Bhagavagd Gita - Session 37- Track 3701

I think since there was a long interval, I shall just repeat a little of what we had done last time.

As I had said we are now in the last portion of the Bhagavad Gita, the last 6 chapters, from 13th to 18th. Although the message that was to be given by Sri Krishna to Arjuna has been delivered, the questions of Arjuna have been answered, in some he has been told that all his arguments are based upon a want of most important premise. In his argument there is no reference to the immortal soul, no reference to the supreme Divine. And without these two premises, all his arguments proved to be inconclusive and results in dilemmas, perplexities, bewilderment, and therefore if you supply these two premises, the answer is that that action is the right action which is determined by the supreme Divine. The supreme Divine has decided in favour of this war, He has decided the role Arjuna has to play in that war, and in the obedience to this will, there is a supreme Good, therefore he should fight: this is the basic answer that is now given already at the end of the 12th chapter. In doing so Sri Krishna has expounded in detail, in an ascending manner, the exposition of the Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga and the synthesis of all the three.

And He has proposed that it is only when the three are synthesised that one attains to the highest action, ‘amṛtam dharma’, the immortal Dharma. And one who is devoted to this amṛtam dharma, and this cannot be done without the supreme Bhakti, so one who is endowed with that supreme Bhakti, he is dearest to the supreme Lord. Others are dear, but dearer than all those is the one who performs amṛtam dharma, which synthesises karma, Bhakti and Jnana and devotes himself to this immortal Dharma, is the dearest.

What then now remains to be told? What then is the significance of the rest of the Bhagavad Gita? If the questions have been answered, what remains now? What remains is a full exposition of the psychological position, which is obtained when one attains to amṛtam dharma, that is the last word of the 12th chapter and that word requires a further definition and elucidation. How to expound this? If you study these last 6 chapters you will find that a very special stand point has been taken to expound this important concept of amṛtam dharma, the immortal Dharma. What is that stand point?

First of all it summarises once again the totality of Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, very briefly, in a very compact manner. Secondly, in these last 6 chapters, some of the important secrets which have not been expounded earlier, some things which are of highest importance is stated in a manner which is very striking and which reveals the highest message ultimately which has to be delivered to Arjuna. Very often it is said that the highest message of the Gita is to do ones action without expecting the fruits of the action; but this is only the first message not the last message.

The last message comes only towards the end of the Bhagavad Gita, in the 18th chapter, when Sri Krishna says:

sarva dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ śaraṅam vraja, (XVIII, 66) this is the last and supreme message of the Gita, ‘Give up all the Dharmas’, amṛtam dharma is something that transcends all other Dharmas, because other Dharmas are not amṛtam, they are not immortal, they are transitory, temporary, provisional. So, all those Dharmas are to be renounced; they can be renounces only when you synthesises Knowledge, Action and Bhakti. Until you have cross this path and synthesise all the three paths, you will not be able to give up all the Dharmas and then you realise that your total being get submitted automatically to the supreme Lord. And in that condition, the divine action proceeds automatically.