THE SHREE KRISHNA CHARAMA SLOKA

SARVA DHARMAAN PARITYAJYA

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ll 18.66 ll
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Sarva dharmaan parityajya Maam ekam sharNam vraja l
Aham tvaam sarva paapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shucahaa ll 18.66 ll
Aham tvaa sarva paapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shucahaa ll

Courtesy: http://www.salagram.net/BG%20Krishna%20instructs%20Arjuna.jpg
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Om, I bow to all the gurus. That is what the first of the lines, starting with Om
means. The plural and the chaturthi form of the noun guru, which is
gurubhyah (
, which becomes gurbhyo
with sandhi rules) is used
to offer our obeisances.
The guru is Brahma, the guru is Vishnu, the guru is god (deva) known as
Maheshwara (or Shiva). The guru is the Para Brahma (Absolute Truth) that we
can see with our eyes (sa askhaat). I bow to such a guru. (Here singular and
chaturthi form of guru, which is gurave , is used, NOT guruve
please!)
I bow to Krishna who is the guru of the whole Universe (jagat). He brings
divine, blissful, and supreme joy to His mother Devaki. He is the son of
Vasudeva (short vowel sound after the "V"). He is the killer of the demons
(like) Kamsa and ChaaNoora.
As we know, there was a divine prophecy, on the occasion of Devaki's (the
sister of Kamsa) marriage to Vasudeva, that the eighth child born from the
womb of Devaki would become the killer of Kamsa. Without getting into all
the details of Krishna's leelas, Kamsa did all he could to have Krishna killed.
When all failed, finally, Krishna and His elder brother Balarama were invited
to Mathura to take part in the annual wrestling events that the city was known
for. It was at this event that Kamsa and ChaaNoora (a friend of Kamsa and a
famous wrestler) were both killed.

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So, as I undertake the task at hand today, prompted in part by what I had been
thinking about after listening to a discourse recently about what is widely
known (especially among the SriVaishNavite acaryas of South India) as the
charama sloka of Shree Krishna, viz. sloka 66 of chapter 18, let me offer
obeisances to this Krishna.. The charama sloka is reproduced in the box above.

l
ll 18.66 ll
ll
Sarva dharmaan parityajya Maam ekam sharNam vraja l
Aham tvaam sarva paapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shucahaa ll 18.66 ll
Aham tvaa sarva paapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shucahaa ll
The word "charama" is often taken to mean "final". This sloka is taken to be
the final message of Krishna to Arjuna. And, IMHO, while the most
commented upon, it MIGHT also be among the most misunderstood of all
slokas. I have already offered my obeisances to all gurus and the guru of all
gurus. So please allow me now to proceed with what has crossed my mind
after the recently alluded to discourse. My thoughts here are, of course,
entirely based on what I learned from my gurus, especially in my Sanskrit
classes. I am now going to present an analysis of this sloka, from a purely
grammatical standpoint, devoid of all the spiritual overtones.
Please note that the conclusions based on this grammatical analysis are
consistent with the commentaries on this sloka by Ramanujaacarya,
Madhavacaarya and Prabhupada in Bhagavad Gita As It Is. Srila
Prabhupada adds and in one of his purports which, of course, changes
the entire meaning of the sloka.

Devotees must seek their own

understanding. Naayam aatma pravacanena labhyo; see links given.

