In this verse, Shree Krishna emphasizes
bhakti
as the means for attaining him. Earlier, in verse 11.48, he had stated that his universal form can be seen only by devotion. Now, in this verse, Shree Krishna emphatically declares that his two-armed form as he is standing before Arjun can only be realized through
bhakti
. This has been repeatedly stated in the Vedic scriptures
bhaktirevainaṁ nayati bhaktirevainaṁ paśhyati bhaktirevainaṁ darśhayati bhakti vaśhaḥ
puruṣho bhaktireva garīyasī
(Māṭhar Śhruti)[v27]
“Devotion alone will unite us with God; devotion alone will help us see him; devotion alone will help us attain him; God is enslaved by true devotion, which is the best of all paths.”
na sādhayati māṁ yogo na sānkhyaṁ dharma uddhava
na svādhyāyas tapas tyāgo yathā bhaktir mamorjitā
(Bhāgavatam 11.14.20)[v28]
“Uddhav, I come under the control of my devotees and am won over by them. But those who do not engage in devotion can never attain me by practicing
aṣhṭāṅg
yog
, studying
Sānkhya
and other philosophies, performing pious acts and austerities, or cultivating renunciation.”
bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ śhraddhayātmā priyaḥ satām
(Bhāgavatam 11.14.21)[v29]
“I am only attained through
bhakti
. Those who engage in my
bhakti
with faith are very dear to me.”
milahiṅ na raghupati binu anurāgā, kieñ joga tapa gyāna birāgā.
(Ramayan)[v30]
“Without devotion, one can never attain God, no matter how much one endeavors through the practice of
aṣhṭāṅg
yog
, austerities, knowledge, and detachment.”
In the next verse, Shree Krishna describes what
bhakti is.