A KORA OF KORAS

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the Upanishads seized on the essence of sacrifice and spoke of the sacrifice of ‘self ’
or our false identification as an individual and it was said that this sacrifice alone is
what leads to release from all suffering and Liberation.
Lord Krishna in the final chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita, after laying out all the
different paths and practices of Yoga (karma yoga, gnana yoga and bhakti yoga)
and Dharma says: “Abandon all Dharmas (varieties of religious practice) and
surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”
There are many ways to interpret this instruction; from the more common
abandonment of lower desires to devote oneself to God (whoever and whatever
that is), to the transcendence of self and attention itself and the Realization there is
only God. In the varying understandings of this verse lie the origination of not only
the vast number of the religious traditions of India, but of the whole world.
Sacrifice is the fundamental principle of life but is engaged and understood
differently by diverse people in different stages of life and distinct states of
consciousness or Realization.
Ultimately, the yagya or what is sacrificed becomes more and more comprehensive
and all-inclusive as we move from gross to subtle in the sacrifice of our physical,
psychological and spiritual desires, to our very self and everything whatsoever and
altogether; this is the principle of the yagya of our life.