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To understand this sloka, let's first take the simple English sentence, "I love
you." In this sentence we have all the three elements of what makes a
complete sentence. We have a subject (the noun I), a verb (love), and an object
(you). The subject is doing something to the object (the action), in this case
says that he or she "loves". The action word is the verb.
Now, take the above sloka, the most important sloka of the Gita, as all acaryas
and gurus tell us. The sloka can be subdivided into many smaller sentences.
Maa shucahaa is a full sentence. Maa means negation, or do not, and
shucahaa means grieve. Do not grieve. At the end of the sloka, after He has
said what needs to be said, Krishna tells Arjuna, "Do not grieve."
Then we have another sentence, Maam ekam sharNam vraja. Maam means
"Me" which is the objective form of the pronoun "I". Ekam qualifies "maam".
Ekam means one, or in this context, alone. Maam ekam means I and I alone, or
Me alone (ah, there we go, should I use I or Me now?). SharNam vraja means
take refuge. So, this sentence means, Take refuge of Me and adds the emphasis
alone. Me alone. Krishna is telling Arjuna. He should take refuge of Him alone
(or Me alone, since this is a direct conversation between the two).
Of course, we can talk forever about the word "sharaNam" and what it really
means. What exactly is "taking refuge"? That's where the remaining of the 699
slokas that was mentioned in the earlier post "What is Gita?" come in handy.
To understand the process of "sharaNam", or taking refuge, one has to study
much more than just this one sloka or rely upon our pre-conceived ideas of
what we understand as "sharaNam".
Now, the shraNam vraja part is qualified with "parityajya". At its simplest, it
means "abandon". More correctly, it means "after abandoning". After
abandoning what? The answer to that is sarva dharmaan. The word
dharmaan is the plural form of dharma. There are many types of dharmas.
Abandon all of them, says Krishna. And, after abandoning all of them, take
refuge in Me and Me alone. In other words, all the dharmas are of no use. They
cannot do anything for you. But I can. That is what Krishna is saying.

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DharamO rakshati goes a famous saying in Sanskrit. Dharma will protect is

what this sloka means. But, there is a qualification. DharmO rakshati
rakshitahaa. The addition of "rakshitahaa" means dharma that has been
protected will become the protector. If we want dharma to protect us, we
must also do our part to protect dharma.
If you want the law to protect you, when trouble arises, you must also live in a
law-abiding society and obey the laws. Only then can you expect the law to
come to your aid, if there is some trouble. A lawless society will only lead to
lawlessness. The same goes with dharma.
Arjuna was talking about dharma, if you recall, even in chapter 1, during his
lament. He was talking about kula dharma (verses 40 and 41, depending on
the counting of slokas in chapter 1, number may be off by one) and the
destruction of the dharma that is followed by various kulas (families) when all
the warriors are killed and families get destroyed as a result of the great war
that was about to ensue. Utter chaos would follow. So, he decided that he must
NOT fight in order to protect dharmas like kuladharma. He would not let
adharma rise (verse 41) and become dominant. Later he mentions "jaati
dharmaah" in verse 43. The destruction of kuladharmas and jaatidharamas,
which Arjuna sees as a grave consequence of war that he has come to fight, are
indeed fearsome. So, as Arjuna's lament comes to an end, he drops his arms
and decides that he would rather be killed while unarmed (ashastram, verse
46) and offering no resistance (aprateekaaram) to his enemies.
This is indeed the context of the Gita. The sarva dharmaan of chapter 18, verse
66, the famous charama sloka is harking back to these dharmas that Arjuna
was concerned about in chapter 1. Krishna is telling Arjuna, forget all of that
moralizing and all those dharmas that you are concerned about. Forget them
and after you have firmly decided to abandon them and trust Me, and Me
alone, come and seek My refuge - My refuge alone.
What would happen to Arjuna if he were to do that? This is what the rest of
the above verse (sloka) is talking about. Let's see what Arjuna is being offered
for being willing to abandon all (sarva) the dharmas that he held dear. One
should be careful here in how we interpret this. The discussion has to do only
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with what ARJUNA HOLDS DEAR NOT WITH WHAT WE HOLD DEAR. Our
conception of what is dharma has nothing to do with this sloka. Krishna is
talking to Arjuna and Arjuna alone. The only point of the discussion is the
dharmas that Arjuna was holding dear to.
Krishna says abandon them and take refuge in Me and Me alone. Then He tells
Arjuna what He will do for Arjuna if this total abandonment (parityajya, or
what is called tyaaga) and sharaNam (seeking refuge, surrendering) are
performed. SharaNam or surrender means now nothing else can protect. Only
the person to whom you surrender can protect.
Lord Rama says the same thing in the Yuddha Kandam portion of the
Ramayana when Ravana's brother VibhishaNa seeks His protection and
performs the act of sharNaagati (surrendering). "I will grant abhayam, to all
bhutaas", says Rama, which means even to the enemy or the enemys brother
if he surrenders. "I grant all beings (bhutaas) fearlessness (abhayam)." This is
another way of saying, I will protect all beings who come to Me and seek my
refuge. The verse from the Ramayana actually says, the beings who beseech
Him saying "I am but yours, tava asmi iti yaacate" (see link provided later).
Sakrudeva prapannaaya tavaasmeeti ca yaacate l
Abhayam sarva bhootebhyo dadaamyetad vratam ma-ma ll

