मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु ।
मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे ॥ १८.६५ ॥

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām namaskuru |
mām-evaiṣyasi satyam te pratijāne priyo’si me || 18.65 ||

A sacred declaration

Generally, friendship prevails between like-minded and like-merited people. Such friendship, intimate and wholesome, makes it facile to exchange ideas without reservation. A true friend will not say anything harmful. Krishna underscores that it is such an attitude of fondness and oneness that guides the Teacher in enlightening the seeker, disclosing the best of wisdom in the spiritual field. This leads to his divulging even the most paramount secrets to the disciple.

Be engrossed in Me; be devoted to Me; worship Me and prostrate before Me. (By this,) you shall indeed attain Me – I promise this, because you are so dear to Me.

As against Krishna asking Arjuna earlier, to swear on his behalf that his devotee will not perish (9.31), here now Krishna himself does the pratijñā, swearing. From this, the sublimity and importance of what Krishna says can be gauged. The concern is how and when a devotee easily and comfortably attains the Supreme, without undergoing a variety of ordeals and vicissitudes. In other words, Krishna reveals that which takes a seeker to the supreme goal in this world, while he is still enmeshed in the day-to-day life.

Becoming a devotee of the Supreme (mad-bhaktaḥ)

Normally Vedic rituals have specific, detailed prescriptions. For instance, they lay down how a ceremonial altar has to be prepared, what all incantations have to be made, what specific materials have to be collected and offered to the fire or how many priests and assistants have to be employed for the purpose. All these generate a feeling that the rituals are unique, great and sacrosanct.

But in reality they are hollow, because the emphasis is on factors other than oneself. What needs enrichment is the inner personality of the performer. In other words, the mind of the performer should be touched and embellished every time. How far does a ritual serve this purpose is indeed debatable.

Krishna restricts the application to the mind exclusively. During the sāṅkhya exposition, the words he used were “Know this Imperishable – veda avināśinam” (2.21), “therefore, knowing this … tasmād evam viditvā enam” (2.25). It is clear that the sāṅkhya pursuit is addressed to and centred on intelligence. The entire sāṅkhya gospel is about the Imperishable nature of the Soul, with a call to realize It (2.11-30).

The pursuit involves a very deep and subtle introspection, an effort solely for the intelligence to take up and complete. The seeker has to pursue his reflection upon the Imperishable Self, until at last he realizes it as the only Real existence and all the rest to be sheer illusion. When rightly done, sāṅkhya leads the seeker to full-fold clarity, enlightenment and freedom. Intelligence is the subtle, inner constituent of the human personality. When enlightened, the effects it can bring about are unique.

Earlier, when Krishna took up the karma-yoga, he said that the resoluteness of the intelligence is the supreme determining factor: “vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ ekeha “ (2.41). In the bhakti-yoga, his call was to “place the mind on the Supreme, and fix the intelligence also on the Supreme – mayyeva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhim niveśaya” (12.8).

But now, the tone and content of words of Krishna mark a distinct difference. He explains succinctly how effective is wholesome surrender, unflinching attunement to the supreme Reality, and what reward or outcome it will bring. There is no call to perform anything hard or painful. On the other hand, it is a very simple procedure that anyone can adopt and pursue with zeal and fervour. Krishna rules out all specific references to materials, idol or altar. He only points to the mind as the sole factor for this secret pursuit. The words used are quite simple, and their import also is quite clear.

The whole pursuit rests upon the mind. It is an attitudinal, behavioural and interactional culture or attunement. The question is merely whether the seeker has the necessary keenness and astuteness to take to it wholeheartedly. Or, will he still prefer to think of the supreme Reality as something distant, hidden from the ordinary, to be reached only by rare and mysterious ceremonies? Can he have the readiness to think of the Supreme as all-pervading and hence immanent in himself? This basic reflection is necessary, and following that, attitudinal transformation also must be effected.

