मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी ।
विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि ।। १३.१० ।।

mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir-avyabhicāriṇī |
vivikta-deśa-sevitvam-aratir-jana-saṁsadi || 13.10 ||

When one turns spiritual, his focus is on himself – the different levels of his personality – to incorporate in it the appropriate wisdom, refinement and sublimity. It is for this reason that Krishna has been explaining how a seeker must unfailingly imbibe spiritual sublimation. By way of elaboration, he lists a number of virtues and excellences that inevitably go with spiritual wisdom, so much so that to be spiritual is to be a repository of such sublimational virtues.

Unflinching devotion and loyalty to Me, the Teacher, who exposes the supreme Truth; the habit of seeking seclusion and finding joy in it; lack of interest in and disinclination to be with crowds…..

These austere notes always go with spiritual inclination and should naturally grace a seeker. In other words, if one becomes a seeker of the supreme Reality, he will spontaneously be given to these. These sublime notes alone will be delighting the seeker’s mind.

Spiritual life definitely implies turning to the one great Source within, to find all the interest, delight, inspiration, creativity and fulfillment there. For one given to spiritual seeking, this kind of inner turn, this subjective devotion and affinity, is an indispensable, inevitable development.

Normally, devotion (bhakti ) is taken to be a clinging to an external God sensorily and emotionally. Impelled by such an addiction, the devotee indulges in ceremonial worship, praise and adoration of his beloved Deity. But in spiritual life, such flair loses its relevance. The usual religious practices, can at best be mere preliminaries.

True devotion must have its relevance and focus in the subtle pulsations of mind and intelligence. Everything about these comes to be observed, evaluated, improved and refined at every stage. Such inner attunement and refinement alone will mean true seeking and a clear means for spiritual attainment.

An important part of spiritual wisdom, says Krishna, is the preservation of unflinching or unswerving devotion to the Teacher. The external God could be an object of faith to begin with. But, when a devotee like Arjuna stands as a seeker, aspiring for sreyas (lasting goodness and fulfillment), one like Krishna, who can take up the role of a Teacher, alone can fulfill the quest.

Obviously, for such a seeker, the external God or faith on anything external does not arise at all. He is driven and empowered by his quest. He places it before the Knower Teacher, with resolve and pious resignation.

It is for the Teacher then to tell the seeker in very clear terms, what he has to do, as does Krishna to Arjuna. The seeker then has to pin his attention on whatever is heard from the Teacher and imbibe it wholeheartedly. He has to make it a full, vibrant, wholesome pursuit.

That determines the degree of his success. No desultoriness, distraction or distrust should intercept his commitment.

Krishna uses two words here, characteristic of such spiritual devotion and fidelity:

Ananyayoga (unflinching steadfastness and resolve): The seeking mind has to be watchful, self-observant to ensure that such ananyata is imbibed and preserved throughout. In the 11th chapter, after revealing the visvarupa, Krishna pin-pointed how ananya-bhakti alone would empower the seeker to gain the universal visvarupa dimension.

The second word Krishna adds is avyabhicarini bhaktih. This is a very poignant phrase, which must go deep into the seeking mind. Vyabhicara generally means waywardness. The wavering mind goes on looking to many a source for its delight and endearment. There is no sense of selection or resolve in its flair. Not to stick to anything is its wont. It lacks fixity of purpose, faith or restfulness.

Krishna disallows such an attitude outright. To be a seeker is to be adorned with discrimination, evaluation and resoluteness. In the devotional relationship with the Teacher, the spiritual seeker must foster an unwavering, singular attitude. Then only the seeking becomes wholesome and will fruition. How well Arjuna accepts Krishna’s instructions and focuses his attention on them is important, nay the sole consideration. The seeker’s reliance on the Teacher and his words is the decisive factor in leading to fulfillment.

The goal is the inner Soul. It rests within one’s own body. Why should the seekers not then be focused within themselves and achieve the end the earliest? Obviously, fullness of attention, fixity of purpose, wholesomeness in resolve and dedication are the only lack, causing hindrance. All these are the witchcraft of the mind, caused by vyabhicara (waywardness) and lack of ananyatva (exclusiveness). As the supreme Reality is but One, the loyal approach to It should be equally singular. That is why Krishna emphasizes ‘unswervingness’ and ‘exclusiveness’ in such powerful words.

Vivikta-desa-sevitvam: By this is meant cultivation of the spiritual habit of seeking lonely and secluded places to spend there as much time as possible. How does such a practice help?

As long as the seeker is in the company of people with their hectic secular activities, his mind and senses will be prone to get involved with the same trends. Distractions and resultant tensions cannot be avoided. It is very difficult not to react to situations, places and people. Every interaction will have its sure impact in the mind.

It is not possible for the senses to be active without involvement of the mind. So initially, the best way will be to leave such worldly interactional pressures and go to a place or situation where such external pulls would not be. Seclusion becomes a desirable, nay natural, choice.

In the absence of external interactions, the mind will be inclined to look into itself, its own subtle working. Introspection then becomes natural. Once that is on, the process is bound to bestow its sublime effects. Very soon the seeker will develop spiritual and philosophical reflection, vicara, marking the beginning of zeal and depth in seeking.

Krishna develops and emphasizes the idea further by laying down the tenet of aratih-jana-samsadi. The desire, nay urge, to be with a crowd or gathering is characteristic of the human heart. Festivals and melas have become a cultural routine for this reason. Even the poor folk of villages have the yearning for festivals and congregational festivity. They love to spend for such events, squeezing their meagre resources.

But the spiritual seeker must mark a clear distinction, a departure from this. If his focus is on the inner Soul, the merry-making company with others will not be of any help to him. What he should seek is as much of aloneness as possible. That alone will give him the chance to look within and strive to build up spiritual depth and expanse. More of purity, piety and self-abidance will then begin to adorn him.

People generally grumble about loneliness as they grow old. Youngsters too do not like the plight. If the old do understand and take to spiritual pursuit with sufficient interest and dedication, they will not be bothered by loneliness.

There are a number of Texts ranging from the Upanishads to the Puranas and allied scriptures. All of them discuss spiritual and philosophical truths and principles. One can, according to his sensibility, take to any of these. Loneliness will then be creatively rewarding. Often people say that they have no time to read and think. If seclusion is adopted as a much desired virtue, it will resolve their problem and make spiritual pursuit easy and comfortable.