arjuna uvāca
evaḿ satata-yuktā ye
bhaktās tvāḿ paryupāsate
ye cāpy akṣaram avyaktaḿ
teṣāḿ ke yoga-vittamāḥ

Translation

Arjuna inquired: Which are considered to be more perfect, those who are always properly engaged in Your devotional service or those who worship the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested?

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayy āveśya mano ye māḿ
nitya-yuktā upāsate
śraddhayā parayopetās
te me yukta-tamā matāḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect.

ye tv akṣaram anirdeśyam
avyaktaḿ paryupāsate
sarvatra-gam acintyaḿ ca
kūṭa-stham acalaḿ dhruvam

sanniyamyendriya-grāmaḿ
sarvatra sama-buddhayaḥ
te prāpnuvanti mām eva
sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ

Translation

But those who fully worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the perception of the senses, the all-pervading, inconceivable, unchanging, fixed and immovable—the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth—by controlling the various senses and being equally disposed to everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all, at last achieve Me.

kleśo ’dhika-taras teṣām
avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaḿ
dehavadbhir avāpyate

Translation

For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.

ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi
mayi sannyasya mat-parāḥ
ananyenaiva yogena
māḿ dhyāyanta upāsate

teṣām ahaḿ samuddhartā
mṛtyu-saḿsāra-sāgarāt
bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha
mayy āveśita-cetasām

Translation

But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pritha—for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.

mayy eva mana ādhatsva
mayi buddhiḿ niveśaya
nivasiṣyasi mayy eva
ata ūrdhvaḿ na saḿśayaḥ

Translation

Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.

atha cittaḿ samādhātuḿ
na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram
abhyāsa-yogena tato
mām icchāptuḿ dhanañ-jaya

Translation

My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me.

abhyāse ’py asamartho ’si
mat-karma-paramo bhava
mad-artham api karmāṇi
kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi

Translation

If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage.

athaitad apy aśakto ’si
kartuḿ mad-yogam āśritaḥ
sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaḿ
tataḥ kuru yatātmavān

Translation

If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.

śreyo hi jñānam abhyāsāj
jñānād dhyānaḿ viśiṣyate
dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas
tyāgāc chāntir anantaram

Translation

If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.