Yoga through the Perfection of Renunciation and Surrender
Verse 18.63
इति ते ज्ञानमाख्यातं गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं मया।विमृश्यैतदशेषेण यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु।।18.63।।
iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā vimṛiśhyaitad aśheṣheṇa yathechchhasi tathā kuru
Word Meanings
iti—thus; te—to you; jñānam—knowledge; ākhyātam—explained; guhyāt—than secret knowledge; guhya-taram—still more secret knowledge; mayā—by me; vimṛiśhya—pondering; etat—on this; aśheṣheṇa—completely; yathā—as; ichchhasi—you wish; tathā—so; kuru—do
Translation · English
Thus, wisdom more secret than secrecy itself has been declared to you by me. Reflect on it fully, then act as you wish.
Deep Meaning · English
In this pivotal verse, Lord Krishna concludes the instructional portion of the Gita by offering Arjuna the 'most secret of all secrets.' This is not merely an accumulation of information, but a transmission of a state of being. By calling it 'more secret than secret,' Krishna highlights that the ultimate truth is not found in complex rituals or dry logic, but in the intimate, unmediated surrender to the Divine. He treats Arjuna as a friend rather than a subject, preserving the sanctity of human free will even after bestowing the highest wisdom. By saying 'do as you wish,' Krishna demonstrates the hallmark of true spiritual guidance: the Guru does not coerce; he clarifies the path and empowers the disciple to make the final choice from a place of enlightened awareness. This invitation to 'ponder completely' (vimṛiśhyaitad aśheṣheṇa) underscores the importance of intellectual inquiry as a bridge to devotion. Krishna does not ask for blind faith; he asks for a deliberate, soul-searching analysis of the knowledge provided. Once the seeker has internalized this truth—that the ego is an illusion and the Divine is the only reality—the 'wishing' mentioned by Krishna is no longer the erratic desire of the worldly mind, but a spontaneous alignment with the Divine Will. In this state of surrendered action, the distinction between the seeker's desire and the Lord's mandate vanishes, resulting in the perfection of Karma Yoga.
True surrender is not the suppression of the individual will, but the conscious, intelligent alignment of the self with the Divine after full comprehension of the Truth.
Connected Verses
This is the final resolution of the choice given in 18.63, where the seeker opts to abandon all paths for the singular path of total surrender.
Echoes the concept of 'Guhyatama' or the most profound knowledge being shared only with those who possess the right disposition.
Krishna emphasizes that this knowledge is a secret (rahasyam) because it requires a specific relationship of devotion and friendship to be understood.
Arjuna formally transitions from a state of confusion to one of surrender, mirroring the choice Krishna later invites him to make.
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