l ( )
ll ( )
Krishna is also offering protection to Arjuna but only if he surrenders and the
surrender is complete and without any doubts and with the full faith that the
person being surrendered to will protect.
But, we are already getting ahead of ourselves and interjecting pre-conceived
thoughts and ideas by letting Rama and VibhishaNa's surrender in the
Ramayana become a part of the present discussion. VibhishaNa was indeed
seeking "protection". The consequences of the war would be getting killed in
battle. Vibhishana did not want to get killed, at least not by fighting for the evil
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Ravana against Rama. So, he sought protection of Rama and abandoned his
own brother for a higher dharma. Indeed, in the Sundara Kandam (SK) part of
the Ramayana, we see Vibhishana arguing in favor of dharma, in the court of
Ravana (chapter 52 of SK), after Hanuman was bound and brought in front of
Ravana. In an earlier chapter also, we are told that Vibhishana had been
advising Ravana to return Sita to Rama and make peace and surrender (see
https://books.google.com/books?id=6MWjBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT835&lpg=PT835&dq=vibhis
hana+daughter+sundara+kandam&source=bl&ots=LX6fOBArU1&sig=QrYh8MAkiv9iRyM3
Lpbo5fY2QuU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=e7K_VPaGF8qeyASDnYKIDA&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=one
page&q=vibhishana%20daughter%20sundara%20kandam&f=false the rakshasi named

Trijata is considered to be Vibhishanas daughter; her dream is described in

detail in chapter 27 of Sundara Kandam). The compassionate Rama, who
protects all would also protect him and forgive the offense of kidnapping Sita.
There is no inconsistency in Vibhishana's behavior and really no "fear" for his
own life. He just did not want to be part of Ravana's adharma after Rama
stood at the gates of Lanka ready to wage war with Ravana. Now the moment
of reckoning had come.
So, now let us see what Krishna is telling Arjuna and the most important part
of this charama sloka. Let's get back to the grammar lesson. A complete
sentence has a subject, a verb, and an object.
Aham tvaam "I you" This is NOT a complete sentence. The verb is missing as
in I love you. "Love" is the verb. So, we have to look for the verb in the
sentence. Also, some say "tvaa" instead of "tvaam" and they are grammatically
equivalent forms of the conjugation of the pronoun "tvam" as learned in the
Sanskrit grammar class. Aham is nominative case singular of "I" and "tvam" is
the nominative case singular of "you". The objective case of "you" has two
equivalent forms, "tvaam and tvaa", where the vowel sound is the long one;
hence I use "aa".
What is the verb in the sentence in question? The full sentence would be
aham tvaam mokshayishyaami. The future tense form of the verb "moksha"
is used here. It means I will liberate you... not now but in the future!

