सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज |
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुच: || 66||
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ
sarva-dharmān—all varieties of dharmas; parityajya—abandoning; mām—unto me; ekam—only; śharaṇam—take refuge; vraja—take; aham—I; tvām—you; sarva—all; pāpebhyaḥ—from sinful reactions; mokṣhayiṣhyāmi—shall liberate; mā—do not; śhuchaḥ—fear
Translation:
Having abandoned all duties (Dharmas) take refuge in Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins. Do not grieve.
Commentary:
This is the last verse of the Gita-message. The first part represents ‘kilakam’ in the Mantra Sastra. The essence of the Gita-message is summed up in this verse. The Vaishnavas repeat it as a Mantra.
Sarvadharman Parityajva: (having abandoned all duties). Surrender to the Lord is the direct path for attaining ultimate liberation. Performing the duties prescribed by the Sastras is no doubt good as it produces ‘Punya’ which takes man to higher worlds. But surrender to the Lord confers Moksha-Liberation. The fruit of all duties and religious observances is implied in surrender. Therefore the Lord advises his disciple to abandon all other duties and attain the highest goal by complete Self-surrender.
Mam Ekam: (Me alone). The fruit of all duties form a part of the infinite bliss of Liberation, as ten forms a part of a hundred. When the stem is watered, all the branches up to the last twig receive nourishment. So the Lord here enjoins complete Self-surrender as the simplest and also the highest method for final Liberation. God is the highest good. By knowing Him (Atma) all else is known, and by attaining Him all the rewards of spiritual life are attained. The fruit of God-realisation is infinite. All finite works and actions are implied in it.
Mokshayishyami: (I will liberate you from all sins). What is the effect of self-surrender? The Dharma Sastras prescribe certain types of penance for the purification of some forms of sin, committed by man in the course of his life, Self-surrender liberates man completely from all sins, innumerable though they may be. In fact, the common man is not aware of how many kinds of sins he is committing every day without his knowledge. So he is bound by his own sins, and wanders through the various worlds, in restless agitation. Such is the fate of the ‘Jiva’ who clings to worldly life and yet hopes for peace which eludes him throughout his life. This restlessness troubles him, continuously till he discovers the only way of liberation from all sins and from all forms of bondage. The Lord here reveals the highest secret. “Surrender to Me; I will liberate you from all sins”, declares the Lord.
Self-surrender should not be a partial affair. It must be complete, without any pre-condition or the least reservation. The river when it joins the ocean does not keep back any part of its separate identity. The union is complete. Thus Self-surrender leads to complete union with the Lord or Atma. The Jivatma becomes Paramatma, and that is the culmination of all spiritual knowledge.
What is the nature of this Self-surrender? It is to withdraw oneself from every kind of worldly attachment. It is to give up all temptation to enjoy the pleasures of this world or the next. It is to abandon all desires. It is to crush the last trace of the ego as a separate entity. Such is the nature of Self-surrender. This cannot be done in a single day. The principle should be properly understood, and continuously practised in everyday life.
It is the divine law that by doing good, man attains joy, and by doing evil he suffers sorrow. Good and evil are mixed up in various proportions in the life of each individual. So joys and sorrows overtake men like the waves of the ocean. This is what we call Samsara. The man who clings to the senses must experience pleasure and pain alternately. Pleasure and pain are inextricably mixed up as the two vital ingredients of human life. So the wise man after experiencing the mixed fruits of his actions through many many births finally gives up the futile and foolish game and turns his mind to God. There he finds the peace which surpasses understanding. This is Liberation.
The devotee, the Bhakta, surrenders to the Lord, and the Jnani, the man who follows the path of discrimination, surrenders to Atma. It may appear as though there is a subtle distinction between the two, the Bhakta and the Jnani, the path of devotion and the path of knowledge through discrimination. The Gita has already made it clear that the distinction is only a verbal difference, and in essence, there is no distinction at all. All paths, Jnana, Bhakti, and Karma, lead to the same goal-Liberation. The basic truth implied in all these paths is renunciation, Tyaga, of the little limited personal ego. The Sastras declare that by Tyaga alone man attains immortality. the
The reader has to understand the statement ‘Sarva Dharman parityajya’ very carefully. It does not mean that he can remain idle without doing anything at all. If that is so, every idler can claim to be a Brahmajnani a liberated soul. That is not the meaning. The statement means that the individual should surrender the fruits of his Karma and Dharma in the Lord, and by such surrender, he attains Moksha. The lesser duties have to be abandoned by taking to the higher and the highest duty-namely self-surrender.
