Krishna Encourages Arjuna to Abandon All Duties and Surrender

Context: a battlefield teaching

The line most often invoked in this discussion appears in the Bhagavad‑Gītā (Chapter 18, verse 66): “sarva‑dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇaṁ vraja” — literally, “abandon all dharma (ethical duty) and take refuge in Me.” The Gītā unfolds as a conversation between Krishna and the warrior Arjuna on the field of Kurukṣetra, where Arjuna hesitates to fight a war that will pit him against kinsmen and teachers. Earlier chapters present paths of action (karma‑yoga), knowledge (jñāna) and devotion (bhakti). The verse in question appears near the end, after a long development of those themes.

What does “abandon all duties” mean?

Readers and exegetes across traditions have wrestled with whether the phrase is a literal injunction to abandon social or ritual obligations, or a metaphoric instruction about inner disposition. Two broad readings are commonly noted:

• Transformative reading: Many commentators argue Krishna is not telling Arjuna to flee his social role as a Kṣatriya. Rather, he asks Arjuna to renounce attachment to the fruits of action and to surrender the ego that claims ownership of those duties. In this view, “abandon” means to give up self‑centre, not responsibility.
• Exclusive surrender reading: Some devotional traditions read the verse more literally: surrender to God is the supreme duty, and all other duties are secondary when they conflict with taking refuge in the Lord. Here, social and ritual acts are reframed as subordinate to wholehearted devotion (saranagati).

How major schools interpret the verse

Different sampradayas (schools) bring long interpretive histories to this verse. A few representative positions:

• Advaita/Sankaracarya tradition: Emphasises the inner, metaphysical meaning — relinquish identification with body‑mind and the multiplicity of duties to realise the one, non‑dual Brahman. Surrender becomes knowledge of the Self.
• Vaisnava traditions (Ramanuja, Madhva, Gaudiya): Stress personal surrender to Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa. Ramanuja sees surrender as surrender to a personal God within a qualified non‑dual framework. Madhva and Gaudiya schools present surrender as central to attaining the Lord’s grace; for some Gaudiya exponents, 18.66 is a key call to exclusive devotion.
• Smārta and ritualist readings: Tend to balance social duties and devotion; surrender does not abolish relational responsibilities but reorients them under the Lord’s will.

Gītā’s structure matters

It is important to read 18.66 in the context of the Gītā’s cumulative teaching. The poem repeatedly advises acting without selfish attachment (nishkama karma) and offering results to the Lord. Earlier commands to perform one’s ordained duty (e.g., Arjuna’s Kṣatriya duty in Chapter 2) are not simply erased; they are given a new quality when performed in surrender. Many commentators therefore see continuity rather than a radical contradiction.

Surrender (saranagati) in practice

The Sanskrit technical term saranagati — “taking refuge” or complete surrender — denotes an inner turning: trusting a higher will, acknowledging dependence on a spiritual guide or deity, and relinquishing ego control over outcomes. Practices associated with surrender differ by tradition but often include:

• Devotional listening and chanting (e.g., recitation of God’s names).
• Scriptural study and reflection on verses like BG 18.66.
• Service performed without attachment to results.
• Adherence to a guru’s guidance where the guru is accepted as representative of the divine.

Note: Some practices such as rigorous fasting or prolonged breathwork can affect health. Consult appropriate teachers and healthcare providers before undertaking them.

Ethical and social implications

How a person lives out “abandon all duties” depends on context. In social terms, most living traditions do not endorse abandoning care for family or community. Instead, surrender alters motivation: duties continue but are performed in service rather than self‑interest. For activists or public servants who are devotional, the teaching can be read as a call to serve without egoistic expectation — a powerful ethic for public life.

Why the verse resonates today

There are several reasons 18.66 has a wide appeal:

• It offers a clear, memorable imperative about trust and ultimate refuge.
• It reconciles inner freedom with outward responsibility, a tension many modern readers experience.
• Its interpretive openness allows diverse communities — monists, theists, ritualists — to find meaningful paths.

Concluding reflection

“Abandon all duties and surrender” is not a single, unambiguous command that erases social ethics. It is a compact but theologically rich line that consolidates the Gītā’s teaching: act rightly, but free yourself from ego and attachment by turning outward action into an offering to the Divine. How that turning is practised is shaped by one’s tradition, teacher, and life situation. Scholars and saints have offered nuanced readings across centuries; living communities continue to draw from the verse while debating its precise ethical and practical implications. That layered conversation is itself part of the Gītā’s ongoing life in South Asia and beyond.