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But, is this what Krishna is really saying? Did He say that He will grant Arjuna
moksha? This is the common understanding of this sloka but IMHO an
erroneous one. It overlooks the most important two words here "sarva
paapebhyo" and this changes the whole argument. The full sentence is NOT
Aham tvaam mokshayishyaami. The verb mokshayishyaami refers to
paapebhyo. If you know the rules of grammar properly, you will have to agree.
If not, you will keep arguing and it will be a totally futile argument. This is
what happened with this most important sloka of the Gita which got
misinterpreted to suit each person's pre-conceived notions about surrender
and the interjection of Ramayan sloka in this context.
Consider the sentence, "Aham tvaam sarva paapebhyo". Is this a complete
sentence? No. It is missing the verb. We are left hanging with no verb.
Now, consider "sarva paapebhyo" Is this a complete sentence? No, it is missing
a verb, a subject, and also the object.
Okay, let's consider "paapebhyo mokshayishyaami". Is this a sentence? Yes,
it is, if you fully understand and recognize the subtleties of Sanskrit grammar.
The verb is mokshayishyaami in the above. It is first person and future tense.
Hence, we do not need "I" or "Aham". It is implied by the use of the first
person in the verb. Krishna is saying "I" will. I will what? Liberate you. What is
being referred to in the liberation? Paapebhyo . from all the sins (plural of
paapa and the fifth case of the noun). He also adds "sarva" to add emphasis.
Krishna is telling Arjuna, "I will liberate you from all the sins."
It is not moksha that is promised. What Krishna is promising is the
liberation from all the sins of the war, the sins of killing which is the cause
of Arjuna's lament. This is the reason for all the 18 chapters.
Arjuna kept on wailing and dropped his arms. He was suddenly deluded and
worried about the sins of killing although as a kshatriya (a warrior) it was his
duty to fight (swadharma) and not worry about the killing. One who performs
his or her swadharma is automatically absolved of all sins. This is mentioned
clearly in the previous verse 47 of chapter 18 --- swabhaava niyatam karma
kurvan na aapnoti kilbisham... kilibhisham is the same as paapam. One who
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performs his swadharma, his duties, and as a kshatriya fighting a war and
killing is a duty, does not incur any sins. This is also the reason for the
discussion about "paapam" in chapter 3, after verse 35. Why is it, asks
Arjuna, that we fail to recognize our swadharma and perform sinful acts? As
soon as Krishna concludes His karma yoga discourse in chapter 3, the student
Arjuna (who is NO fool as some commentators seem to think) has wisely
understood what Krishna is implying. He has understood that there is no sin
to be incurred by the killing. If he had known it and forgot about it, Krishna
has just reminded him. Now, the question remains then why the delusion and
why the desire to run away from duty, which is the cause of the sin? Running
away from one's duty, as Arjuna had proposed, is the sin and Arjuna
understood this even as far back as chapter 3. He was just making the most of
Krishna's mood of discoursing and composing and consoling himself and
gaining strength after the mental breakdown that he had suffered.
In summary, I humbly submit, based on my understanding of Sanskrit
grammar rules, that Krishna NEVER offered Arjuna what is called
moksham as mentioned by many SriVaishNavite scholars and
commentators. He only offered moksham from any self-perceived sins of
killing in the war, which was the root argument of Arjunas lament and
justification for dropping arms in the midst of the battlefield. That argument
was dismissed in chapter 2 itself and Krishna is returning to the same point in
the final sloka 66 of chapter 18. Before this, Krishna concludes that Arjuna
must not allow his ahankaram to dictate (verse 59). Krishna warns Arjuna
that he must curb his ego (ahankaram). Ahankaram is one of the eight
ingredients of prakriti (chapter 7, verse 4). He must NOT allow prakritis
forces like ahankaram to dominate him. In fact, Krishna warns, that prakriti
and your swabhavam, a product of prakriti, will force you to fight (verses 59
and 60). Only after this warning does Krishna say, as a dear friend of Arjuna,
that he should just surrender and not worry (maa shucahaa). Do not worry
about the sins. I will liberate you from all the sins. Just do your duty now and
fight. Surrender to Me. Trust Me. Take refuge in Me and be assured that you
will incur no sin.

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Moksham was never promised. Moskshayishyaami sarva paapebheyo is

what Krishna is saying. Thats what rules of Sanskrit grammar teach me.
It is NOT mokshayishyaami maa shucahaa, it is sarva paapebhyo
mokshayishyaami and then maa shucahaa is added.
I do respect the acaryas and all that all the acaryas have taught me. The same
acaryas also taught me the rules of Sanskrit grammar. I do not see how this
sloka promises moksha.
Can we interpret the sloka as promising moksha? Sure we can, if we distort
the words and leave sarva paapebhyo hanging!
Does Krishna promise both as some acaryas have stated by adding the word
and conveniently in their translations? We cannot do that since there is no
ca (which means and) in this famous sloka. Both moksha (liberation) and
the freeing from all sins is NOT what Krishna has promised Ajruna.
The lofty idea of moksham is what all gurus and acaryas talk about. But the
Jagadguru Krishna is NOT talking about moksham at least NOT in this
charama sloka. This reasoning is also in agreement with the following
translation found at www.bhagavad-gita.org for this sloka, which I reproduce.
Relinquishing all ideas of righteousness, surrender unto Me exclusively;
I will deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not despair.
The translation correctly states that Krishna has promised deliver you from
all sinful reactions. Krishna did NOT promise moksham to Arjuna. He only
promised that He will not incur any sins from the killing in the war.
Krishnam vande Jagat gurum
Sarvam Shree KrishnaarpaNam astu
Om shree gurubhyo namah
Hari Bol! Govinda Govindaa!! Om Namo NaaryaNaayaa !!!
See also the word-for-word meaning in Srila Prabhupadas work, Bhagavad
Gita As it Is and also in the link given below.
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http://vaniquotes.org/wiki/BG_18.66_sarva-dharman_parityajya..._cited_%28Bks%29
http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/verse-18-62.html

