Bhakti Shastri (147) – Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Text 62 to 66

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Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Welcome back to the Bhagavad Gita Bhakti Shastri course, we are now coming to the concluding sections of the Bhagavad Gita concluding verses of the Bhagavad Gita so in the previous class we discussed about how we can, we if we do not act according to Krishna’s direction Krishna is telling in 18.58 act according to my consciousness, machitta sarva durga if we don’t, then vinanshasi, you will be lost and how we will be lost, that is described in 59.60, he says that prakriti sthom niyoksati and then material nature you will be forced to act according to the material nature, because we are we are to a large extent forced to act according to our nature and then as a means to go beyond material nature, Krishna talks about how he is the controller of material nature in 18.61 so in the Vedic Vedic analysis, there is a school of thought called as svabhavavad svabhavavad means our svabhav is supreme like we have mayavad, that means everything is maya, brahmavad everything is brahma svabhavad is argument or a school of thought that presents a particular svabhavavad means the school of thought that presents the argument that everything is controlled by svabhava so Krishna has told in the 61st verse that he is the controller who is present in all bodies which are made of maya so he is saying that he is in control of the bodies he is in control of the living entities also so how is that knowledge important, that will be discussed in this verse now, Krishna will describe how we can turn towards him and Krishna is telling Arjuna surrender unto that supreme lord so here also, because now Krishna is progressively revealing the knowledge so he is after talking about surrender, he has gone down to material nature and then from material nature, he first comes to paramatma and then he will come to bhagwan so often when Krishna refers to the paramatma he refers to himself in the third person that’s why he is referring to that super soul, please surrender wholeheartedly just completely surrender so sarvabhavena has come earlier also in the bhagavad gita especially in 15.19 when Krishna says that when one understands that Krishna is supreme with all the emotions of the heart that means wholeheartedly, complete love we offer to Krishna so Krishna is telling, surrender to that supreme lord wholeheartedly and then what happens tat prasadat, by his mercy the reference to prasad is coming again now, it has come earlier in 18.58 so same point that you can go beyond obstacles by the mercy of the supreme lord by my mercy and now Krishna is saying by the mercy of that being who is situated in the hearts of everyone tat prasadat, what will happen param shantem the supreme peace sthanam trapsasi shashvatam and along with that you will get a shashvat sthan you will get an eternal resting place, eternal destination so in material nature as long as we are situated we cannot have any eternal destination whatever destination we have will be temporary if we want an eternal destination, we need to take shelter of the supreme lord because he is the controller of material nature, he is the master of material nature and he can control material nature and he can take us beyond the reach of material nature also so let’s look at this param shantem, so there is shanti, now shanti refers to peace so in the immediate battlefield context it may refer to that ok, there will be no violence there will be no war, there will be peace but Krishna is not talking about that kind of peace you know there is param shantem, there is a supreme peace so what is the supreme peace there is a peace of the mind and there is a peace of the heart so peace of the mind and peace of the heart, what is the difference between the two yeah so peace of the mind means that ok at the mental level there are no anxieties or troubles, when we go say to a scenic place and a nice calm atmosphere soothing wind and we feel very relaxed and peaceful, that is peace of the mind but peace of the heart is something which is different, it is the peace that comes from loving and being loved, now when we love and we are loved at that time there is no doubt anxiety for the beloved but still there is great satisfaction so the bible also talks about this that actually one can have the peace that passeth all understanding by knowing god, by surrendering to god, by loving god so passeth all understanding that means that peace cannot be experienced at the material level of reality at the material level of reality we think of peace only in terms of lack of anxiety and agitation externally or internally but the supreme peace is that which does not look like peace externally, it looks like anxiety, it looks like agitation but it is peace because the heart is satisfied, the heart rests in joy that is what we long for actually even if we don’t realise it, that is what we are all longing for, now when Krishna talks about this kind of peace so Arjuna, when he is fighting the war, he has to choose between shanti and sthana now if he wants sthana sthana is a resting place that can refer to a kingdom so Arjuna has to choose if he fights and wins then he will get sthana, he will get a kingdom but then when he gets sthana he will not get shanti because he will have to fight for that on the other hand if he wants shanti then he will have to sacrifice sthana so Krishna is telling that actually if you surrender to me, you will get both so without surrendering Arjuna acts independently then he will get only one of them but here Krishna is telling if you surrender to me you will get both and how will you get both you will get both in the best possible way, best possible way means param shantim and shashvatah sthana, so supreme peace, the peace that will never be disturbed, once we return to Krishna and love Krishna and live a life of love for Krishna in the spiritual world then there is nothing that can disrupt or destroy that love and that life which we have got with Krishna nothing, nothing can destroy that and similarly in this world when we get sthana, nothing is permanent, I may have a kingdom for some time but then some I may have, now a days people hardly think about kingdoms, people think about some flats maybe