Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 57

English Translation

Mentally surrendering all actions to Me and accepting Me as the supreme, have your mind ever fixed on Me by resorting to the concentration of your intellect.

Detailed Commentary

।।18.57।। Explanation – [In this Shloka, Bhagavān has stated four things: (1) *Chetasā sarvakarmāṇi mayi sannyasya* – Offer all actions with the mind to Me. (2) *Matparaḥ* – Dedicate yourself to Me. (3) *Buddhiyogamupāśritya* – Take refuge in equanimity, severing your connection with the world. (4) *Macchittaḥ satataṁ bhava* – Be continuously mindful of Me, i.e., establish an unwavering connection with Me.] *Chetasā sarvakarmāṇi mayi sannyasya* – Offering actions with the mind means that an individual mentally accepts that the mind, intellect, senses, body, etc., and the objects, events, and circumstances of the world, all belong to Bhagavān. Bhagavān alone is the master of all these. None of these things are personal. Bhagavān has given a personal right only for the proper use of these things. This right must also be surrendered to Bhagavān. Ordinarily, whatever we do with the body, senses, mind, etc., happens by Bhagavān's will. Humans merely consider them their own due to ego. This sense of ownership should be surrendered to Bhagavān because that sense of ownership is merely an illusion, not a reality. Therefore, the feeling of ownership in them should be completely removed, and Bhagavān's seal should be placed upon them. *Matparaḥ* – Bhagavān is my only refuge; I have nothing besides Him. I have no task to perform, nothing to achieve, nothing to take from anyone, i.e., I have no concern with space, time, object, person, event, or circumstance – this unwavering conviction is surrender to Bhagavān. Look, humans consider money, family, body, etc., as their own, and harbor the illusion that they have become their owners, but this is actually false. One who considers something their own becomes its slave, and that object becomes their master. The respect a devotee receives in Bhagavān's heart is unparalleled. Bhagavān becomes the devotee's servant and makes him His crown jewel. The world will not elevate a human by becoming its servant; it will only degrade him by making him a servant. Therefore, one should take refuge in Bhagavān and become completely devoted to Him alone. *Buddhiyogamupāśritya* – The glory of Samatā (equanimity) is great in the Gita. One with Samatā becomes a Jnani, Dhyani, Yogi, and Bhakta. But if Samatā is not attained, Bhagavān does not consider even good qualities as completeness. Samatā is inherent in humans. By associating with circumstances, one becomes happy or sad. The thought is that when the time comes, I am not [affected]. When happiness comes, I am; when it goes, I am. When sorrow comes, I am; when it goes, I am. In happiness and sorrow, in favorable or unfavorable conditions, I always remain the same. This Samatā itself is the worship of Bhagavān. Therefore, Bhagavān advises taking refuge in Buddhiyoga, i.e., Samatā. *Macchittaḥ satataṁ bhava* – One who completely surrenders oneself to Bhagavān, their mind is also completely at Bhagavān's feet. Bhagavān naturally has authority over them, and Bhagavān Himself resides in their mind. This is to be Macchittaḥ. Adding the word *satatam* to Macchittaḥ means to be continuously mindful of Me. Constant contemplation of Bhagavān is only possible when our ego becomes absorbed in Bhagavān, just as when one is a disciple, the thought ‘I belong to the Guru’ maintains the Guru's remembrance. The Guru's connection settling in the ego keeps the remembrance alive. This Jīva has an eternal relationship with Bhagavān. The eternal relationship is severed only by connecting with the world. To remove that severance, Bhagavān says, "Be continuously mindful of Me." Whatever worldly action a sādhaka performs, they should ensure their mind does not become absorbed in that work, keeping their consciousness firm. They should keep their mind absorbed in chanting, kīrtan, and contemplation of Bhagavān's name. Through this process, the sādhaka will quickly become mindful of Bhagavān. A special characteristic concerning Prema is that by offering actions of the consciousness to Bhagavān, there is eternal disunion from the world, and by being devoted to Bhagavān, there is eternal union. There are four states in Prema: Yoga (union), Yoga in separation, Eternal Yoga in separation, and Separation in separation. These should be understood: for example, when Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa meet, this is Yoga in eternal union. Even during union, if it feels as if the Beloved has gone somewhere, this is separation in eternal union. Shyāmasundara is not present, but His contemplation is happening in the mind, so this is eternal union in separation. Even when Shyāmasundara is not seen for a short time, if the mind feels the passage of time, this is separation in separation. In all four of these states, the eternal union with Bhagavān remains. This is Prema, where the lover and the beloved are not separate. To exchange Prema, there is the divine play (*līlā*) of union (*sanyoga*) and separation (*viyoga*) between the devotee and Bhagavān. Prema increases every moment. When the Beloved is met, there is dissatisfaction, fearing that They might leave again. Therefore, Prema is described as *pratikṣaṇa-vardhamāna* (ever-increasing). There are four Rasas in Prema: Dāsya, Sakhya, Vātsalya, and Mādhurya. Among these, Mādhurya is supreme because in it, the forgetting of Bhagavān's opulence (*aiśvarya*) is greater. When any one of these Rasas reaches completeness, other Rasas also manifest within it. In states like Yoga, Samadhi, etc., all Rasas are automatically included. The reason is that both Bhagavān and His Prema are complete. In Dāsya-rati, the devotee's feeling towards Bhagavān is that Bhagavān is my master, and I am His servant. In Sakhya-rati, Bhagavān is my friend. In Vātsalya-rati, the devotee's feeling towards Bhagavān is that I am His mother or father. Similarly, in Mādhurya-rati, the devotee considers their non-duality (*abhinnatā*) with Bhagavān. Considering non-duality in Prema gives rise to feelings of service and joy towards Bhagavān. Premarasa (the essence of divine love) is *alaukika* (transcendental) and *cinmaya* (conscious), and only Bhagavān can experience it. In Prema, both the lover and the beloved are of *cinmaya svarūpa* (conscious form). Sometimes the lover becomes the beloved, and sometimes the beloved becomes the lover. Due to not understanding the essence of Prema, some people call worldly desire (*kāma*) Prema. Kāma involves selfishness, while Prema is for the happiness of others. Prema has the feeling of giving. The pleasure of *kāma* ends, while the pleasure of Prema remains inexhaustible. Prema always leads towards Bhagavān. Connection – Bhagavān is elaborating on the command given in the previous Shloka in the subsequent verses.