Episode 01 - Essential Gita - Chapter 10 - Surrender.

CHAPTER 10. “SURRENDER” (SARANAGADATVAM)

 

 

Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita is a virtual summary of the previous seventeen chapters. The concluding verses, though, contain very precious and vital messages. We would look at a few of them:

 

Verse 37

 

yat tad agre viṣham iva pariṇāme ‘mṛitopamam

tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktam ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam

 

Happiness derived from sattva would seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end. It is generated by the pure ‘buddhi’ that is situated in knowledge of the Atman.

 

Verse 38

 

viṣhayendriya-sanyogād yat tad agre ’mṛitopamam

pariṇāme viṣham iva tat sukhaṁ rājasaṁ smṛitam

 

Happiness is said to be in the mode of ‘rajas’ when it is derived from the contact of the senses with their objects of desire. Such happiness is like nectar at first but poison at the end.

 

Verse 39

 

yad agre chānubandhe cha sukhaṁ mohanam ātmanaḥ

nidrālasya-pramādotthaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛitam

 

Happiness which is derived when the Atman is covered by illusion -  from sleep, indolence, and negligence, -  is said to be in the mode of ignorance.

 

 

anyachchhreyo ’nyadutaiva preyaste ubhe nānārthe puruṣhaṁ sinītaḥ

tayoḥ śhreya ādadānasya sādhu bhavati hīyate ’rthādya u preyo vṛiṇīte

 

śhreyaśhcha preyaśhcha manuṣhyametastau samparītya vivinakti dhīraḥ

śhreyo hi dhīro ’bhi preyaso vṛiṇīte preyo mando yogakṣhemād vṛinīte

 

Kathopanishad, 1.2.1-2

 

There are two paths—one is the ‘beneficial’ (‘shreyas’) and the other is the ‘pleasant’ (‘preyas’). These two lead humans to very different ends. The pleasant is enjoyable in the beginning, but it ends in pain. The ignorant are snared to the pleasant and perish. But the wise are not deceived by its attractions, choose the beneficial, and finally attain true, durable happiness.”

 

 

Verses 51 to 53

 

buddhyā viśhuddhayā yukto dhṛityātmānaṁ niyamya cha

śhabdādīn viṣhayāns tyaktvā rāga-dveṣhau vyudasya cha

vivikta-sevī laghv-āśhī yata-vāk-kāya-mānasaḥ

dhyāna-yoga-paro nityaṁ vairāgyaṁ samupāśhritaḥ

ahankāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ parigraham

vimuchya nirmamaḥ śhānto brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

 

One gains the credentials to attain Brahman when he or she possesses a purified intellect (viśhuddhayā buddhi aka chitta suddhi) and firmly restrains the senses, abandoning sound and other allures of the senses, casting aside attraction and aversion. Such a person relishes solitude, eats lightly, controls body, mind, and speech, is ever engaged in meditation, and practices dispassion. Free from egotism, violence, arrogance, desire, possessiveness of property, and selfishness, such a person, situated in tranquil equillibrium, is fit for union with Brahman (i.e., realization of the Absolute Truth as Brahman).

 

Verse 61

 

īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati

bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

 

The Supreme Being dwells in the hearts of all living beings. According to their karmas, He directs the wanderings of the jivas,  seated on a merry-go-round as it were, energized by the ‘prakriti’s power of illusion.

 

The indwelling divinity and the opposite, helpless, karmic-driven wanderings in delusion – the life’s paradoxes that are insolvable except through njana, is explained here.

The pathetic helplessness of the being, home to the divine, eternal and ever-glowing soul but engulfed and shrouded by the offerings by the material world and ‘wandering’ – is presented here. The allegory is so deep in its caricaturing the pathetic condition of the being - yantrārūḍhāni māyayā – perched on a merry-go-round and helplessly swinging about, driven by ‘maya’ the great divine illusive energy.

 

Verse 63

 

iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā

vimṛiśhyaitad aśheṣheṇa yathechchhasi tathā kuru

 

I have explained to you this knowledge that is more secret than all secrets. Ponder over it deeply, and then do as you consider appropriate.

 

Verse 72

 

kachchid etach chhrutaṁ pārtha tvayaikāgreṇa chetasā

kachchid ajñāna-sammohaḥ pranaṣhṭas te dhanañjaya

 

Have you heard Me with a concentrated mind? Have your ignorance and delusion been destroyed?

 

Sri Krishna the super teacher – the Viswa Guru, is underscored here: He wishes to make sure that Arjuna, the disciple, has listened to him with intent, has understood and internalized all the instructions from the Supreme Being and his doubts, prevarications, ambivalence and delusions have all been cleared.

 

Then Sri Krishna goes on to tell his disciple: “This is all I have to tell you. Now it is up to you to make whatever you wish to of it and act (or not) as you consider appropriate.

It is the teacher’s function to impart knowledge; and the responsibility of internalizing it and executing it for himself is that of the student.