some square feet flat or maybe some people have row houses or bungalows maybe a few people have villas but practically nobody is able to think in terms of kingdoms now a days but even if I have a kingdom still that kingdom is also temporary, so it is ashashvatam, I am there and even at the most as long as I am alive I can be the king, quite often even when I am alive there may be some coup, somebody there may be uprising and I may be usurped and sometimes if a king is overthrown the king may be killed ruthlessly or king may be imprisoned or king may be exiled and then all the power and privilege the king had enjoyed everything gets lost and there is terrible humiliation that happens for the king who was ruling in glory and now has to flee in fear so that is the plight of the material existence so beyond this plight of material existence there is transcendental existence and in that transcendental existence there is the supreme reality, the supreme reality is that we are eternally meant to love Krishna and rejoice in that happiness, so Krishna is telling by surrendering to the supreme lord he will get both he will get sthana, he will get the param sthana, sorry ashvatthana and param shanti so now after describing this what does this mean practically in terms of surrender so we will discuss about surrender a little later tamayiva sharanam gaccham but here the important point is that we all have to recognise that we have to serve Krishna according to our nature so lets move back, so what is happening in this chapter I will come back to this later so chapter 18 how is the progression going the gradual ways, karma kanda jnana kanda and then moksha ultimately leads to moksha, moksha was brahma bhuta prasannatma na sojyatme kankshati then Krishna talked about rapid way sarva karmaani api sada kurvano madhya paashurya, so from that 156 to 158, now if you don’t follow the gradual path or the rapid path one will get lost if one is not to get lost Krishna will now try to, will talk about coming to the higher level directly so first he talks about surrender to super soul and then he will talk about surrender to the supreme lord so now here a question comes up what do we do how do we in kalyuga discover our nature and how do we serve according to our nature so in general the important thing to recognise is that all of us have a nature, but it is not necessary that the nature will be nature will be uni will be only one kind of nature that means, that is if a brahmana and a brahmani unite then it’s quite likely that the son who is born a child who is born will be a brahmana but now there have been there have been practically generations, generations of unions which have been of different varanas and thereby the resulting is that people who are born they often have a mixture of various varanas so of course one varana is predominant but still the important point is not to sort of try to go into a paralysing analysis, paralysing analysis means one thing, so much analysis one does and there is paralysis of analysis no need for that what one focusses on is using one’s intelligence to find out what is the activity in which we are externally competent and internally comfortable and then we do that activity generally in our devotional life there is some activities which we like to do some activities you don’t mind doing and some activities we just can barely tolerate doing we just feel that if I can avoid it, it will be very good so that will vary, so in general the activities which we like to do, we gain strength from those activities, the activities which we don’t like to do, we have to expend strength to do those activities we have to fight against ourselves to do those activities but either way, by doing the activities that we are to do which we do we can gradually grow towards Krishna if we choose it intelligently, so in general we have to have some activities which we like to do and they give us strength and inspiration and they help us, they make spiritual life joyful even at our level and then afterwards when we become purified then we are not so much controlled by our material nature then whatever we want to do, we can do for Krishna’s sake and we get joy in that of course, even pure devotees have their individuality and their individuality is such that it pleases Krishna so, if we look at the intimate pastimes of Krishna with his Gopas and Gopis that is described every Gopa and Gopi has his or her own individual nature and their nature and their service according to nature, pleases Krishna so, there is spiritual individuality, we are not talking about that right now we are talking about our material nature our material individuality which has to be purified and elevated so, how do we purify our material individuality? by making we purify our material individuality by engaging in service in a proper way so, we don’t have to, our material nature does not require rejection or repression, rejection means imagining that I don’t have this nature only and repression means ok, I have but I try to curb it, curb it, curb it that will also not work, there has to be expression and direction I have to express my material nature if I have a brahminical nature, I have to act as a brahmana, but then there has to be direction as a brahmana, I may want to read all kinds of books but no, we should study primarily scripture and books that help us to understand scripture and then we so, there is direction required so, in this way when we talk about sharanam so, when we are talking about surrender to the absolute truth, that does not necessarily mean giving up everything material it simply means that we take his guidance about how best to serve him so, the principle of varanashram dharma is to help us surrender to the supreme lord so, varanashram dharma offers us a particular way by which we can gradually surrender to the supreme lord so, that is within vedic varanashram it is gradual, in daivi varanashram it is rapid, vedic varanashram means one primarily acts according to one’s varana in daivi varanashram one acts according to one acts primarily as a Vaishnava Vaishnava Vaishnavi serving Krishna and within that, one chooses how best one can serve Krishna as per time place circumstance and of course, not just time place circumstance, according to one’s swabhava also so, the primary focus in daivi varanashram is that, ok, I am a