In the Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion, Arjuna responds to Krishna’s call to surrender (18.66) by resolving to do Krishna’s will (18.73). To understand what his declaration means, let’s consider two ways in which God’s will manifests: through the things that are beyond our control and through the things that are within our control.
Our responses to these two manifestations of divine will are meant to be different. When God’s will manifests through the things that are beyond our control – and especially when it manifests in ways that we find unpleasant or even unbearable – then we need to respond with faithful acceptance. ‘Acceptance’ shows our willing submission to God’s will; and ‘faithful’ shows our openness to exploring how that will, will eventually turn out to be for our good. In the Bhagavad-gita’s context, Arjuna had to manifest such faithful acceptance when he faced the unendurable yet unavoidable situation wherein he had to fight against his venerable elders including his own martial teacher and his grandsire.
When God’s will is to manifest through the things that are in our control – and especially when its manifestation is impeded by our conditionings or our conditions or by both – then we need to respond by doing our part with resourceful persistence. ‘Persistence’ shows our determination to execute his will; and ‘resourceful’ shows our eagerness to leverage all that he has given us, including our faculties and our abilities. Returning to the Gita’s context, when Krishna’s plan to establish dharma was challenged by the opposing side in the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna had to resourcefully persist till those opponents were all neutralized. This aspect of surrender is emphasized in the Gita’s conclusion wherein Arjuna resolves to accept the responsibility to do Krishna’s will.
One-sentence summary:
Surrender means accepting God’s will as it manifests through the things beyond our control – and it means accepting the responsibility to do God’s will through the things in our control.
Think it over:
- How can we surrender when God’s will manifests around us?
- How can we surrender for God’s will to manifest through us?
- How is God’s will manifesting in your life? How can you improve your response to that manifestation?
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18.73: Arjuna said: My dear Krishna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.
To know more about this verse, please click on the image
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