Ma suchah: (Do not grieve): This is the Lord’s pledge to all his faithful disciples. The Gita actually starts with the words of the Lord ‘asochyan anvasochastvam’ and ends here with the glorious promise ‘ma suchah’. Therefore it is perfectly clear that the purpose of the entire Gita message is to liberate man from the deadly grip of sorrow. Life is a kind of pilgrimage, not from one joy to another, but from one sorrow to another. The wise man knows it, and so he seeks for a joy that does not come to an end, a joy unmixed with sorrow, a joy that is permanent, a joy that fills full the yearning heart, and this he finds in Self-realisation. The ignorant man suffers and continues to suffer through several births, and at last, he too comes to the conclusion that there must be a way out of this vicious circle. Then he hears the mighty call of the Gita “Do not grieve, my friend, surrender to Me and I will liberate you from all sin and sorrow.
The Lord here prescribes the simplest form of discipline to the world as the highest means of ultimate Liberation. So the common man need not worry that he has not read this Sastra or that, that he has not followed this Dharma or that, that he has not performed this sacrifice or that, and so on. In whatever manner he lives, let him surrender to the Lord with truth and sincerity. He shall attain peace and he shall experience the bliss of Liberation.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
Hinduism indicates one duty, only one, for the human soul. It is to seek to realise the permanent amidst the evanescent. No one presumes to point out any one way in which this may be done. Marriage or non-marriage, good or evil, learning or ignorance, any of these is justified, if it leads to the goal.[Source]
Do you think there is only a dark cup of poison if man goes to look for nectar? The nectar is there and is for every man who strives to reach it. The Lord Himself tells us, “Give up all these paths and struggles. Do thou take refuge in Me. I will take thee to the other shore, be not afraid.” We hear that from all the scriptures of the world that come to us.[Source]
All wise men think alike. The reader, while reading this book [The Imitation of Christ], will hear the echo of the Bhagavad Gita over and over again. Like the Bhagavad Gita it says, “Give up all dharmas and follow Me”.[Source]
I am trying to give up all anxiety unto the Lord. I am only a worker. My mission is to obey and work. He knows the rest. “Giving up all vexations and paths, do thou take refuge unto Me. I will save you from all dangers”. I am trying hard to realize that. May I be able to do it soon.[Source]
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
Manilal Mallick, a business man, had recently been to Benares, where he owned a bungalow.
MASTER: “So you have been to Benares. Did you see any holy men there?”
MANILAL: “Yes, sir. I paid my respects to Trailanga Swami, Bhaskarananda, and others.”
MASTER: “Tell us something about them.”
MANILAL: “Trailanga Swami is living in the same temple where he lived before — on the Manikarnika Ghat, near the Benimadhav Minaret. People say he was formerly in a more exalted spiritual state. He could perform many miracles. Now he has lost much of that power.”
MASTER: “That is the criticism of worldly people.”
MANILAL: “Trailanga Swami keeps a strict vow of silence. Unlike him, Bhaskarananda is friendly with all.”
MASTER: “Did you have any conversation with Bhaskarananda?”
MANILAL: “Yes, sir. We had a long talk. Among other things we discussed the problem of good and evil. He said to me: ‘Don’t follow the path of evil. Give up sinful thoughts. That is how God wants us to act. Perform only those duties that are virtuous.’”
MASTER: “Yes, that is also a path, meant for worldly-minded people. But those whose spiritual consciousness has been awakened, who have realised that God alone is real and all else illusory, cherish a different ideal. They are aware that God alone is the Doer and others are His instruments.