soul I have an eternal relationship with Krishna I am meant to serve Krishna, but how I will serve Krishna that will vary according to time place circumstance so, now here Krishna tells that, now in this way, you should surrender, ah, he says surrender now after describing surrender then what happens next let’s look at it yes yeah so, 18.63 we come to now I have spoken this and what kind of knowledge is this guhyad guhyataram, it is confidential, more confidential also that is guhyad guhyataram so, there is good, better, best so, like that, the superlative, so this is the second level there is more confidential knowledge now, after telling this confidential knowledge, what should Arjuna do vimrishaitad aseshena vimrishaitad, vimarshanam vimarshanam means absorption, contemplation serious intellectual thought about it the word often used is intellection intellectual contemplation is called intellection or mentation, not meditation mentation, mentation is contemplation so, vimrishaitad aseshena aseshena meditate thoroughly, think seriously deliberate deeply don’t leave any stone unturned you know, deliberate vimrishaitad aseshena and then after that yatha ichchasi yatha kuru yatha ichchasi as is your desire yatha kuru so, you can act so, here we see, the Bhagavad Gita, as I said earlier it doesn’t hand down commandments it gives choices so, Bhagavad Gita is telling us, telling Arjuna over here and through Arjuna, all of us that act for the pleasure of Krishna that that is what Bhagavad Gita’s message is but it doesn’t act for the pleasure of Krishna is indirectly mentioned in the previous verse but the Bhagavad Gita does not impose this message dogmatically what does it say? it says, ok this is what I told you, if it makes sense now act accordingly, if it doesn’t make sense then you have the free will you can choose how you want to act so, that freedom Krishna never takes away from us Krishna always offers the freedom of how we should act so, we always have free will and the whole purpose of Krishna is to guide us, how to use our free will properly just like if a small child somehow finds say, a thousand rupee note then the child may not even understand what is value now with the thousand rupee note the child can get so many valuable things but the child may think that what the child thinks is valuable is maybe one chocolate now chocolate may be worth just two rupees or five rupees but the child may just give away those thousand rupees for the sake of a two rupee or five rupee worth object so, then the parent doesn’t want to take away the thousand rupees from the child but if the child has a thousand rupees, the parent wants to guide see, this is so valuable use it properly, then you will get much more so, similarly when Krishna gives us directions the purpose of Krishna’s directions is not to deprive us of our freedom but to ensure that our that we do not deprive ourselves in the name of freedom what does it mean? not deprive us of our freedom but we don’t deprive ourselves in the name of freedom now the child may say, I want to be free and in the name of freedom the child may actually just underutilise a thousand rupee object a thousand rupee note for just a few rupees worth of object, so therefore, in the name of freedom the child may say, I want to be free but in the name of freedom the child will deprive himself or herself because the child doesn’t understand the value, similarly we have got the human form of life and human form of life is sulabham sudurlabham actually we don’t pray in a lower species that I get a human form of life, we just get it that’s Krishna’s mercy when we get the human form of life sulabham sudurlabham so this human form of life is sudurlabham, it is very rare and labdha sudurlabham idam bahusambhavante manushyam anityam arthadam apihadhiraha manushyam anityam arthadam, it is temporary but arthadam, it is truly valuable, it can grant us that which is truly arthapurna, that is artha, what is our artha? that is the paramartha the supreme artha, we can get eternal happiness through this so therefore, turnam yatheth napatheth anumrithyavan nishreyasaya vishayakhanusarvatasyad so turnam yatheth endeavour immediately turnam yatheth napatheth anumrithyavan napatheth immediately endeavour before this body falls and this body is capable of falling at any time anumrithyavan, it can fall at any time and therefore when you have to endeavour vishayakhanusarvatasyad, nishreyasaya endeavour for transcendence endeavour for eternal existence vishayakhanusarvatasyad vishaya can be got everywhere, so essentially again the point which we are discussing is vimrishyaitadasheshinaithechisitagud deliberate and then decide what is to be what you want to do, act accordingly act according to your desire so the Bhagavad Gita is telling is giving an elaborate analysis, so all the preceding verses, they comprise an analysis and this analysis is meant to guide Arjuna towards the best action, so when Krishna gives us some directions, it is not to deprive us of our freedom but it is to save us stop us from depriving ourselves in the name of freedom what we can get out of life, we will get so much lesser if we don’t take Krishna’s guidance like a child will get so much lesser out of a thousand rupee note, so to enable us to get the best bargain out of life Krishna wants us to choose and choose intelligently so, but ultimately it’s our free will, Krishna is never going to take away the free will from us so at this point, more or less Krishna has sort of completed the instructions just like a teacher who is giving a class says now you can decide what you want to do so now that means the onus has shifted from the teacher to the students so like that, the onus shifts on Arjuna and the Acharya has described that at this point, Krishna Acharya says that Arjuna goes into deep thought and starts thinking what should I do how should I act Krishna has told this in the 2nd chapter and that in the 7th chapter and that in the 11th chapter and that in the 15th chapter now he is contemplating very seriously about what all should I do what should I do and there is so much that has been spoken and discussed and analysed so Arjuna goes into grave thought and seeing this Krishna’s heart overflows with compassion Krishna tells Arjuna Arjuna you don’t have to think so deeply about things I see your sincerity I know you are