by Swami Radhanandaji

It is neither scholarship, style, gimmicks, or so called mysterious practices in the name of yogas and meditation that are required of a true Gita-devotee or a Gopi, but surrendering or abandoning ourselves in the lap of Mother Gita, the Lord of Lords Shree Krishna or whatever other form and name may appeal to you, that is an essential practice in spirituality.

The conclusive advice Shree Krishna gives to Arjuna is:

 

sarvadharman parityajya mam ekam sarnam vraj  

"Abandoning all Dharmas, physically and mentally, surrender to Me alone." -- Gita 18:66

Shree Krishna repeatedly advises His beloved devotee Uddhava in the Bhagavatam:

"As means to the goal of Self Realization some mention duty, others fame, self-gratification, truth, control of the senses and the mind; yet others mention splendor, gifts, food; and some again sacrifice, austerity, charity, vows or moral rules, universal and particular.

The results attained by these means being the outcome of rituals (desires and expectations) have a beginning and an end ( Gita 5:22); produce misery and end in infatuation. They give but transient joy and are attended with grief."

In the Gitaji, after showing His Universal Form to Arjuna out of His Grace, He says:

"Oh best of the Kurus, I cannot be seen, attained, realized, or experienced by anyone other than yourself in this human world. Neither by the study of Vedas nor by acts of charity, nor by purifactory rituals, and not even by extreme austerities can I be realized." -- Gita 11:48

"This form of Mine which you have seen cannot be realized by mere studies of the Vedas or by austerities, or by acts of charityor by performance of sacrifices." -- Gita 11:53

Shree Krishna continues:

"O Arjuna! The scorcher of your foes (passions) it is by single-minded devotion alone that I can be known, seen in Reality and also entered into (as rivers enter the oceans). O Son of Pandu! He/she who performs actions for Me who considers Me as the Supreme Goal, who is My devotee and is devoid of attachments; who is without animosity towards all living beings, he or she alone attains Me (Self, Realization)." -- Gita 11:54, 55

While discipline and selfless actions are necessary to the degree to which they purify our mind and intellect, we must be cautious that everything we do, even in the name of religion, may only inflate our ego, self love, and pride along with vanity, jealousy, and arrogance (Gita 2:71) if we do not surrender our self-love.

Humility, faith, love, and vanquishing our illusory attachments to the world alone can help us move toward lasting joy, peace, or true happiness free from duality.

Most of us are very ordinary creatures with hum-drum lives, work to be done and days filled with a multiplicity of trivial decisions and tasks. Our lives are made up of a stream of petty affairs, some pleasant, many boring and a lot unpleasant and often tragic. We must not exaggerate. There is a great deal of pleasure even delight in life. But there is also much that is irritating and tedious.

Everything in life is to be welcomed (Gita 6:29-32) as the expression of the will of God, so we must accept what we often cannot avoid and endure with love and resignation things which cause us weariness and disgust. This is what is known as perfection in spirituality. For most of us to become as perfect as humanly possible, we must submit to all that God wills for our particular way of life (Gita 18:66).

The Lord speaks to us through the happenings around us during the present moment only and not in the past or future. Unfortunately we are bored with the small happenings around us, yet it is these trivialities (as we consider them) which can do marvels for us if only we did not despise them. We should rather lovingly accept them as gifts of God for our spiritual advancement. Everything should lead us to God.

Dear Reader! True saints have taught us again and again what we are expressing here. There is nothing new Gitananda can present. We can only admire and repeat what lovers of God like Mirabai or Shri Ramakrishna are still teaching us and will continue to teach through eternity. May the Lord bless us to be vigilant so that our spiritual efforts lead us towards love of humanity and love of God!