The deed to be performed is the same-the ordained action,
the exercise of yagya.
And to gain it there must be self-surrender.

Lord Krishn sings:

“Although engaged in action whole heartedly,
one who finds refuge in me achieves
the everlasting, indestructible, final bliss.”

“Earnestly resigning all your deeds to me,
finding shelter in me, and embracing the yog of knowledge,
you should ever fix your mind on me.”

Arjun is counselled to sincerely yield
all his actions-whatever he is capable of doing-to Lord Krishn,
to rest in his mercy rather than depend upon his own prowess,
to find shelter in him, to adopt the attitude of yog,
and
always bring his mind to bear on him.

Yog means completion, unity, that which brings griefs to an end
and
provides access to God.
Its mode, too, is a unity, the exercise of yagya which is founded
on
restraint of the attacking impulses of the mind and the senses,
the regulation of the incoming and outgoing breath,
and
on meditation.
Its outcome, also, is with the eternal God.
The same is elaborated in the next verse.

“Ever resting on me, you will be saved from all afflictions
and gain deliverance, but you shall be destroyed if out of arrogance
you do not pay heed to my words .”

Thus always focusing his mind on Lord Krishn,
Arjun will conquer the citadels of the mind and the senses.

As Goswami Tulsidas has put it,
even celestial beings seated at the portals of these forts
obstinately keep the shutters ajar
as
the breezes of carnal pleasure blow in.

The mind and the senses at the core are the impregnable redoubts.
But Arjun can storm them by aiming his thoughts at God alone.
On the other hand, however, he shall be undone and deprived
of
the ultimate good if out of vanity he does not pay heed
to
Lord Krishn’s words.
The point is reaffirmed.

“Your egotistic resolve not to fight is surely mistaken,
for your nature will compel you to take up arms in the war.”

“Bound by your natural calling even against your resolve,
O son of Kunti, you will have to undertake the deed
you are reluctant to do because of your self-deception.”

His innate disinclination to retreat from the battle with nature
will
compel Arjun to set upon the task before him.

Lord Krishn next speaks on the dwelling of God.

“Propelling all living things that bestride a body-which is but
a contrivance-by his maya, O Arjun,
God abides in the hearts of all beings.”

But if God lives in our hearts and is so close to us,
why are we ignorant of his presence?

This is so because the contraptions we call body
are
driven by the power of maya,
the universal ignorance or illusion by virtue of which
we consider the unreal universe as real
and
distinct from the Supreme Spirit.
So this physical mechanism is a grave impediment
and
it takes us round endlessly through one birth after another.

Where, then, can we find shelter or refuge?

“Seek refuge with all your heart, O Bharat,
in that God by whose grace you will attain to repose
and the everlasting, ultimate bliss.”

So if we have to meditate,
we should do it within the realm of the heart.
The heart is the true abode of God.
Although God is all-pervading,
he is realized only by meditation in the realm of heart.

Lord Krishn adds:

“Thus have I imparted to you the knowledge
which is the most mysterious of all abstruse learning;
so reflect well on the whole of it and then
you may do as you wish.”

The wisdom that Lord Krishn has accorded is the truth;
it marks the sphere where the seeker has to make his quest;
and
it is also the point of attainment.
Yet the harsh fact is that God is commonly not perceptible.
Lord Krishn now deliberates upon the way out of this difficulty.

“Listen yet again to my most secret words,
indeed felicitous, that I am going to speak to you
because you are the dearest to me.”

Lord Krishn endeavours once more to enlighten Arjun.
God always stands by the seeker, f
or he is so dear to him.
Arjun is beloved of Lord Krishn
and
any benediction that the Lord bestows upon him cannot be too much.
He will incessantly exert himself for the sake of his devotee.

Lord Krishn sings:

“I give you my sincere pledge,
because you are so dear to me,
that you must attain to me if you keep me in mind,
adore me, worship me, and bow in obeisance to me.”

Arjun was exhorted earlier to seek refuge in the God
that dwells in the realm of the heart.
And now he is prompted to find shelter under Lord Krishn.
He is also told that in order to find this sanctuary
he has to listen again to the Lord’s most esoteric words.

Doesn’t Lord Krishn intend to communicate by this
that
finding shelter under a noble teacher-preceptor is indispensable
for
the seeker who has taken to the spiritual path?

~Revered Gurudev Swami Adgadanand Jee Paramhans~
©

_/l\_
Humble Wishes.
~mrityunjayanand~