All along, Shree Krishna had been asking Arjun to do two things simultaneously—engage his mind in devotion, and engage his body in fulfilling his material duty as a warrior. He thus wanted Arjun not to give up his Kshatriya
dharma
, but to do devotion alongside with it. This is the principle of
karm yog
. Now, Shree Krishna reverses this teaching by saying that here is no need to fulfill even material
dharma
. Arjun can renounce all material duties and simply surrender to God. This is the principle of
karm sanyās
. Here, one may question that if we give up all our material
dharmas
will we not incur sin? Shree Krishna tells Arjun not to fear; he will absolve him from all sins, and liberate him from material existence.
To comprehend this instruction of Shree Krishna, we need to understand the term
dharma
. It comes from the root word
dhṛi
, which means
dhāraṇ karane yogya
, or “responsibilities, duties, thoughts, and actions that are appropriate for us.” There are actually two kinds of
dharmas
—material
dharma
and spiritual
dharma
. These two kinds of
dharma
are based upon two different understandings of the “self.” When we identify ourselves as the body, then our
dharma
is determined in accordance with our bodily designations, obligations, duties, and norms. Hence, serving the bodily parents, fulfilling the responsibilities to society, nation, etc. are all bodily
dharma
. This is also called
apara dharma
or material
dharma
. This includes the
dharma
as a Brahmin, Kshatriya, etc. However, when we identify ourselves as the soul, we have no material designations of
varṇa
(social class) and
āśhram
(status in life). The soul’s Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved, and resting place are all God. Hence our one and only
dharma
becomes loving devotional service to God. This is also called
para dharma
or spiritual
dharma
.
If one leaves the material
dharma
it is considered a sin due to dereliction of duty. But if one leaves material
dharma
and takes the shelter of spiritual
dharma
, it is not a sin. The Śhrīmad Bhāgavatam states
devarṣhi-bhūtāpta-nṛiṇāṁ pitṝīṇāṁ na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛiṇī cha rājan
sarvātmanā yaḥ śharaṇaṁ śharaṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛitya kartam
(11.5.41)[v37]
This verse explains that for those who do not surrender to God, there are five debts—to the celestial gods, to the sages, to the ancestors, to other humans, and to other living beings. The
varṇāśhram
system includes various procedures for releasing ourselves from these five kinds of debts. However, when we surrender to God, we are automatically released from all these debts, just as by watering the roots of a tree, all its branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, and fruit automatically get watered. Similarly, by fulfilling our duty to God, we automatically fulfill our duty to everyone. Hence, there is no sin in renouncing material
dharma
if we are properly situated in spiritual
dharma
. In fact, the ultimate goal is to engage completely and wholeheartedly in spiritual
dharma
. The Śhrīmad Bhāgavatam states
ājñāyaivaṁ guṇān doṣhān mayādiṣhṭān api svakān
dharmān santyajya yaḥ sarvān māṁ bhajeta sa tu sattamaḥ
(11.11.32) [v38]
“I have given innumerable instructions regarding the performance of bodily
dharma
in the Vedas. But those who realize the shortcomings in these, and renounce all prescribed duties, to simply engage in my devotional service, I consider them to be the best
sādhaks
.” In the Ramayan, we read how Lakshman renounced all material duties to accompany Lord Ram in the forest. He said
guru pitu mātu na jānahu kāhū, kahahu subhāū nātha patiyāū
more sabahiñ eka tumha swāmī, dinabhandhu ura antarayamī
[v39]
“O Lord, please believe me, I do not know any teacher, father, mother, etc. As far as I am concerned, you, the savior of the fallen and the knower of the heart, are my Master and my everything.” Similarly, Prahlad said
mātā nāsti pitā na ’sti na ’sti me swajano janaḥ
[v40]
“I do not know any mother, father, or relative (God is everything to me).”
In the
Bhagavad Gita
, Shree Krishna gave Arjun sequentially higher instructions. Initially, he instructed Arjun to do
karm
, i.e. his material
dharma
as a warrior (verse 2.31). But material
dharma
does not result in God-realization; it leads to the celestial abodes, and once the pious merits are depleted one has to come back. Hence, Shree Krishna next instructed Arjun to do
karm yog
, i.e. his material
dharma
with the body and spiritual
dharma
with the mind. He asked Arjun to fight the war with the body and remember God with the mind (verse 8.7). This instruction of
karm yog
forms the major portion of the Bhagavad Gita. Now in the very end, Shree Krishna instructs Arjun to practice
karm sanyās
, i.e. renounce all material
dharma
and simply adopt spiritual
dharma
, which is love for God. He should thus fight, not because it is his duty as a warrior, but because God wants him to do so.
But why did Shree Krishna not give this instruction to Arjun earlier? Why did he seem to clearly extol just the reverse in verse 5.2 when he stated karm yog superior as to karm sanyās? Lord Krishna clearly explains this in the next verse.