not whimsical, you are not independent minded you actually, you want to do what is best for you and you have faith in me that you know that what I want for you is the best so therefore I will guide you about what to do, I will guide you so then that guidance Krishna provides in the next verse so here the word Asheshena means Krishna is telling Arjuna you can contemplate for as long as you want as long as you want but there is an implication also how long will you contemplate actually the living entity has been trying to think about what will give me happiness for so many lifetimes after lifetime after lifetime but has always come to false conclusions this or that or that will give me happiness but none of that gives happiness so therefore contemplate but Arjuna goes deep into contemplation and is unable to decide so Krishna makes things even more clear so it’s a very beautiful verse and this indicates why this section is the conclusion of the Gita this is the most confidential knowledge so previous verse was now it is it’s most good better best so this is the best Bhuya means again oh here Arjuna these are the supreme words Ishta means dear you are very dear to me you are strongly loved by me Dhrudham means determined so Krishna is determined to love us Therefore Hitham for your benefit I am speaking these things so this is this verse indicates that Krishna what he is speaking is a very intimate expression of his heart Krishna is not like a teacher who just who in a detached way gives some instruction to the students in educational institutes where teaching is a paid profession the teachers are not really very deeply concerned about their students there is some relationship between the teacher and students but nothing very serious so it is not like that this relationship between Krishna and Arjuna. Krishna is telling that Ishto simi dhrudham iti you are very strongly loved by me in fact I am determined to love you so actually we are determined to forget Krishna in fact in many ways modern progress progress actually means inventing newer and newer ways to forget Krishna of course the results of progress can also be used to serve Krishna that is true but still in many ways what happens is the more there is progress the more people tend to forget Krishna because they start thinking about about how to live separate from Krishna and how to they may not think about Krishna also but how they live separate from Krishna is that they get involved and lost in newer and newer forms of illusion so for example in the past if people wanted entertainment maybe they would have to go to some dance performance and generally the dancers would be say in the Vedic culture they would be Bharatanatyam lots of pastimes would be depicted or otherwise there would be there would be some Hari Katha, Hari Kirtan so like that most of the entertainment was connected with Krishna but then now we have got television and television there are over 100 channels and practically there may be 100 channels but knowledge about God, pure devotional knowledge about God is very rarely available anywhere and then there is internet and there are video games and there are so many newer and newer ways of forgetting Krishna so this is unfortunate so Krishna is telling over here I am determined to love you so we unfortunately have directed our intelligence away from Krishna and because of which we are determined to forget him but by Krishna’s mercy we can turn towards him, we can learn to love him and we can reciprocate with his determination to love us so Krishna is telling I am determined to love you so lifetime after lifetime after lifetime Krishna never leaves us and goes away, he remains in our heart forever waiting for us to turn towards him so as we have discussed earlier Mahadrukh Prapanna Pashupashyami Mokshanaya Muktaye Bhoori Karunaya Nama Ullayaya so he says Ullayaya, my dear lord you are present in my heart and you are Bhoori Karunaya you are immensely merciful, greatly merciful Gopi is in the famous Gopi Gita saying Bhoori Dhajanaha, you do great good to everyone you are the welfare worker for everyone Bhoori Dhajanaha, they are talking about devotees over there but the word Bhoori means good or greatly good so Bhoori Karunaya, your mercy is greatly good so what is the Bhoori Karunaya Ullayaya that you never get tired you are forever striving to do good to others so Krishna is and how is Krishna expressing his determined affection Tatovakshami Tehitam Tehitam therefore for your benefit I am speaking these words so Krishna is not speaking for his own benefit he is like a good doctor and speaks some instructions that is for the benefit of the patient so Tatovakshami Tehitam some people think that oh Krishna Krishna needs us Krishna wants us to serve him no Krishna doesn’t need us actually we need to serve him because by serving him he will become happy and Krishna is also making Sarva Guhyatamam most confidential knowledge Bhuyaha, now why is he using the word Bhuyaha because the knowledge about Bhakti which he is going to give he has given it earlier so earlier also Krishna has used the word Guhyatamam in in in firstly 9.1 and 9.2 9.1 he says Raj Vidya Raj Guhyam sorry 9.1 is Raj Vidya Raj Guhyam is 9.2 and 9.1 is Idam Tu Te Guhyatamam Pravaksham Yanasu Yave so Guhyatamam most confidential knowledge so 9th chapter I was going to talk about the title itself is Raj Guhya Yoga most confidential knowledge but if you see Vakthi Ananya Shintaya Anto Mam is 9.22 Patram Pushpam Phalam Toyam is 9.26 and then Manmana Bhaumat Bhakto is 9.34 so it’s clearly Bhakti verses are there so that is Guhyatamam and then similarly Krishna has also used a similar describer for describing in 15.20 in 15.20 Krishna says that Iti Guhyatamam Shastram Idamuktam Mayanagha Iti Guhyatamam Shastram in this way the most confidential knowledge I have told you that’s why Krishna is using the word Bhuyaha so Guhyatamam he has used in 9.1 as well as in 15.20 and but even when Krishna has used that Krishna is using double glorifiers over here Sarva Guhyatamam Bhuyaha Shrunume Paramam Vachaha so Paramam Vachaha are the supreme words Paramam Vachaha so it’s like first most confidential knowledge and supreme words so both are superlatives which highlight how glorious is the knowledge that Krishna is speaking supreme words Paramam Vachaha so Krishna has used this word Paramam