73. Art of Surrender

Krishna tells Arjuna to relinquish all actions unto Him; to be devoid of egotism (nir-mama) and desires (nir-aasha); and to fight without fever (jvar) (3.30). This verse is a summary of the Gita, and it answers several of our doubts in daily life.

Our first doubt is ‘What to do’, which arises because we are not happy with what we are doing as we feel that happiness is elsewhere in another action. But this verse advises us to ‘do the job in hand’, which may have been chosen by us or thrust upon us, to the best of our abilities. It could be as cruel and complex as the Kurukshetra war, where one would kill or be killed. Scientifically, our complex human body is the evolution from a single cell where each action (division) is linked to the previous one. So, any action on hand is always a result of a series of past actions and there is no stand-alone action.

The next question is, ‘How to do it’. The verse advises us to act by dropping ahankaar, desires and fever arising out of tension or despondency as faced by Arjuna. Dropping desires would free us of misery as both go hand in hand.

‘How to overcome the obstacles we face’ is answered by Krishna by advising relinquishment of all actions unto Him. Here Krishna is coming on as Paramatma (Supersoul). When the job at hand is complicated, we seek additional resources in terms of knowledge, strength and experience from the one who has it. The ultimate seeking is samarpan (surrender) to Paramatma, especially when the solution is beyond our comprehension. 

Ahankaar is a sign of weakness and fear, which seeks the help of power, physical possessions and recognition for its existence. Hence, one requires strength and fearlessness to relinquish everything to Paramatma.

Nimitta-maatra is the most effective antidote to ahankaar, the sense of personal doership. In this state, Paramatma is recognised as the doer of all actions, while we see ourselves only as instruments through which they are performed.