“Those whose spiritual consciousness has been awakened never make a false step. They do not have to reason in order to shun evil. They are so full of love of God that whatever action they undertake is a good action. They are fully conscious that they are not the doers of their actions, but mere servants of God. They always feel: ‘I am the machine and He is the Operator. I do as He does through me. I speak as He speaks through me. I move as He moves me.’
“Fully awakened souls are beyond virtue and vice. They realise that it is God who does everything.
“There was a monastery in a certain place. The monks residing there went out daily to beg their food. One day a monk, while out for his alms, saw a landlord beating a man mercilessly. The compassionate monk stepped in and asked the landlord to stop. But the landlord was filled with anger and turned his wrath against the innocent monk. He beat the monk till he fell unconscious on the ground. Someone reported the matter to the monastery. The monks ran to the spot and found their brother lying there. Four or five of them carried him back and laid him on a bed. He was still unconscious. The other monks sat around him sad at heart; some were fanning him. Finally someone suggested that he should be given a little milk to drink. When it was poured into his mouth he regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked around. One of the monks said, ‘Let us see whether he is fully conscious and can recognize us.’ Shouting into his ear, he said, ‘Revered sir, who is giving you milk?’ ‘Brother,’ replied the holy man in a low voice, ‘He who beat me is now giving me milk.’
“But one does not attain such a state of mind without the realisation of God.”[Source]
—–
“Do you know the meaning of dharma and adharma? Here dharma means religious acts enjoined by the scriptures, such as charity, sraddha, feeding the poor, and the like.
“The performance of this dharma is called the path of karma. It is an extremely difficult path: it is very hard to act without motive. Therefore one is asked to pursue the path of devotion.
“A man was performing the sraddha ceremony at his house. He was feeding many people. Just then a butcher passed, leading a cow to slaughter. He could not control the animal and became exhausted. He said to himself: ‘Let me go into that house and enjoy the feast of the sraddha ceremony and strengthen my body. Then I shall be able to drag the cow along.’ So he carried out his intention. But when he killed the cow, the sin of the slaughter fell also on the performer of the sraddha. That is why I say the path of devotion is better than the path of action.”[Source]
—–
“Surrender yourself completely to God, and set aside all such things as fear and shame. Give up such feelings as, What will people think of me if I dance in the ecstasy of God’s holy name?’ The saying, ‘One cannot have the vision of God as long as one has these three — shame, hatred, and tear’, is very true. Shame, hatred, fear, caste, pride, secretiveness, and the like are so many bonds. Man is free when he is liberated from all these.
“When bound by ties one is jiva, and when free from ties one is Siva.[Source]
—-
Two things are necessary for the realisation of God: faith and self-surrender. Man is ignorant by nature. Errors are natural to him. Can a one-seer pot hold four seers of milk? Whatever path you may follow, you must pray to God with a restless heart. He is the Ruler of the soul within. He will surely listen to your prayer if it is sincere. Whether you follow the ideal of the Personal God or that of the Impersonal Truth, you will realise God alone, provided you are restless for Him. A cake with icing tastes sweet whether you eat it straight or sidewise.[Source]
Related Articles:
- (O Krishna!) My mind is distracted by the taint of pity and I am ignorant of what my duty is, and so, I ask you to teach me what is good for me. I am your disciple. I take refuge in you. (BG 2.7)
- Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2, Verse 47
- Arjuna said: My delusion is destroyed, I have regained my memory through your grace, ‘O Krishna! I stand firm, free from doubt; I will act according to your word. (BG 18.73)
- The Lord said: Hear, Ο Pārtha, how, with your mind attached to Me, and taking refuge in Me, and practising yoga, you will without any doubt know Me in full. (BG 7.1)
O Uddhava! Therefore abandoning reliance on the scriptural injunctions and prohibitions, the ways of work and of renunciation, what you have learnt and what you yet hope to learn—surrender your entire being, body, mind and soul, to Me the all-comprehending One, the Essence within all embodied beings. By that shall you be free from all fear through My grace. — Srimad Bhagavata 11.12.14-15
—–
Question: How can man free himself from sin and bondage?
Answer: By complete surrender to the Lord.
Question: What is the way to the highest Peace?
Answer: Surrender.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 18 
(78 Verses)
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 |
| 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 |
| 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 |