Vachaha also earlier in the start of the 10th chapter he says 10.1 Bhuyaheva Mahabaho Shrunume Paramam Vachaha Shrunume Paramam Vachaha Arjuna hear my supreme words and we see 10th chapter what does it contain 10.8 to 11 is Chatushloki Bhagavad Gita and that is clearly Bhakti Machitta Machitta Madgata Prana and the Dami Buddhi Yogam 10.9 and 10 so basically this knowledge wherever Krishna has used these describers Sarva Guhyatamam or Paramam Vachaha thereafter he has described Bhakti only but nowhere in the Bhagavad Gita is such a combined and concentrated combination of superlatives used so combination means we discussed all the verses where Guhyatamam is used or Paramam Vachaha is used but this is one verse where Guhyatamam and Paramam Vachaha are both used in the same verse and not only that further there is glorification of the knowledge and there is also expression about the intimacy of the relationship so you are very dear to me I am speaking for your benefit so this verse is very important to understand the importance of what is going to come afterwards to understand the importance of what is going to come afterwards so this verse indicates that Krishna is telling Arjuna that I am going to speak to you now the most confidential knowledge the supreme instruction I am going to speak to you because you are very dear to me and I want your benefit so all this indicates that what is going to come again come in the future verses is extremely special, is extremely exalted, so let’s look at what comes in the next verse that always think about me become my devotee worship me offer your obeisances unto me you will certainly come to me this I declare because you are very dear to me now this verse is very important again because it is describing the supreme instruction but it is also describing Arjuna and Krishna’s affection so the first two lines of this verse are similar to 9.4 9.4 9.4 also so fix your mind on me that refers to the mind of course offer your heart to me worship me that refers to our body so basically these four are meant to indicate that we offer our entire existence to Krishna when we offer our entire existence to Krishna then that is what has been told in 9.34 and it is also recommended over here but the difference over here is that there it was you will come back to me by staying engaged like this if your heart and soul are like this engaged then if your Atma is parayan towards me is devoted to me then you will come back to me but Krishna is telling over here something different what is he telling there if you look at the verse there the onus is on the devotee on Arjuna you do like this then you will come back to me you will come back to me but how by being engaged in this way and Krishna further clarifies what is engagement in this way by being completely devoted whole and soul to me but here Krishna’s emphasis is different in any relationship there are two aspects if there is a relationship between two people A and B so for the relationship to be successful what A is ready to offer to the relationship is important and what B is ready to offer to the relationship is also important so in that 9.34 Krishna is emphasising what the devotee needs to offer in that relationship but here in 18.65 Krishna is telling what I bring into that relationship so what does he bring into the relationship Krishna is telling over here but I am speaking the truth to you what is you will certainly come back to me so truth why does he say I am speaking truth because it is such a extraordinary thing actually bhakti appears to be very simple you think of Krishna, worship Krishna very simple things how can by doing these things attain the supreme perfection of life the perfection of going back to the spiritual world how can one attain that so Krishna is telling yes it is possible this is the truth be confident about it you are very very dear to me you are very dear to me and I am declaring this actually the word is like a proclamation a promise, a declaration a public affirmation a public declaration so the word pratijani was used earlier in the Bhagavad Gita by Krishna in 9.31 therein he said O Kante, O Arjuna, pratijani declare to the world that my devotee will never perish so there Krishna has made the declaration to the whole world but now here Krishna is making a declaration to everyone he is saying I make the declaration to you Arjuna and you are a devotee and this applies to all those who aspire in the path of devotion, all those who cultivate the aspiration for pure devotion and ultimately it refers to all living beings because all living beings are potentially devotees of Krishna within everyone’s heart ultimately there is devotion to Krishna and it is simply that devotion is misdirected towards worldly things so here Krishna is telling, O Arjuna I love you and I want you to attain perfection and to help you attain that perfection I guarantee you you just do these things, you redirect your heart towards me and if you do the redirection of the heart towards me, I will ensure that you will come back to me so Krishna is pratyajane, proclaiming so when there is a proclamation then there is a greater assurance suppose somebody makes a promise, if you do this then I will give this so normally whenever there is a promise made, if it is just an informal oral promise then it will not be taken so seriously but if a person wants to take a promise seriously then what may happen is call witnesses so I tell it publicly that I will do this, this, this for the person so when there are witnesses then it becomes much more serious that particular promise and if somebody goes out and declares publicly announcements or advertisements nowadays we have social media, somebody declares if you do this, this, this then I will give this this, this so suppose somebody is somebody’s relative is lost and then when the relative is lost at that time the person wants to declare, if somebody can find my relative and give me the address then I will give say 10 lakh rupees or whatever amount I will give, so now somebody may just tell this informally and somebody gives information and says I never said that I may deny it, but if somebody makes a public announcement like that then it becomes a matter of honour yes, I have said that I will do that for you, otherwise it becomes a matter of disgrace, you may promise what is the value of