Our soul will be if we surrender on our own and become an instrument in the hands of existence. Please understand the difference; it is very subtle and great. If a habit or philosophy or religion controls me, over powers me, I become a slave. But what will happen if, I on my own willingly surrender myself to existence, then I become the master. This is a story from the life of Greek sage, Diogenes. Diogenes is passing through a forest. Walking fearlessly like a lion. Slave traders see him and are tempted by his powerful physique, because he would fetch a good sum of gold at slave market. Although the slave traders are eight in number, they are afraid to overpower and capture him, seeing powerful looking Diogenes. In fact one who wants to overpower another person is essentially a weak and fear stricken person. Only a fearful person wants to frighten and dominate others just to assuage his own fear. A really fearless person never tries to dominate others. He loves everybody’s freedom as much as he loves his own. So the traders are afraid of Diogenes, but their greed is equally strong. Prepared for a good fight, they surround him from all sides, but Diogenes confounds them in a strange way. Diogenes stands quietly and serenely in his place with no trace of fear or agitation on his face. He asks the slave traders of their intension. He then accepts to go with them without any hesitation. They try to hand cuff him but Diogenes convinces them the absurdity when he himself is willing.
Diogenes walks at their head as if a king is marching with his retinue. He looks so charismatic that wherever he goes all eyes are turned on him. Pointing to his captors, Diogenes tells the spectators, “What are you looking for? They are all my slaves. Although they are not in chains yet, they cannot run away from me. They are found to me.” The merchants are really crestfallen. At slave market, manager announces, “Here is a great slave for sale; whosoever has enough gold can bid for him.” Diogenes first shouts at the manager, “shut up, if you don’t know how to sell a master.” Then he says to the bidders, “here is a master for sale, whosoever could afford a master should bid for him.” His radiance is of a person who surrendered to existence, not of a slave.
If we are forced against our will to be n instrument, if it is not our own choice, then we are certainly a slave and our individuality is killed. But Krishna does not ask Arjuna to be such a slavish instrument. Krishna wants Arjuna to understand the reality and to flow with the stream of existence. It is foolish to fight the river of life and try to swim upstream. He says to Arjuna, “Leave yourself in the hands of life, of existence, and you will be fulfilled.” If we surrender with full understanding and joy, then our individuality, instead of being crippled, attains to full flowering fruition. Then we are our own master. Then there is no better way of proclaiming our mastery than the way of surrender. Let us try and understand, if I surrender it means that I am my own master. No slave surrenders, he is just overpowered and captured. For the first time Arjuna’s individuality attains full flowering, and it happens effortlessly and naturally when he realized the reality. He surrenders, not a slave. Gandhi understood the Gita, which is the reason he was never a slave to British even when jailed. Because he surrendered, like Arjuna, to the existence.
Let us understand Krishna to understand Gita.
Wishing you good health and happiness,
Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people
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