 

Verse 66

 

THE CELEBRATED ‘SARAMA’ SLOKAM:

 

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ

 

Abandon all kinds of dharmas and simply surrender unto me – me alone. I shall liberate you from all your karmic actions. Do not grieve.

 

Paraphrasing: Sarva dharmaan parityajya – giving up all ‘karmas’ and choosing njaana as the instrument, giving up upasana, karma yogam etc. that we practiced to attain chitta suddhi. Maam Ekam – Nirguna Brahmam – the only one; Saranam vraja – give up your ego through njana, this is a surrender by a njani. This is a surrender by one who has attained njana – one who has understood ‘maam ekam’.

 

Phalam: Aham tva sarva papEbhyah – sarva papa – papa in vedanta means this: (1) papam – the regular sins. (2) punyam -      (both being karma bandham, both cause rebirths) both are samsara – utkrishta samsarah – nihrishta samsara. (3) Ajnanam – ignorance – which is the root cause of our believing anatma as ‘I’. (4) Moham – a product of ajnanam – confusion about right and wrong – vipareetha njanam.

 

Maa sucha – do not grieve. Grief here is sansaram. When ‘sarva papam’ is removed, there is deliverance from ‘samsaram’ aka ‘sokam’ or grief.

 

To comprehend this instruction of Shree Krishna, we need to understand the term dharma. It comes from the root word dhṛi, which means dhāraṇ karane yogya, or “responsibilities, duties, thoughts, and actions that are appropriate for us.” There are actually two kinds of dharmas—material dharma and spiritual dharma. These two kinds of dharma are based on two different understandings of the “Atman.” When we identify ourselves as the body, then our dharma is determined in accordance with our bodily designations, obligations, duties, and norms. Hence, serving the bodily parents, fulfilling the responsibilities to society, nation, etc. are all bodily dharma. This is also called apara dharma or material dharma. This includes the dharma of different ‘varnas’  Brahmin, Kshatriya, etc. However, when we identify ourselves as the soul, we have no material designations of varṇa (social class) nor āśhram (status in life). The soul’s Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved, and resting place are all God. Hence our one and only dharma becomes loving devotional service to God. This is also called para dharma or spiritual dharma.

 

Sri Krishna promises - ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi. I shall deliver you from all your karmic sins – and make you eligible for ‘moksha’ liberation. Now, if Arjuna’s sins are all obliterated, his punyas – good deeds – would still remain? And those would make him liable for being born again – for him to expend those? Here the emphasis is on the word ‘Sarva’. “Sarva Paapebhyo” is regarded as referring to all the karmic remains in Arjuna – not just sins.

 

The verse ends with Sri Krishna’s most affectionate – motherly – touching the heart kind of endearment to his most favourite disciple: ‘mā śhuchaḥ’ – do not grieve.

It is noteworthy that the Gita instructions effectively commenced with Sri Krishna censuring Arjuna: aśhochyān-anvaśhochas-tvaṁ prajñā-vādānśh cha bhāṣhase

gatāsūn-agatāsūnśh-cha nānuśhochanti paṇḍitāḥ -  You speak as though with great knowledge – but you are grieving for something that is not worthy of grieving; the wise lament not – neither for the living nor for the dead.

 

It is a beautiful end to the instruction that Sri Krishna offers to wipe off Arjuna’s despair and grief – along with all his karmas.

 

‘Surrender’ – ‘Prapatti’ – comes through as such a very doable act and it promises deliverance. All that is called for is total faith – give up everything else and repose faith in Him and surrender to him, with the ‘I’ / ‘Me’ ahankara totally purged.

 

The Visishtadvaita Siddhanta has adopted ‘prabatti’ (Saranagati) as the sole means for ‘moksha’.

 

Na dharmamanistosmi na catmavedi

 

na bhaktimam stvaccaranaravinde \ akincano ananyagatissaranya tvatpadamulam saranam prapadye ||

 

The path of surrender (Saranagati) is open for one who is unable to follow the path of action (Karmayoga), knowledge (Jnanayoga) and devotion (Bhaktiyoga), and who has no other way of salvation

 

— Yamunacharya, Stotra Ratna

 

Sri S.Radhakrishnan on ‘prapatti’:  Prapatti (surrender) has the following accessories—good will to all (ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ); (ii) absence of ill will (prātikūlyasya varjanam); (iii) faith that the Lord will protect (rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāsaḥ); (iv) resort to Him as savior (gopṛtve varanam); (v) a sense of utter helplessness (kārpaṇyam); (vi) complete surrender (ātma-nikṣepaḥ)."

 

If one ponders through the Gita with only the perspective of worldly life and its ramifications, it could be well and truly labelled as a well-defined prescription for attaining happiness – a durable and true one – the prime goal of humans in this world.

 

 

18.78

(Sanjaya Uvacha):

yatra yogeśhvaraḥ kṛiṣhṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ

tatra śhrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama

 

Wherever there is Shree Krishna, the Lord of all Yog, and wherever there is Arjunaa, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be unending opulence, victory, prosperity, and righteousness. Of this, I am certain.