In fact, this secret pursuit, sādhanā, begins when the seeker listens to the words of Krishna or other Knowers attentively, and then growing with them he gets enriched and enlightened enough to bring about the necessary correction and improvement in his perception. The whole process rests upon the seeker’s reflective skill and willingness.

Let the seeker be anywhere and let him be given to any kind of activity and involvement. What he has to do is to give his mind completely to the Supreme (man-manā bhava). As is the body resting upon the visible earth, so should his mind rest fully and firmly upon the Supreme.

Feel constantly that you are a devotee of the Supreme (mad-bhaktaḥ), belonging to It, born of It and sustained by It. The natural effect or result of such a feeling is that whatever is done, wherever and for whatever purpose, will irresistibly become a simple, direct offering to the Supreme (mad-yājee). Our body has its source perhaps in the mother’s womb. But the mind and thoughts are clearly different from the body, and they have only one source, the Supreme.

Harmony between the disciple and the Teacher

What was Arjuna’s plight? Unable to resolve the constrictions (kārpaṇya doṣa) and the resultant delusion about dharma (the right course of action), he surrendered himself unreservedly to Krishna, admitting himself to be a disciple, regarding Krishna as his Teacher. It was in response to this confession and the new bond, that Krishna began his instruction, displaying all authority, concern and responsibility. In such a context, it is for the Teacher to instruct the disciple, giving all necessary guidance without any reservation. For a Teacher too, it is a self-effacing role – coupled with a note of patronization.

In respecting the Teacher, fostering allegiance to him and expressing these evidently, who else than the Teacher can guide the disciple? A disciple becomes full and complete only in the hands of the Teacher. Krishna responds to this intrinsic Guru-śishya bond and discloses the most paramount spiritual secret.

Thus, Krishna’s instruction ‘mām namaskuru’ strikes a unique depth, revealing our holy land’s age-old culture. To prostrate is an unparalleled note of spiritual sublimity. It carries with it a very special, deep note of wholesome surrender, acceptance and attunement a seeker feels to his Teacher. It displays a characteristic note of piety and sublimity.

The one who prostrates lies motionless, with his forehead touching the ground and the eyes closed. He sees nothing above, below or sideways. The one being prostrated to has all the freedom to do whatever he likes with the one lying at his feet. Thus prostration is a unique, defenceless, egoless expression that enriches and blesses the devotee with the mercy and grace of the one to whom he is prostrating.

Equally significant is the ineffable trust and openness the Teacher reveals. With the prostrating disciple in front, the Teacher gets the natural impulsion to share even the most hidden truths with reliance and hope.

For a Teacher to say “prostrate before me”, calls for utter impersonality. A true Teacher’s role is to redress the plight of the seeker, and bestow fulfillment to his heart. In doing so, he finds delight and fulfillment. He has no expectation from the seeker other than that the seeker should absorb what is imparted. In asking Arjuna to prostrate before him, Krishna expresses his unconditional acceptance of Arjuna as a fit disciple or recipient. Thus, regarding the Teacher as well as the disciple, the words “mām namaskuru” carry the rare profundity and openness of the spiritual Guru-śishya relationship worth reflecting upon.

Earlier too, Krishna told Arjuna (4.34): “Go to the Knowers, prostrate before them, express your doubts and enquiries, and also please them by service. They will impart to you the necessary enlightenment.”

A true disciple always prostrates before his Teacher, no matter whether he is still a seeker or has known the Truth. Only then the disciple-teacher bond will be preserved with all integrity. Śaṅkara says:

In the level of understanding and outlook, advaita (nonduality) should always be practised; but never while in action. In all three worlds, advaita should be seen; but not with the Sadguru.

The verse indicates how sacred, powerful and cohesive is the bond between the Teacher and the disciple and how it has to be preserved by the disciple at any cost. The disciple may even be more intelligent than the Teacher. Even then, his bond of humility and belongingness stands. Such a relationship may appear to be supra-worldly, but in this great holy land, this cultural value excels even today.

When the seeker registers his humility and submission as well as fondness to the Supreme, he will attain the Supreme. Krishna swears that this is so.