Shree Ramanuja MahAcharya left instructions about "not to leave" and about Sattvika-Tyaga, while other acharyas (Shankaracharya, MadhuSudana Saraswati, Shridhara Swami) wrote about "leaving Dharma".
This article dwells on this contradiction, the conclusion that both angles are valid, but Shree Ramanuja MahAcharya instructions are much safer and reasonable to follow.
"GIVE UP ALL DUTIES" BY BASANTA KUMAR CHATTOPADHYAYA
In Gita XVIII.66 Shree Krishna says: “Give up all duties and take refuge in Me. I shall
reclaim you from all sins".
reclaim you from all sins".
There is difference of opinion among the illustrious commentators of the Gitea as to the exact intention of this verse.
Does The Lord mean that performance of all duties should be given up, or that duties should he performed but without the "expectation of any reward?
According to Shankara all duties (good deeds) should be given up. Evil deeds also should, of course, be given up. All work should be renounced. There should be mere contemplation of Brahma.
But according to Ramanuja, the intention of the Lord is that all duties should be performed, but there should be no desire for the fruit of those acts and that there should not be the feeling “I am performing these acts.”
Ramanuja says that this is the proper way of renouncing Karma as laid down elsewhere in the Gita.
In this connection He has drawn our attention to some verses in the beginning of the Chapter XVIII.
In the 3rd Verse of this chapter the Lord says that according to some learned persons all work should be given up because work involves bondage, while others are of opinion that sacrifice, charity and austerities should not be given up.
In the 5th and 6th verses that follow, The Lord gives His definite opinion that sacrifice, charity and austerities should not be given up, as they purify the mind of the doer and that these acts should be performed without attachment and without desire for the fruit of those acts.
In verse XVIII.9 the Lord says that the Sattvic way of renouncing an act is to perform the act but without having any attachment or desire for fruit.
In verse XVIII.11 the Lord says that it is not possible for a man to give up all work, and that he can be aptly called the renouncer of work, who gives up the fruit of the act.
These very powerful and relevant arguments have been adduced by Ramanuja in support of his interpretation of verse XVIII.66 that what the Lord means is not that all good work should be given up but that the work should be performed without any desire for the fruit of the work.
In the second line of this verse (XVIII.66) The Lord says, “I will deliver you from all sins, - do not grieve".
In explaining this line Ramanuja says that previous births we have constantly committed sins by not doing what we should have done, and by doing what should not have been done, and that the total accumulation of all such sins as stand in the way of our God-Realization is indeed formidable and that the Lord promises to remove all such sins; or that He promises to remove these sins as they prevent one from taking the path of devotion or absolute surrender to God.
Shridhara Swami in his commentary on this verse says that the Lord asks Arjuna to renounce all work and take refuge in Him with the conviction that by means of devotion everything will be fulfilled.
Madhusudana Saraswati specifically mentions that the duties pertaining to the particular Varna and Asrama as well as the common duties prescribed for all men can all be given up.
For the fruit of Dharmas can be attained only through The Grace of God.
If by means of Absolute Surrender one can attain The Grace of God, what is the need of performing the Dharmas?
It will thus be seen that the bulk of opinion of illustrious commentators is in favour of actually giving up the work.
There are also some weighty arguments in favour of this interpretation.
In verse XVIII.64 preceding almost immediately the verse under discussion (XVIII. 66) the Lord says that He is going to say the most hidden thing. This implies He will say something new.
Proper performance of Dharma without attachment and desire has already been mentioned by the Lord in the verses quoted before in this article.
If verse XVIII.66 is interpreted to mean the abandonment of Dharma then it is something new. Again in the verse immediately following (XVIII. 67) The Lord says that this precept of His should not be communicated to one who does not practise austerities, nor to one who is not devoted to the Lord or does not want to hear or is hostile to Him.
If the advice is to do all good work renouncing attachment and fruit, no harm can come even if it is communicated to such persons.
It is only if the advice is to give up Dharma that there can be objection to communicate it to undesirable persons of the type mentioned, who may find in it an excuse for giving up duties even though they do not take refuge in Him.
The following verses of the Shrimad Bhagavata (11.12.14-15) seem to refer to the verse of the Gita under discussion, and also to support the interpretation of actually giving up Dharma or duty.
“Oh Uddhava, leave aside all commands of the Sastras and wholeheartedly take refuge in Me. I shall free you from all fear.”
The following verse from the Shrimad Bhagavata also refers to the abandonment of acts so far as they relate to the discharge of the debt which we owe to the gods, the Rishis, men, living beings, dependents and ancestors:
“That man who leaves aside all work and wholeheartedly takes refuge in God owes no debt to the gods, the Rishis, beings, kinsmen and ancestors.”
Truth, charity, non-injury — these are Dharma. If all Dharma can be given up, can these also be given up? Can one take prohibited food like meat and wine?
No one will say so. It will have to be said that only such Dharma may be given up which can be substituted by a more direct way of approaching God.
There must of course be no dependence upon or attachment to any other object except God.
If these conditions are not fulfilled, abandonment of Dharma may involve danger.
It is safer to follow the interpretation of Ramanuja: “Do all duties, but give up attachment and desire for fruit.”
Article from "Kalyana-Kalpataru", October 1951 issue
OCR by Vishnudut1926, April 2017, Moscow
