Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 14

English Translation

Always glorifying Me and striving, the men of firm vows worship Me by paying obeisance to Me and being ever endowed with devotion.

Detailed Commentary

Explanation of 9.14: 'Nityayuktāh' — Only human beings can remain eternally connected with Bhagavan, always engaged in Him, not in worldly pleasures and accumulation. This is because, from time to time, one grows weary of pleasures and tired of accumulation. However, the objective of attaining Bhagavan and moving towards Him never changes. Being a part of Bhagavan, the Jiva has an unbroken relationship with Him. Until a person recognizes this relationship, they remain distant from Bhagavan. But when they recognize their eternal relationship with Bhagavan, they draw close to Him. They cannot remain separate from Bhagavan, nor do they forget their relationship with Him – this is what it means to be 'nityayukta'. The inherent relationship of a human with Bhagavan, 'I am of Bhagavan and Bhagavan is mine,' never ends; it always remains in the states of jāgrat (wakefulness), svapna (dream), and sushupti (deep sleep), whether performing bhajan, dhyān, or sevā. Just as a person performs other tasks while still considering their parents as their own, so too does the relationship with Bhagavan persist. 'Dṛḍhavratāh' — Those engaged in worldly pleasures and accumulation do not possess firm spiritual resolve (*pāramārthika nishchaya*). But those who have internally transformed their nature to 'We belong to Bhagavan, and Bhagavan belongs to us,' have a firm conviction that 'we do not belong to the world, and the world does not belong to us.' Therefore, 'we must not pursue enjoyment and accumulation, but rather serve Bhagavan.' Their resolve is very firm, and they are never disturbed. There is no weakness in their resolve, because their sole aim is Bhagavan. 'Yatantaś cha' — Just as worldly people nourish their families with affection (*mamata*), so too, Bhagavan's devotees exert themselves for Bhakti. Their efforts, though appearing worldly, are not actually worldly; because all their endeavors are for Bhagavan. 'Bhaktyā kīrtayanto mām' — Those devotees lovingly perform kīrtan of Bhagavan's names, sometimes they do nāma-jap, sometimes they recite scriptures (*pāṭh*), sometimes they narrate stories related to Bhagavan (*Bhagavat-sambandhī bātēṁ*). All these actions related to speech are indeed praise (*stuti*) of Bhagavan. 'Namasyantaś cha' — They reverently offer namaskāra (obeisances) to Bhagavan. If any favorable action occurs through them, they consider it Bhagavan's grace (*kṛpā*). 'Satataṁ māṁ upāsate' — Thus, My exclusive devotees constantly worship Me. Apart from kīrtan, namaskāra, etc., whatever ordinary actions they perform—eating, drinking, sleeping, waking—all are done for Me. All their actions are for My purpose, for My pleasure. Context: There are various types of sādhakas (seekers) who sever ties with the impermanent world (*anitya saṁsāra*) and advance towards the eternal reality (*nitya tattva*). In the previous two verses, the sādhakas of Bhakti were described; now, the description of other sādhakas will follow in the next verse.