I have also reproduced Sri Ramanujaacarya and Madhvaacarya commentaries

and Srila Prabhupadas commentary from the above.
Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:
Ramanuja's Commentary
The phrase sarva-dharmam parityajya means renouncing all conceptions and methods
of religiosity completely. Whatever is authorised in Vedic scriptures as righteous may
be utilised in worship and propitiation to the Supreme Lord by karma yoga or
Ramanuja
facilitating communion with the Supreme Lord by prescribed Vedic actions, by bhakti
yoga or facilitating communion with the Supreme Lord by exclusive loving devotion or by jnana
yoga facilitating communion with the Supreme Lord by spiritual knowledge. But all other
methods and conceptions must be renounced and relinquished along with phala tyaga or
expectation of rewards, karma tyaga or identifying oneself as the owner of the result and
kartritva or believing oneself to be the author of the act. The phrase mam ekam saranam vraja
means to take exclusive shelter in the Supreme Lord Krishna understanding that He is the most
worthy, most desirable and most worshipable of all that exists. That this is the quality of
renunciation warranted in the Vedic scriptures that is required was evidenced by the Supreme
Lord in the beginning of this chapter. In verse 4 He stated: Hear the truth about renunciation
which is threefold. In verse 9 He stated: Actions are deemed as renunciation in sattva guna the
mode of goodness when desire for rewards are abandoned. In verse 11 He stated: One is known
as renounced who renounces the rewards for actions. Lord Krishna is promising His devotees
that He will personally redeem and deliver from all sins His devotee who lives their life in the
manner just explained. This includes sins of commission and sins of omission that accumulated
over uncountable lifetimes from time immemorial. Past sins are immense burdens and obstacles
in achieving moksa or liberation from material existence. Then to assure that what He has stated
is a surety He states ma sucah meaning there is no need to despair.
Another interpretation is that Lord Krishna consoles His devotees who may be stricken with grief
by the thought of so many sins committed and omitted in countless past lives. For karma yoga
and jnana yoga there is no restrictions in performing actions and acquiring knowledge
respectively; but for bhakti yoga which is exclusive, personal loving devotion unto Lord Krishna
or any of His authorised avatars or incarnations and expansions such as Rama, Vamana,
Narasingha, etc. to be performed all ones sins must be entirely dissolved and one must have great
love for the Supreme Lord as well. A devotee may have great love for the Supreme Lord but
eradicating all one's sins is another matter. There are only two ways to eradicate all sins.
Either by the acceptance of the Vaisnava spiritual master in authorised disciplic succession who
takes all one's sins and transfers them upwards to his guru who transfers them upwards to his
guru and so forth and so on all the way back to Lord Krishna who personally dissolves them all
immediately is one way. The other way is by personal effort. Reflecting on all the sins one has
accumulated since the beginning of time and then not even the committed sins but only just the
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omitted sins like not fasting from grains on Ekadasi when all sins of the world enter grains on the
11th day of the new and full moons is enough for a devotee to become quite dismayed. In a
human lifetime of Earth it is not possible to exhaust by expiatory rituals and austerities all the
sins hoarded over innumerable lifetimes. There is not enough time so contemplating their lack of
qualification a sincere devotee would despair. To console His devotees Lord Krishna
omnisciently understands that to eradicate all the myriad of sins accumulated over unlimited
lives by expiatory ceremonies would be futile in the short span of life a human being has. Such
ceremonies are difficult to conduct successfully, are costly and time consuming and so any
chance of successfully eradicating all one's sins in this way is out of the question. To alleviate
this difficulty Lord Krishna reveals the solution which grants success in order to be able to
embark upon bhakti yoga is to exclusively take complete refuge in Him. There is no cost
whatsoever for admission. The Supreme Lord who is the creator, maintainer, protector and
sustainer of the total creation, most magnanimously and compassionately gives exclusive shelter
to those who seek Him exclusively and irrevocably promises to eradicate all one's sins which
are the awesome barriers prohibiting one from communion with the Supreme Lord and the
ambrosial bliss of bhakti.
Notice that only eradication of all sins is mentioned, not the granting of moksham.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:

Madhvacarya's Commentary
Here Lord Krishna reveals the conclusion to the essence of all knowledge. The
most confidential of all knowledge that is confidential. Sarva-dharma parityagya
means renouncing all conceptions of what one thinks or imagines religiosity to be.
Madhvacarya
This does not mean to renounce righteousness for righteousness to all jivas or
embodied beings is always attuned and in harmony with the Supreme Lord. The ultimate goal of
all religious and spiritual conceptions is communion with the Supreme Lord Krishna. To achieve
this one must first have realisation of their atma or immortal soul within the etheric heart. After
surrendering and taking exclusive refuge in Him alone one is blessed by the Supreme Lord and
by His grace, He, Himself will accomplish this for His devotee.
Knowing the absolute paramount position of the Supreme Lord Krishna as the creator,
maintainer, protector and sustainer of all creation; one who is spiritually intelligent should
incessantly attune themselves to adoring Him by bhakti or exclusive loving devotion. Then with
such commitment of mind, speech and actions which is more precious and excellent than any
other, one should surrender themselves completely unto Him thru the bonafide Vaisnava spiritual
master in one of the four authorised sampradayas or channels of disciplic succession as revealed
in Vedic scriptures. Awareness like knowing one is under the express care of the Supreme Lord
and that He will always protect one in all situations, arises on its own like flowers in spring. Such
awareness is known to be the result of saranagati or complete surrender.
Notice that there is NO MENTION of I will grant you moksham.

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Courtesy: http://bolokids.boloji.com/articles/Sri%20Krishna%20Tells%20The%20Gita.jpg
Chapter 18. Conclusion--The Perfection of Renunciation
TEXT 66
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
SYNONYMS
sarva-dharman--all varieties of religion; parityajya--abandoning; mam--unto Me; ekam-only; saranam--surrender; vraja--go; aham--I; tvam--you; sarva--all; papebhyah--from sinful
reactions; moksayisyami--deliver; ma--not; sucah--worry.
TRANSLATION
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver
you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.

