Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita – Bhakti Yoga (The Path of Devotion) outlines how a person can attain the Supreme through loving devotion. Krishna explains that those who worship Him with unwavering devotion, fixing their minds and hearts on Him, are especially dear to Him. While it speaks in the language of duality—devotee and God—it gently leads the seeker inward, toward the realization of unity, which is central to Advaita Vedanta.

From the Advaita viewpoint, all distinctions between the devotee (jiva) and the Supreme (Brahman) ultimately dissolve. What appears as a relationship between "I" and "God" is a provisional truth. Bhakti, as described in this chapter, becomes a powerful means for transcending ego and identity. When the mind is fully absorbed in the object of devotion, the boundaries between subject and object begin to fade, revealing the non-dual truth: "Aham Brahmasmi" – I am Brahman.

Although Advaita emphasizes knowledge (jnana) as the direct path to liberation, it does not reject devotion. In fact, mature bhakti naturally ripens into jnana. A true devotee, even if starting with the belief in a separate personal God, may eventually realize that the God they love and the Self they are, are not two. Thus, Bhakti Yoga becomes a doorway to Advaitic realization, not its contradiction.

In this way, the Gita harmonizes both the devotional and non-dual approaches. Chapter 12 emphasizes personal love toward God, but subtly points to the fact that when devotion is perfected, the devotee no longer sees themselves as separate. In Advaita, Bhakti is not dismissed—it is transformed. What begins as love for the divine ends in the knowledge that the divine is the very essence of the Self.