your promise, so like that what Krishna is saying, prati jaane I am making a public proclamation that you just do this, this, this you will come back to me and for Krishna, if you may think that it is just a matter of honour, no it is not just a matter of honour, it is a matter of the heart prati jaane is a matter of honour, but priyosi me it is a matter of the heart so actually I love you, and naturally therefore I will take you back to me therefore, if you do this I will do this for you, this is a matter of honour and a matter of the heart Krishna will definitely take us back to him, so this is, Krishna is actually bearing his heart for us he is revealing the intimate emotions that are present in his heart so that we can offer our heart to him, so that we can turn towards him, and this is the supreme sweetness of Krishna being manifested in the Bhagavad Gita, the Bhagavad Gita is more of an analytical book, but even within that analysis the Bhagavad Gita also gives us a profound profoundly moving devotional conclusion devotional conclusion and that devotional conclusion is expressed over here so now, at this point Arjuna is still thinking, ok Krishna had told Arjuna in 63 Vimrisheta, think deliberately, then Krishna said, no, I’ll give the most confidential knowledge, and now Krishna has given 65 the confidential knowledge then the question comes up, but yes, you are telling me to do this, but there are so many other things also which can be done and it’s not that they are adharmic, they can be dharmic also, there are so many other things that a person can do, so what should I do exactly, so that Krishna addresses in the next verse so so these two are often one of the most quoted verses of the Gita and here we see this is a very famous verse sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayisha mimashucha so sarva-dharman parityajya sarva-dharman parityajya, give up all varieties of religion mam ekam sharanam vraja mam ekam sharanam vraja surrender unto me alone aham tvam sarva-papebhyo I will free you from all sinful reactions mokshayisha do not fear do not doubt, do not hesitate wholeheartedly do this so let’s look at this verse line by line sarva-dharman parityajya parityajya means to give up this is actually quite a radical declaration because the idea is Arjuna Krishna has come to protect dharma to re-establish dharma dharma samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge Krishna has told in 4.8 that 4.7 and 8 4.7 he says that yadaya yadaya dharmasya lanyad bhavati bharata abhyutthana madharmasya so when dharma goes down I come and why do I come? to establish dharma so then why is Krishna telling over here give up dharma sarva-dharman parityajya so actually what Krishna is telling is that give up all varieties of dharma apart from dharma of mam ekam sharanam vraja apart from dharma of surrender to me of pure devotion to me and not just surrender of pure devotion but under undistracted undiluted wholehearted pure devotion mam ekam mam ekam sharam just surrender to me alone so why me alone because if because you know love is a matter of the heart and when love is it when the devotional love is directed towards too many things too many people too many things then it cannot be wholehearted so you know there’s one God and we have to have put our faith in the one Supreme Lord yes he can have many representatives and we use representatives also but that doesn’t mean that they are they are objects of devotion for us they may be objects of respect for us no doubt because we see them also as servants of them and many ways they are more exalted servants than us so naturally we respect them but still even after we respect them they are still in this world only and they their blessings cannot take us beyond this world their blessings cannot grant us pure love so which which is the password to the spiritual world so therefore what Krishna is telling is that mam ekam sharanam vraja so there can be many many dharmas but give up all varieties of dharma and just surrender to me alone so now we have to understand if we look at the bhagavad-gita at the end now did Arjuna become adharmic no Arjuna still remained a devotee and he practised life as a devotee so sorry he remained dharmic and what did he do as a dharma he actually did he did the Kshatriya dharma so the if we look at the Udyoga parva in the Rama in the Mahabharata the Udyoga parva is the fifth parva there is this bhagavad-gita is coming in the sixth parva that is the Bhishma parva so there is the Adi parva then the Sabha parva Adi parva is the childhood of the it describes the life of Bhishma and everyone and the childhood of the Pandavas and Kauravas Sabha parva describes the dishonour and of Draupadi then there is Vana parva where there is the exile of the Pandavas then there is a Virata parva where the Pandavas live in incognito and in the fifth parva is the Udyoga parva so in Udyoga parva there is the attempt to avoid war so Krishna comes the Shanti doodh and before that there are various messengers said Udrupada first sends his messenger as a Brahmin to Virata actually Virata and Udrupada they both come together because Arjuna has been staying in Virata’s kingdom and Udrupada also comes over there so a Brahmin messenger goes to as a peace messenger and then Sanjay sends somebody for peace and then Krishna himself goes so not Dhritarashtra sends Sanjay for peace so Udyoga parva all this is described so in Udyoga parva when the Pandavas are discussing whether there should be a war or not so at that time it is described what is the defining underlying conflict it’s a conflict between Kshatriya dharma and Kula dharma so Kshatriya dharma is that a warrior has to fight now wherever there is injustice the warrior has to counter that injustice and a Kshatriya requires land to rule ruling is the prescribed duty for Kshatriya so there is Kshatriya dharma and then there is Kula dharma Kula dharma is what the duty to one’s family to one’s dynasty so as per Kula dharma one should not attack one’s relatives one should protect one’s relatives in fact you know in this world if we did not without our family without without our relatives you’d be completely lonely now of course even with our relatives we are lonely in the sense that we come alone to this world and we go alone out of this world our only eternal relationship is with Krishna so