1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 12 - Bhakti Yoga - Sloka 5

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of Bhagavad Gita  published by Ramakrishna Mission

If both ways of worship are one and the same, may one adopt any method according to one's liking? No, one should not, for:

Brahman With or Without Attributes 1-5

1 Gita Sloka  every day - Chapter 12 - Bhakti Yoga - Sloka 5

Lord Varadaraja of Kanchi

Kleshah adhika tarah tesham avyakta asakta chetasam I

Avyaktah hi gatih dukham deva vadbhih avapyate II sloka 5

क्लेशः अधिचेतसां क तरः तेषां अव्यक्त आसक्त I

अव्यक्तः हि गतिः दुखम् देव वद्भिः अवाप्यते II श्लोक 5 

Greater is their difficulty  whose minds are set on the Unmanifested, for the goalof the Unmanifested is very hard for the embodied to reach.

Though the goal is the same, the worship of Godwithout form is very difficult for the sadhaka soaked in body-consciousness. As he thinks of himself with form, he can not help thinking of God as also with form. The worship of Saguna Brahmanis easy. He who adores Nirguna Brahman has to be free from body-feeling right from the beginning. But the attainment of that state is not possible for all. The easy and natural course for the sadhaka is to proceed with the worship of God with form.

Then how should the sadhaka proceed with the worship of God? The answer follows