Moksh Sannyas Yog (Liberation through Renunciation)
18.66:
Sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja
aham tvam sarva papebhyo mokshayishyami ma shuchah
Abandon all forms of dharma and take refuge in me alone
I will liberate you from all sorrow, do not grieve.
Commentary:
When Krishna speaks these words, they sound, at first hearing, like the call of a distant god demanding surrender. But in Gita so far, Krishna has revealed something more intimate. He is not merely the charioteer before Arjun; he is the indwelling presence seated in Arjun’s heart, in the heart of all beings. The voice that commands refuge, is hence, the same voice that breathes within.
To ‘abandon all dharma’ is not a rejection of righteousness. It is a release of the anxious effort to secure oneself through roles, identities, and rigid self-definitions. It is the loosening of the mind that says, ‘If I do everything perfectly, I will be safe.’ Krishna asks Arjun for something deeper than performance. He asks for trust.
Perform, then trust the process.
How?
Take refuge in me alone.
But I am you. So take refuge in yourself, Arjun. The self that is untouched by failure, unshaken by loss.
I shall free you from all sorrow. Do not grieve.
The promise is not that pain will never arise. It is that sorrow will not define the core of your being.
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August 2019
18.73
Nashto mohah smritir labdha tvat prasadan maya achyuta
sthito asmi gata sandehah karishye vachanam tava
My delusion is destroyed; memory has been restored by your grace, Madhav.
I stand firm, free from doubt. I will act as per your word.
Commentary:
The Bhagavad Gita opened with a warrior who could no longer stand, bow slipping from his hand. It ends now with his hands folded, in front of the being — the being inside and outside him, the supreme being — surrendering.
The confusion that once clouded Arjun’s perception has lifted. The memory that is restored is not just a recollection, but the remembrance of his true nature. Now, his action will proceed as per the one that guides him — the supreme being outside, as well as inside him.
18.78
Yatra Yogeshvarah Krishno yatra Partho dhanur dharah
tatra shrir vijayo bhutir dhruva nitir matir mama
Wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of Yog,
and wherever there is Arjun, the wielder of the bow,
