And now He says that the jnanis verily attain unto Him. Can there be anything higher than to attain unto Him? But both cannot be the highest. The answer, as we understand it, is that one is not better than the other. Both paths have their advantages, but they are for different persons. Those who find no satisfaction in worshipping the Personal God will naturally take to jnana. Others will feel attracted to the path of bhakti. That will be for them the more natural course. It may be a longer route, but they find it much easier. It is like climbing a mountain. Some prefer to go straight up. The exertion is greater, but the path is shorter. They like to climb hard and reach the summit quickly. Others prefer the winding path, the gradual ascent, where there is not so much danger of losing one’s footing. It is slower, but surer. It depends on the individual. Some natures crave for love, others want knowledge. Both will reach the goal, each in the way best befitting him. And therefore it is not so much a question of comparison. They are both great. Each is great in his own way. Sri Krishna speaks in praise of both.