our family relationships they become meaningful and fruitful when they help us to develop our devotional relationship with Krishna so that is what is desirable ultimately but still the point is that in the Vedic culture this there is para dharma and there is apara dharma so para dharma is our pure devotional relationship with Krishna and a dharma that helps us to develop pure devotional relationship that is shravanam kirtanam vishnu smaranam pada sevanam the nine activities of devotional service. Apara dharma can be various things there can be the duty to the family, duty to the dynasty, duty to this country, due to the humanity like that there can be various duties so now for Arjuna the conflict was between Kshatriya dharma and Kula dharma so should I protect my family members whatever be the cost or should I fight whatever be the cost so what should I do among these two so this was this you know there is a discussion which goes on and on and all the Pandavas they’re not eager for the war but they realise that the war is inevitable and then they enter into the war they embark on the war so at that time that the conflict is resolved pragmatically but here the pragmatically means practically it is said Duryodhana is so obstinate so how can how can there be peace when somebody so obstinate the Pandavas are ready to be satisfied even with just five villages but even that Duryodhana is not ready to give so Duryodhana’s obstinacy is seen as it sort of it it pragmatically resolves the conflict because the other party’s utterly uncompromising is utterly callous and insensitive about the concerns of oneself then one is not one is not at all inclined to placate that party so that’s what it happens pragmatically it gets resolved but in the Bhagavad Gita this this dialectic this conflict between Kshatriya dharma and Kula dharma it is resolved philosophically by telling that actually both dharmas are aparadharmas and the paradharma is a dharma of manmana bhava madhbhakto is of pure devotion to Krishna and you should follow paradharma so that’s what Krishna is telling sarva dharman parityaja mam ekam saranam vraja means sarva dharman parityaja means give up all aparadharmas mam ekam saranam vraja means accept the paradharma the paradharma is of pure devotional service so accept that paradharma and when you accept that paradharma what will happen by that mam ekam saranam vraja but then it takes shelter of me but then how do we take shelter of Krishna when we now share that is also elaborate subject which we can’t go into here but shelter also has to be taken in this world we have to do certain activities in this world suppose I say I surrender to Krishna suppose people think of surrender means say I’m doing some I have a family and I have I’m living in the world and I decide that you know I’ll give up my job I’ll give my family and I’ll just renounce everything for Krishna’s sake okay what after that after that I have to do something if somebody takes becomes a brahmachari somebody becomes a sannyasi then that person still has dharma that person has to do brahmachari dharma or sannyasa dharma so whatever dharma one has one has to do that dharma so mam ekam saranam vraja doesn’t mean that one has to become a dharmic sarva dharman parityaja does not mean that one has to become a dharmic but rather one has to accept that dharma which helps one to do mam ekam saranam vraja so there can be various dharmas also for example no young person can have a dharma to the parents can have a dharma to other to other relatives can have dharma to society sometimes people say that okay sometimes when people see that young young boys are becoming brahmacharis so they may say that you know you what about your country in the country you spend you will also the country spend so much money for providing you engineering education and you wasted engineering seat so actually speaking India lost an engineering seat when you became a monk so when people ask this most devotee when a devotee they answer that actually it is not India which lost an engineering seat it is America which lost an engineering seat now what happens is most people who do engineering as we they do it from good colleges they often go to America and in with their intelligence they are serving America so of course the point is that at a aparadharma level that is a valid reality yes we have a we are we are living in a country and in a country the country has provided certain facilities then we also have certain duties for the country but that is aparadharma so if one gives up aparadharma and becomes say alcoholic or a drug addict then that’s truly a wasting of engineering seat you got such a good education and then you squander it all away so from aparadharma if one goes to adharma then that is wastage but then if somebody is going from aparadharma to paradharma then that is glorious to go from aparadharma to paradharma so yes the country may have done something from me for me country may have done a lot for me but how do the country do it for me the country is not an independent entity the country has natural resources the how are those resources coming from they are coming from Krishna that means what the country has done for me it is Krishna who has done for me through the country so if I am not serving Krishna then I haven’t due to the country which I have to fulfil but if I’m serving Krishna then I may not serve the country of course you know when people become brahmacharis often they do a great service to the country also because they are preserving the country’s culture the country’s national spiritual heritage and in that sense that service to country is also done but the point is that when we talk about sarva dharman pratyajya mam ekam sharanam vraja what it means is that one gives up those dharmas which are pratyakul to mam ekam sharanam vraja which are unfavourable for surrendering to Krishna and we accept that dharma which is favourable for surrendering to Krishna so by accepting this dharma which is favourable for surrender to Krishna we make spiritual advancement so for Arjuna the kula dharma was unfavourable the kshatriya dharma was favourable so Arjuna at the end of the Bhagavad Gita acts as a kshatriya but that is external Arjuna is adopting kshatriya dharma so that he can practise the para dharma of bhakti so Arjuna is not a kshatriya who is doing bhakti