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Notice that this translation does NOT say anything about granting moksha to Arjuna. Only
deliverance from sinful reactions is mentioned. Now, read the purport as well. In
http://vaniquotes.org/wiki/BG_18.66_sarva-dharman_parityajya..._cited_%28Bks%29 and is
used and both moksha and deliverance from sins is then implied.
PURPORT
The Lord has described various kinds of knowledge, processes of religion, knowledge of the
Supreme Brahman, knowledge of the Supersoul, knowledge of the different types of orders and
statuses of social life, knowledge of the renounced order of life, knowledge of nonattachment,
sense and mind control, meditation, etc. He has described in so many ways different types of
religion. Now, in summarizing Bhagavad-gita, the Lord says that Arjuna should give up all the
processes that have been explained to him; he should simply surrender to Krsna. That surrender
will save him from all kinds of sinful reactions, for the Lord personally promises to protect him.
In the Eighth Chapter it was said that only one who has become free from all sinful reactions
can take to the worship of Lord Krsna. Thus one may think that unless he is free from all sinful
reactions he cannot take to the surrendering process. To such doubts it is here said that even if
one is not free from all sinful reactions, simply by the process of surrendering to Sri Krsna he is
automatically freed. There is no need of strenuous effort to free oneself from sinful reactions.
One should unhesitatingly accept Krsna as the supreme savior of all living entities. With faith
and
love,
one
should
surrender
unto
Him.
According to the devotional process, one should simply accept such religious principles that
will lead ultimately to the devotional service of the Lord. One may perform a particular
occupational duty according to his position in the social order, but if by executing his duty one
does not come to the point of Krsna consciousness, all his activities are in vain. Anything that
does not lead to the perfectional stage of Krsna consciousness should be avoided. One should be
confident that in all circumstances Krsna will protect him from all difficulties. There is no need
of thinking how one should keep the body and soul together. Krsna will see to that. One should
always think himself helpless and should consider Krsna the only basis for his progress in life.
As soon as one seriously engages himself in devotional service to the Lord in full Krsna
consciousness, at once he becomes freed from all contamination of material nature. There are
different processes of religion and purificatory processes by cultivation of knowledge, meditation
in the mystic yoga system, etc., but one who surrenders unto Krsna does not have to execute so
many methods. That simple surrender unto Krsna will save him from unnecessarily wasting time.
One can thus make all progress at once and be freed from all sinful reaction.
One should be attracted by the beautiful vision of Krsna. His name is Krsna because He is allattractive. One who becomes attracted by the beautiful, all-powerful, omnipotent vision of Krsna
is fortunate. There are different kinds of transcendentalists--some of them are attached to the
impersonal Brahman vision, some of them are attracted by the Supersoul feature, etc., but one
who is attracted to the personal feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and, above all,
one who is attracted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Krsna Himself, is the most
perfect transcendentalist. In other words, devotional service to Krsna, in full consciousness, is
the most confidential part of knowledge, and this is the essence of the whole Bhagavad-gita.
Karma-yogis, empiric philosophers, mystics, and devotees are all called transcendentalists, but
one who is a pure devotee is the best of all. The particular words used here, ma sucah, "Don't
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fear, don't hesitate, don't worry," are very significant. One may be perplexed as to how one can
give up all kinds of religious forms and simply surrender unto Krsna, but such worry is useless.
Under SB Canto 2 in http://vaniquotes.org/wiki/BG_18.66_sarvadharman_parityajya..._cited_%28Bks%29
sarva-dharmn parityajya
mm eka araa vraja
aha tv sarva-ppebhyo
mokayiymi m uca
"My dear Arjuna, you are very dear to Me, and therefore only for your good I will disclose the
most secret part of My instructions. It is simply this: become a pure devotee of Mine and give
yourself unto Me only, and I promise you full spiritual existence, by which you may gain the
eternal right of transcendental loving service unto Me. Just give up all other ways of religiosity
and exclusively surrender unto Me and believe that I will protect you from your sinful acts, and I
shall deliver you. Do not worry any more."

OurGitagroup

Vj Laxmanan uploaded a file.

Just now (6:23 am on Jan 21, 2015)

THE THREE CHARAMA SLOKAS OF SRIVAISHNAVISM

In the SriVaishNavite philosophy of South India, Prapatti or the Doctrine of
Surrender, is highly regarded as are three slokas widely known as the
charama slokas, from the Krishna, Rama, and Varaha avatarams. (Krishnas tu
bhagavan swayam per Srimad Bhagavatam and Gaudiya VaishNavism that is
the basis of Srila Prabhupadas ISKCON movement, which Krishna is NOT an
avataram, or incarnation He is the Supreme Being, Bhagavan Himself.)
The three charama slokas are discussed briefly in a May 2011 document.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/56368141/The-Three-Charama-Slokas-AnIntroductory-Discussion

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Notice that MOKSHAM has NOT been promised by either Krishna or Rama in
the charama slokas. Krishna promises liberation from all sinful reactions for
those who surrender (of course, one can ask, after ALL sins are eradicated,
what then?). Rama has promised abhayam, or fearlessness, if one
surrenders. If there is nothing to fear, there is no fear of hell, or naraka either.
What then? For this there is an answer. One keeps being reborn again and
again after enjoying time in swarga loka (chapter 6, verses 41 to 45 of Gita,
also noted in Canto 11 of Srimad Bhagavatam, chapter 10, verses 20 to 26, in
conversation with Uddhava, Krishnas cousin this section is often called the
Uddhava Gita). Eventually, after many births one will attain moksha, or tato
yaati paraam gatim, as Krishna puts it in verse 45, chapter 6 of the Gita. This
process of back and forth between swarga and earth is also mentioned in
chapter 9, verses 20 and 21 of the Gita.
The main point is that moksha is NOT promised in either of these two
charama slokas. Only the Varaha charama sloka (see below) mentions that the
Supreme Lord will remember His bhakta (aham smaraami madbhaktam) and
take us (him or her) personally, upon death (mriyamaaNam tam), to His own
abode (nayaami paramaam gatim), if one surrenders and remembers the Lord
just ONCE during ones lifetime when are bodily faculties (shareere
susvasthE) and the mind (stithE manasi) and all the gross elements that make
up the body (dhaatu saamyE) are functioning flawlessly.

