Rohan has heard two pieces of advice this month. A friend told him, "God has no form. Idols and names are for beginners." His grandmother told him, "Don't overthink it, just say the name of Lord Krishna." Rohan respects both, and that is why he is stuck. He wants to know which road is right.
Arjuna asked Lord Krishna the same thing, and the Gita's answer is short: take the road your mind can stay on. In the Lord's view, the most united is the one who fixes the mind on Him, stays steady and has deep faith. The road of the formless reaches Him too, but it is harder.
What Arjuna asked and what the Lord said
Arjuna spoke of two kinds of seekers. Some are always absorbed in the Lord and worship Him in His form. Others worship the imperishable, unmanifest Reality. Which is better (Gita 12.1)?
The Lord's answer:
मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते ।
श्रद्धया परयोपेतास्ते मे युक्ततमा मताः ॥ १२.२ ॥
The Blessed Lord said: Those who fix their mind on Me, who are ever steadfast, and who worship Me with supreme faith, are considered by Me to be the most perfect in yoga.
Those who fix the mind on Him, are ever steadfast and worship with supreme faith are, in His view, the most perfect yogis (Gita 12.2). There are three things here: the mind placed on the Lord, steadiness, and trust in devotion. The Lord does not say you cannot manage without a form. He does not say a form is a must. He looks at how firmly the mind rests.
The other road is not wrong
Those who worship the formless reach the Lord too. They have three conditions: they hold the senses, look on all alike, and work for the good of all (Gita 12.3–4). These are good for every seeker, whichever road he takes.
Why that road is harder
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ॥ १२.५ ॥
For those whose minds are fixed on the unmanifest, the struggle is much greater, because the path of the unmanifest is reached with great difficulty by embodied beings. Having said that the formless path also leads to Him, Krishna now honestly points out how demanding it is for those who still live with body-consciousness.
The Lord says plainly that for those whose minds are fixed on the unmanifest the struggle is greater, since this goal is reached with difficulty by those who live in a body (Gita 12.5). We all live in a body. Thinking, feeling and loving lean on a form or a name. To rest on the formless, one must learn to go without that support. It can be done, but it takes effort.
Why a form gives the mind something to hold
Our attention goes where our love goes, and love needs someone to call our own. A name, a form or a verse gives a wandering mind a place to come back to. That is why devotion feels direct and natural to so many people. Nothing in the Gita suggests it is a lesser road or a childish one.
What this does not say
It does not say the formless road is false. It reaches the Lord too. It does not say devotion takes no effort either. The devotee also has to bring the mind back again and again. The Lord only tells us which road the mind finds easier to stay on.
Two signs that a road suits you
The first sign is that the mind stays longer on it. The second is that the three conditions the Lord named begin to grow a little after practice (Gita 12.4): gentler speech, an even look at everyone, and care for others. If a road steadies the mind and softens the character, it is the right road for you.
An example
Rohan decided to try his grandmother's way for a week. Each morning he spent ten minutes repeating the name of Lord Krishna and watched how long his mind stayed. For the first two days it wandered. By the fifth day it had begun to grow quiet for a while.
Rohan did not call the formless road wrong. He only learned which road he could walk right now. He also noticed that he spoke more gently during the day.
He told his friend what he had found. The friend did not agree, and Rohan found he did not need to win the argument. It was enough that both roads end with the same Lord.
Take ten minutes today. Choose one way of remembering the Lord: a name, a form or a verse. Rest the mind on it. When it wanders, bring it back gently. At the end, notice only how long the mind stayed.
Going deeper
To read these verses in order, along with other chapters of the Gita, see the verse-by-verse reading. For the hard questions and the views of commentators, see the deeper reading. The whole topic is here.