Sri: Srimathe Ramanujaya nama: Dear Soundar, svabhAva jEna kaunthEya nibadhDha: svEna karmaNA | karthum nEcchasi yan mOhAth kariShyasy avashOpi thath || 18:60 The natural duty of kshatriya is to fight. Bound by this duty,he will be unable to suffer the enemies' insults and he iwll engage them in the battle which he now does not want to, out of ignorance. Lord says "kaunthEya,you will inevitably do(springs from your own nature/kshatriya) what you do not want to do out of ignorance". iShvara sarvabhUthAnAm hrdhEshErjuna thiShTathi | bhrAmayan sarvabhUthAni yanthrAruDAni mAyayA || 18:61 All beings are forced by the Lord to follow their prakrthi in accordance with their previous karman; Lord says "The Lord of all creatures is inside their hearts and with His skill revolves all the creatures mounted on His water wheel". thamEva sharaNam gaccha sarvabhAvEna bhAratha | thath prasAdhAth parAm shAnthim sThAnam prApsyasi shAshvatham || 18:62 Arjuna should be completely submitted to the Lord. If not,then he will still have to fight the battle inevitably,for his ignorance,stimulated by God's mAyA,will make him do so. Therefore he should fight teh battle in the manner which God has explained. Then God's grace will make him attain supreme shAnthi -- the release from all bonds of all acts -- and the eternal end. Now comes your verse! ithi thE j~nAnam AkhyAtham guhyAdh guhyatharam mayA | vimrshya Ethadh ashEShENa yaThEcchasi thaThA kuru || 18:63 Lord says "reflect upon this knowledge I have propounded to you,this mystery of all mysteries 'in its entirety' and then do as you are pleased to do". What has been set forth here by the Lord? The knowledge(karma,j~nAna and bhakthi) which is to be acquired by the aspirant to release. Considering it in its entirety one should do what one wishes to do as per his qualification(varNa); one can't practise whatever one wants but based on one's qualification,one can follow the paths explained by the Lord in all the previous slokas(say till 18:62). Basically you choose one of the three paths(as per your qualification) and lead a life thiking about God and His devotees and serve the same. If it satisfies yyou,you can think you have 'LIMITED' freewill:-) Can a cub of a Lion be like a Deer? sarva guhyathamam bhUya: shrNu mE paramam vaca: | iShto'si mE dhrDam ithi thathO vakshyAmi thE hitham || 18:64 It has been said[cf BG 9:1] that bhakthiyOga is the most secret of all secrets because it is the best way to salvation. Now Arjuna should hear God's final word on bhakthi; God speaks this word to Arjuna because Arjuna is very dear to Him and for Arjuna's benefit. manmanA bhava madh bhakthO madhyAji mAm namaskuru | mAm EvaiShyasi sathyam thE prathijAnE priyo'si mE || 18:65 Arjuna should practise that continuous representation(should be like a continuous flow of oil). He should love God excessively and practise bhakthiyOga while being completely absorbed in the worship of God and humiliate himself before God. If he does so,then God promises that he shall attain God for he is very dear to God,He can not endure being separated from him and hence makes him reach Himself. carama slOkam: sarvaDharmAn parithyajya mAm Ekam sharaNam vraja | aham thvA sarvapApEbhyO mOkshaiShyAmi mA suca: || 18:66 EmperumAnAr gives two interpretations in GBh: (1) While performing all DharmA - i.e., karma,j~nAna and bhakthiyOga which are means of attaining supreme bliss - at his option according to his qualifications,and at the same time relinquishing their result,his agency etc., he should realize that "God alone is the agent,the object,the means and the end". The God will release him from all evil incompatible with his attainment of God,evil piled up by endless wrong activities since time immemorial. Therefore he should not despair. (2) But those who are not eligible(as per varNa)or those who find difficult to practise any of the abovementioned yOgAs,need not despair. They simply have to take refuge in the Lord as the sole means and the end. This is prapatti. This is not an act to be performed but a state of realization. Note prapatti is the shortest route and the other three are longer routes and hence none of the four is a means for salvation! Lord alone is the Means as well as the End. AzhvAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE sharaNam NC Nappinnai
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