Lord Krishna instructing the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. Image via Wikipedia

As the story goes, when I was a very little girl, I told my mother I wanted to be a nun.  At the tender age of 4, I’m sure I had no idea what a nun was and must have gathered the idea from TV or a book.  But I like to think that at this innocent stage in my life, I was drawing on my inherent need to surrender my life to something bigger than myself.  Through my personal struggles with anorexia, over exercise, and the resulting damage caused to my body, heart, and relationships, I’ve learned that surrender, or more specifically the relinquishment of the ego’s control over my life is one central experience that must occur for true healing.  The study and practice of Yoga as a supplement to my Christian faith has heightened my awareness of this need as well as given it a new passion and direction.  According to Yoga philosophy, the path of Yoga leads one to the final stage of “enlightenment,” and one of the gateways one must pass through to reach this destination is full surrender to God.  This is called Isvara-Pranidhana.  

The ancient Hindu text The Bhagavad-Gita represents numerous important lessons.  As it is so pertinent to my personal life at this point in my Yoga journey, Isvara-Pranidhana was the message that I found to be most significant in the Bhagavad-Gita.  As background for our study here, in The Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna, the manifestation of God, is having a conversation with warrior Arjuna (“joe yogi”), basically outlining out the ways and means toward spiritual enlightenment.    

The surrender concept can be confusing for the Yoga student to understand via Krishna’s words in the Gita.  He often states that control of the mind is the ultimate development toward enlightenment.  In Sloka 6.36 Krishna tells Arjuna, “Success in Yoga (Self-realization) is extremely difficult if you cannot control your mind.  But if you persist and control your mind, and earnestly strive for realization using the right methods, you will certainly be successful.”  If control is so imperative to the success of “Self-realization,” then why would we give up control?  To understand this, we need to know what Self-realization means. 

In the context of The Bhagavad-Gita, we can better grasp this by drawing on the idea that we have two “selves”—the false ego self, and the true Self (Atman.)  According to Krishna, Atman is our true Self, our divine nature, the “God in us.”  In Sloka 15.15 Krishna describes, “I am present in everyone’s heart…In fact, I am that which is to be realized ultimately:  I am the goal of all sacred scriptures.”  Sloka 6.29 states—“When you have your mind well trained so it rests solely in Atman, without wanting anything, then you are established in Yoga (union with God.)”  Self-realization is releasing control of the “ego” or false self and giving control to the True Self, which, as we’ve concluded, is God. 

This theme is present throughout The Bhagavad-Gita as Krishna lays out the paths along the Yoga journey.  In traditional Yoga philosophy, there are four major “paths” that one can follow.  Slokas 13.24 and 25 describe these paths.  “Some realize the true Self by meditation (Raja Yoga), others by the path of knowledge (Jnana Yoga), and still others by Karma Yoga (the path of selfless service).  There are yet others who don’t know any of these paths.  Still, if they but hear of Self-realization from others and are moved to worship with true devotion (Bhakti Yoga), they too achieve immortality.” 

Isvara-Pranidhana can manifest differently along these paths.  But a level of surrender must come at the invocation of any path.  At the beginning of The Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna calls out his surrender to Krishna. In Sloka 2.7 he moans, “I am weighed down with weak-mindedness; I am confused and cannot understand my duty.  I beg of you to say for sure what is right for me to do.  I am your disciple.  Please teach me, for I have taken refuge in you.”  With this acceptance of the need for God, Arjuna opens himself up to understanding and choosing his path to God.  Krishna promises help to the surrendered in Sloka 4.11—“However people sincerely call on me, I come to them and fulfill their hearts’ desires.  They use many paths to reach me.”  As the yogi travels his path, continually practicing Isvara-Pranidhana will clear the pathway as God guides.      

Raja Yoga encompasses the practice of meditation and asana, the goal being purification of the mind through these personal practices leading to Self-realization.  The sixth chapter of The Bhagavad-Gita outlines more specific instruction on how to make the most of the Raja Yoga practice.  Among the directives Krishna lays out for this practice is moderation.  Sloka 6.17 says, “But if you are moderate in eating, playing, sleeping, staying awake, and avoiding extremes in everything you do, you will see that these yoga practices (meditation and asana) eliminate all your pain and suffering.”  Krishna promises in Sloka 6.29, “As your mind becomes harmonized through yoga practices, you begin to see the Atman in all beings and all beings in your Self; you see the same Self everywhere and in everything.”  And more yoga practice encouragement comes in 6.45, “By earnest and persistent effort—even over many lifetimes—a yogi becomes completely purified of all selfish desire and reaches the supreme goal.”  With practice and consistency, the Raja Yoga path brings one to surrender of ego and Self-realization!       

Karma Yoga is the yoga of action and selfless service.  Surrender comes with offering ones time and talents to the will of God.  Krishna assures Self-realization with this practice in Sloka 4.41—“If you dedicate all your actions so your work becomes Karma Yoga, all remaining doubts will be destroyed by the fire of your awakening.  At this point all bondage falls away and you remain poised in the true Self.”  The practice of Karma Yoga is fairly easy to “see” the concept of surrender.  This is the path where the yogi can dedicate tangible efforts to God (Self) rather than ego self.  This “giving glory where glory is due” concept is often called renunciation.  Chapter 5 verses 12 and 13 both describe this model.  “By steadily letting go the fruits of his actions, the yogi attains peace…By mentally renouncing the fruits of his action, the yogi’s mind becomes disciplined.  Thus, he knows himself to be the Atman…”

Bhakti Yoga is devotion yoga, and can be practiced through Raja and/or Karma Yoga.  Devotional yoga appeals to those on a more emotional level, and is often practiced with prayer, worship, and ritual.  This represents surrendering all ethereal and expressive love to God.  Krishna enlightens Arjuna about Bhakti Yoga in chapter 12 verse 2—“Those devotees who continuously think of me with zeal, sincerity, and steadily worship me manifest in one form or another are perfectly established in Yoga.”

Jnana Yoga is more in-depth than just “knowledge of things,” but seeks a deep understanding of the personal interconnectedness with God.  Surrender is key here, as one must release the ego self as disconnected from the oneness of Self with God.  Krishna speaks of this in Sloka 18.20—“There is one eternal reality that pervades everything and everyone.  In the midst of many, it is the indivisible oneness.  In all separate beings, it is never separated or divided.  Perception of this reality is pure knowledge.”  Most Yoga texts note Jnana Yoga as the most difficult path, and it is encouraged for the Jnana yogi to strongly encompass the other paths of Yoga in their Jnana path.  Even Krishna warns of the perils of misunderstanding Jnana Yoga in Sloka 9.12, “Thus deluded by self-preoccupation (ego), their knowledge is superficial; their lives are disastrously full of wrong-doing; and their works and hopes are all in vain.”  But he does share insight into the way of Jnana Yoga.  In Sloka 18.70, Krishna says, “Whoever sincerely studies this sacred dialog is worshipping me with wisdom and devotion.” 

These four major paths encompass various nuances and some consider the paths to be a hierarchy of sorts.  Whatever path is chosen however, Isvara-Pranidhana must be exercised throughout, to reach the final stage of full surrender to the Self.  We surrender by needing God and asking his direction (even if it leads to a convent!), we surrender by practicing our chosen path(s), and we finally surrender to the full peace of knowing God dwelling in the Self!