Page 170 - Wisdom Unfurled
P. 170

ceaselessly impelled by the three fold gunas to act and enjoy knowing no rest or respite. The Lord commands the bound soul (Arjuna, meaning ‘white’ and here interpreted as the pure hearted one) aspiring for total release from the inexorable grip of Prakriti to surrender itself to the Supreme Being seated in the heart and to Him alone in an integral and total act of self-dedication. The assurance is given that the soul shall attain supreme peace and the abode eternal through His grace. Though the Lord has thus counseled direct surrender to Him, such a direct action is not possible for all. The surrender is thus performed normally through a capable Master himself liberated, firmly connected to and established in the Supreme Being, from a genuine heart which feels miserably helpless (karpanya), has taken up the Master as the last resort reposing unshakeable and unconditional faith in His saving grace. The aspirant undertakes solemnly to cooperate with his Master by living and acting in ways which are conducive to the attainment of the goal and abjuring such things and actions which stand in the way of the attaining of the supreme end. The philosophically inclined readers are referred to the excellent and succinct treatment of the subject of Surrender and its evolution in the Visistadvaitic tradition by Revered. K.C.Varadachari (Ref. Saranagati, a critique, in ‘Visistadvaita and its development’).
Different Instances of Surrender
We come across several instances of surrender in our mythological tradition illustrating the differences in the crisis situations and the levels of surrender. For instance in the Gayopakhyanam, Gaya runs to Arjuna and says that Arjuna alone can save him from certain death, the crisis occurring due to threat of life and we may say that it arises from the physical or annamaya level. In the case of Vibhishana, his surrender made to Lord Rama was occasioned by his strong concern for the preservation of dharma. His conscience warned him that his continuing to stay with his brother Ravana would militate against the cause of dharma and his support to his brother against Sri Rama would in fact mean fighting for unrighteousness. He was not afraid of death. In the case of Arjuna who was a competent warrior and had killed many a foe in battle, it was not again fear of death which made him speak against prosecuting the war. But it was undue attachment he felt for his kith and kin and his teachers which caused the weakness of heart and confusion in the mind as to what is the course of action sanctioned by the canons of righteousness. The serious aspirant has to put the question before himself as to what is the crisis which has driven him to the feet of the Master and what is the objective he is seeking to be fulfilled by the act of surrender. Is it for liberation from sorrow, protection from danger to life, honour, property and to all those he holds dear or is it from a feeling of acute helplessness in attaining the supreme object of life, namely oneness with the
 































































































   168   169   170   171   172