l
ll
l ( )
ll
StithE manasi suswasthE shareere sati yo narahaa l
Dhaatu saamye stithO smartaa Vishwaroopam ca maam ajam ll
Tatastam mriyamaaNam tam kaashTha paashaaNa sannibham l
Aham smaraami madbhaktam nayaami paramaam gatim ll

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How should one remember the Lord for this great blessing?
The second line of the first verse above states He should be remembered
in the Vishwaroopam mode (the Universal form described in chapter 11
of the Gita, or the Universal form as seen by Mother Yashoda, or the
Universal form as experienced by Brahma, in the episode where Brahma
decides to steal all the cows and the cowherds). One must realize that
although He appears in various incarnations to protect pious sadhus and
to re-establish dharma, He is really unborn (ajam). This is also stated in
chapter 4, verses 6 to 9, and in chapter 10, verse 3 in the Vibhuti yoga.

Courtesy: Left https://padmanabhdas.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/varaha3.jpg

Right: http://image.wikifoundry.com/image/1/nzw0nQtdzq_GcLRstEStEA68957
This is just a humble contribution here for loka kshemam and the Universal good. See also
http://www.vaikhari.org/sreevaraham.html Sreevaraham Lakshmivaraha Temple
Thiruvananthapuram

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Sreevaraham Lakshmi Varaha Temple is situated at Sreevaraham near Sree Padmanabhaswami

Temple in Thiruvananthapuram City. This a west facing Mahakshtera with golden Dwaja
Prathishta. The main deity in sreevaraham temple is Lord Vishnu in Varaha avatar along with
Goddess
Mahalakshmi
on
his
left
lap.
http://www.weblokam.com/spiritual/0504/27/1050427017_1.htm (this link does not work).
http://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=1631
After the world was destroyed during the Pralaya, Lord Brahamas son Swayambhu, wanted to
engage himself in creation of progeny, as instructed by his father. The earth was submerged
under the waters of parlaya and there was no place to live. Symabhu begged Brahmas assistance
and Brahma, in turn, surrendered to the Lords feet. The Lord Vishnu then took the form of
Varaha a boar or a swine face with human body and lifted the earth out of the pralaya waters
with His long teeth (or the tusk or snout of a boar). In Tamil these teeth two each in upper and
lower side of the mouth are called Korai ParkaL. The Lord met the demon Hiranyaksha (brother
of Hiranyakashyapu) along the way (he had harassed Mother Earth and drowned Her) and killed
him. As Lord was in furious form (krodha) after killing the demon, Mother Mahalakshmi
appeared at the place to appease the Lord and ease His anger (manyu). The Lord has thus
assumed the name Sri Varaha Murthi and has chosen to stay in Sri Varaham, a place in
Thiruvananthapuram. The famous Tirumala is also considered to be Varaha kshetram and Lord
Venkateswara had to get permission from Varahaswamy to take up residence there during
Kaliyuga.

Imagine visiting Varahaswamy temple and chanting the Varaha charama

sloka there with full concentration. Thats all one needs to do in this life.
The Tirumala hills is also Varahaswamys kshetram and Lord
Venkateswara was given permission to occupy it during this Kaliyuga.
One is supposed to first visit Varahaswamy (small sannidhi to the north
of the pushkariNi) before proceeding to worship Lord Venkateswara.
Andals Thiruppavai pasuram 5 (Maayanai mannu vadamadurai
maindhanai) is supposed to imply the Varaha charama sloka via line 6,
vaayinaal paaDi manaththinaal sindhikka (the mouth is singing, the mind
is
thinking);
see
http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/philosophytraditions/2624-varaha-vaibhavam.html . Three faculties, the body,
speech, and mind are mentioned in the Varaha charama slokam.

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