#thefinaltake

SPOILER AHEAD

A book written by an actual physician dealing with brains, with a theme focused on fighting against DV and power of womanhood BEYOND THE LOOKS, minimal smut involvement showing how the book is not here to cater to your fantasies or your desires but a simple thriller with a subtle message is being adapted into a movie with two of the three main leads being portrayed by two of the most sexualised actors.

“Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja

Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ”

Which translates to

“Abandon all varieties of dharmas (duties/religions) and simply surrender unto Me alone. I shall liberate you from all sinful reactions; do not fear (or grieve)."

This verse, being so widely known and circulated has taken up different meanings and forms. Yes, no “one” meaning is right or wrong and yes understanding is relative or even subjective, but one meaning that people have acquired about this verse has somewhat created a tension between the believers of different schools of beliefs.

Here, when Shri Krishna talks about letting go of control and surrendering to “him”, the words “dharma” and “aham” are used, which has made many people to think that lord Shri Krishna is urging us humans to give up every “religion” and to surrender to and only follow “him”. This belief has lead people to look at the words “dharma” and “religion” in a different way instead of the actual meaning that the Lord must’ve most probably implied. Majority of the followers tend to believe that here the words have a quite literal meaning- spiritual practices and choice of faith, and thereby followers tend to feel that they are superior for already being worshippers of The Lord and tend to impose their beliefs and superiority over the “inferiors”, that is, people with a different choice of faith.

People belonging to this school of thought also sometimes tend to think that the only superior power to exist is Lord Shri Krishna only, which can become an insensitive and inconsiderate opinion.

But perhaps, here, The lord is simply a superior power which has personified itself into the form of a human, thereby, using the word “aham” meaning “I” to metaphorically describe itself and help human forms feel closer to it. And this same “aham” here is asking you to surrender to “him” by giving up all “dharma”, meaning to give up all duties and practices and believes that bind you to the world and not choice of faith or who you bow to directly.

Lord Shri Krishna, i believe, in no way tried to persuade us humans into giving up our faith or the way we feel closer to supreme power above us, neither did “he” try to impose “his” superiority over us.