yoga he’s a bhakta who is practising kshatriya dharma so the priorities has to be clear first I am a devotee and then I may be engineer I may be a doctor I may be a housewife I may be a I may be a temple president I may be a counsellor I may be a guru first I am a servant of Krishna I am a devotee and then I can have various roles which may be in the material world or which may be in Krishna’s institution also so sarva dharman pratyamami ekam sharanam vraja means we accept that which will enable us to surrender to Krishna so now Parikshit Maharaj had big responsibilities as a king but when the time came what did we realise that now I will die in seven days so just give up all dharmas and surrender to Krishna he took up dharma of exclusive hearing and chanting so similarly as devotees what is this verse telling maam ekam sharanam vraja just surrender to me so now in there are in the Vaishnav scriptures Bhaktanath Thakur also elaborates on this it’s described that surrender can be in four six elements anukulyasa sankalpa pratyakulyasa varjanam rakshishya teeti vishwaso gop trutve varanam so among these six the first two are important in term because they are actions and the remaining four are emotions now for example rakshishya teeti vishwaso the faith that Krishna will always protect me now I’m it’s not that I can by some sentiment some mental adjustment I can have that faith no that faith gradually grows as we see Krishna protecting us over a period of time so rakshishya teeti vishwaso that faith is an emotion gop trutve varanam tatha gop trutve varanam that Krishna is my maintainer so rakshishya teeti means when there is danger Krishna will protect me gop trutve means in general Krishna is my maintainer atmanikshep karpanye atmanikshep means my whole existence is dependent on Krishna karpanye is actually without Krishna I’m useless I’m worthless I can’t do anything utter humility in front of Krishna so all these are emotions and they’re very desirable emotions which we should try to cultivate but that cultivation is something which is progressive it is not it is not like a switching on of a light one moment it happens it happens over a period of time it’s like analogue growth not a digital switch so what we have to do is for that analogue change gradual development for that the actions are important what is favourable for bhakti I’ll accept that what is unfavourable for bhakti I will reject that and in this way a devotee acts so surrender is not just passive even Draupadi often when you talk about surrender the example of surrender is Draupadi raising her hands and surrendering to Krishna and her saree is being disrobed and she’s being disrobed and then Krishna provides unlimited saree yes that is definitely an expression of surrender but then actually literally speaking that was not what Draupadi was doing all her life when there’s extreme danger and nothing that one can do then a devotee depends completely on Krishna but at other times a devotee knows that I have to serve Krishna and therefore devotee makes intelligent choices should I do this or should I do that how should I act in my life so in this way a devotee chooses the proper action so Anukulyasa Sankalpa so for Arjuna the Anukulyasa Sankalpa is to put aside to accept Kshatriya Dharma and Pratikulyasa Varjanam is to put aside the Kula Dharma the Kula Dharma is the duty of protecting one’s family members so in this way now Arjuna may still have a question that but still you know I have my family member relatives that are vulnerable elders like Bhishma Pitamah and Drona my esteemed martial teacher how can I attack them in the name of Kshatriya Dharma won’t there be sinful reaction no even if the sinful reaction is aham tvam sarvapavebhyo moksheshami that I will free you from all sinful reactions so in for the sake of Krishna we have to give up some lower moral principle to adopt a higher moral principle then Krishna assures that I will protect you from sinful reactions so aham tvam moksheshami you do not bother about maa shucha do not fear so here Krishna’s devotion is overflowing completely earlier in the seventh chapter in 7.28 Krishna has said that actually to become fixed in devotion one has to become free from all sinful reactions yes I’m 21 to get them pop them Jananam Punyakarmanam and the Gotham pop them one has to end one sinful reactions by acting piously consistently for many lifetime Jananam Punyakarmanam they dwindle Mohan nirmukta they become free from the duality of illusion bhajan they mama Dhritavrata and they can fix themselves in Dhritavrata and determine devotion but here Krishna is telling even if you are not Antagatam pop them doesn’t matter even if there is papa you just come to me aham tvam sarva pape bhyamoksheshami I’ll free you from sinful reactions this is actually Krishna’s love coming out wholehearted love coming out so Krishna he tells Arjuna here that if you it’s like a mother a mother trains a child and the child baby is growing up mother trains the baby in a very how to respond to nature you should go to the washroom and there you should respond and then the child is foolish and child doesn’t understand or doesn’t learn and the child soils the clothes and the mother gets annoyed you know the mother sees the child has soiled the clothes you know first clean yourself only then you come to me now the child is child becomes helpless and mama I don’t know what to do it just calls out and what happens the mother love overflows out come I will clean you up so like that when Krishna is telling Esham to Antagatam pop them Krishna is telling first clean yourself then you come to me but when the devotee says I’m helpless then Krishna says aham tvam sarva pape bhyamoksheshami don’t worry I will protect you I will protect you just come to me just come to me so in this way Krishna expresses his intense love for his devotee and the Bhagavad Gita especially this verse 18.66 reveals how Krishna offers reveals his love for us and invites us to love him thus the Bhagavad Gita is essentially a message of love a message of a call for love a revelation of love and a call for love Krishna reveals his love and invites us to reciprocate with that love and further we’ll discuss this verse and then the phalashruti that comes of the bhagavad-gita that we’ll discuss in our next class thank you very much shivam bhagavad-gita ki jaya