1. Chapter 7 verses 16, 21, 22 etc do not knock down Transactional worship for a given result. This is consistent with overall assertion that pursuit of security and desires are legitimate for a human being
Transaction based is the word I call it.I am not saying its wrong..I had even had this conversation with an ISCKON monk 2 years ago in India when I visited their Temple and he was using the same word "Transaction".
He said most of our prayers are transaction types where we are often asking things for our ownselves and not for the real purpose of realizing Krishna.Ok ..he chose to call God as Krishna and I chose to call God as Universal Consciousness.
2. There cannot be multiple approaches based on our whim as to how a given truth is understood. B. Gita describes a conversation between a person (Arjuna) and Sri Krishna presented as Bhagavan. It will be absurd to read the verses as Me .. Why would I want to do that?
When there can be multiple ways to reach God why cant there be multiple ways for anything else including understanding.Its not whims and fancies..its how the Truth chooses to unfold with regards to time,place and person.
Why not read the verses as ME=SELF?? Yat Bhavam Tat Bhavati. What is holding you back??
For a crystal of salt to know its origin it needs to go to the ocean...become the ocean.
3. The word internal and external is hard to relate to. Is the skin of the body the boundary layer between internal and external? If so as a person moves the locus of 'internal' moves in space with our movement? Inside our body we are just flesh and bones and nothing else.
I have cut up many bodies..looked within and all I saw in the physical body.I did not see the mind..I did not see anything beyond that.
I know that we humans have no control over our autonomic nervous system..our heart beats even when we are asleep..our kidney work without us thinking about it..there is another system that governs everything..something we hardly know about..the human mind remains a mystery that none of us can even unravel...then comes our mind and emotions..something most of us do not even really know.
But all these to a great extent is still perceivable and able to be interpreted.
The real internal is that which stands away from all these..what is it? That is the internal.
Is internal just an abstract idea as to what we consider internal and external in our mind? How will one define what is external and internal in a non-ambiguous manner?
Non ambiguous manner..its simple..I am inside of the house and my car is outside of the house!LOL
Ok lets take a simple example..I always prefer to use falling in love as a example.
Just say we are falling in love with someone..we do display external signs and symptoms of love like smiling more..change in body language..low tone voice..longer glances and "smiling" with your eyes.
Now coming to the internal feeling of falling in love..its not that easy to describe..we are only able to relate the feeling externally but the internal feeling is yet to be even located where it actually starts and spreads.Its diffused through us..the feeling runs through us..its floods our mind too.
Now try to figure this in the spiritual manner..Bhakti is external..Bhava is internal.