Verse 12.11🔗

Kṛṣṇa gives various possibilities to Arjuna, one after another. His compassion for Arjuna’s spiritual evolution knows no limits. He never gives up on Arjuna. ‘If you cannot do this, do that. And if you cannot do that, at least do this,’ Kṛṣṇa continues. In the last four verses, He continuously gives options to Arjuna. Kṛṣṇa says, ‘Fix your mind upon Me alone. Live in Me.’ Then He felt that He had to give Arjuna an option, in case Arjuna could not succeed. ‘If you cannot fix your mind upon Me, steadily practice and practice again,’ He advised. He relented further, ‘If you cannot do this repetitive practice, if this is too much for you, then work on My mission.

Whatever you do, do it for Me.’ Kṛṣṇa now says, ‘If you are unable to do even this, which is work for My sake, then just abandon your ego and turn over the results of your actions to Me, sarva-karma-phala tyāgaṁ tataḥ kuru yatātmavān (12.11).’ Kṛṣṇa relents from His standpoint that Arjuna should work only on those activities that are Kṛṣṇa’s. He feels that there may be conditions that may prevent Arjuna from devoting all his time only to those activities that are Kṛṣṇa’s. See how relevant Kṛṣṇa’s advice is, even by today’s standards. None of us can hope to sit idle and be taken care of. We must do something to occupy ourselves.

In our day-to-day reality of life, not all may be able to work on God’s mission alone, all the time. We may be able to spend only some time on activities that are selfless activities that benefit humanity overall, and activities that are spiritual. We need to spend a lot of time on activities that are of material benefit to us and to others related to us. Nothing is lost, assures Kṛṣṇa, and He provides the bridge between material pursuits and spiritual pursuits. Kṛṣṇa brings in the core concept of the Gītā, that of ‘renunciation’. He says, ‘Do what you must do with an attitude of surrender to Me and sacrifice the results of your actions to Me, with complete control over your self, your ego.’

We feel responsible for the results of our actions. Whether we succeed or fail in what we do, either proud and happy, or guilty and sad, our ego makes us feel responsible. We identify ourselves with what we do and the results of what we do. Kṛṣṇa says, ‘If you cannot do whatever else I have told you to do, do this. Drop your ego. Drop the fruits of your actions and renounce them to Me.’ The freedom that results from what Kṛṣṇa advises is true liberation. Once we realize that we no longer are the masters of our destiny, decision makers of the results of our actions, we feel a weight lifting off our shoulders.

It is He who is now responsible for the results of our action. We still are the ‘doers’, but no longer the ‘owners.’ One may wonder, how can I succeed in this rat race? Remember that even if you are the winner in this rat race, you are still only a rat! It is an illusion of our minds that we decide the results of our actions. It is pure fantasy to believe that we decide the result of our actions. We cannot even guarantee that we will survive our next breath. Our life is not in our hands. What arrogance, therefore, to imagine that activities in the outer world are subject to our control!

There is a power higher than us that decides the results of our actions. Once we realize this and start believing in the wisdom of that higher power, strange and mystical things happen to us. We just need to let the Universe, Kṛṣṇa, the Divine, decide what is best for the rest of humanity and us. Let us surrender the results of all that we do to this sacred power. Whatever then happens to us is for the Bhakti Yogaḥ Love Is Your Very Life 895 good, for our good and the good of everyone in this Universe. We are surrendering to the cosmic power that surrounds us. Without Its grace we cannot live or take our next breath.

Say, ‘Do what you think is best for me’ with deep completion and see what happens. Not merely does the end goal materialize, but an immense spiritual relief will overtake you. ‘Renounce unto Me,’ says Kṛṣṇa, ‘surrender yourself to Me, and I shall liberate you.’ Attain Peace