Thread by @DefiledGod

-- DRONA'S MUKTI --

A great rahasya in MB - droNa, upon death attained mukti.

Due to grief over his son, he felt helpless to even continue living – “Akinchanyam”. He had only one goal – bhagavAn, for freedom from misery. This is “ananyagativam”.

Thus, he performed sharaNAgati+

सन्न्यासाय शरीरस्य योक्ष्यमाणः स वै द्विजः'। सर्वाण्यस्त्राणि धर्मात्मा हातुकामोऽभ्यभापत 

[That noble minded dvija, intending to join with the self (in meditation) for the sake of surrender & desirous of casting aside all his weapons…]+

“सन्न्यासाय”  – nyAsa vidyA or surrender. “शरीरस्य” – jIvAtma, which is the body of Brahman & subservient to him, the self. ShvetAshvatAra Up. also calls the jIva “देहम्”.

DroNa wished to meditate on the self as a शरीर of Brahman, reflecting on it’s subservience for surrender+

उत्सृज्य च रणे शस्त्रं रथोपस्थे निविश्य च । अभयं सर्वभूतानां प्रददौ योगयुक्तवान्

[He cast aside his weapons & sat down on his chariot. He, united with Brahman, the highest means (योगयुक्तवान्), gave fearlessness to his senses]

His senses which caused him grief, were quieted+

द्रोणोऽपि शस्त्राण्युत्सृज्य परमं साङ्ख्यमास्थितः । तथोक्त्वा योगमास्थाय ज्योतिर्भूतो महातपाः

[Drona leaving his weapons, was abiding in highest knowledge of the self. Having said “namaH”, taking recourse to Brahman, the Supreme Means, he of high knowledge became resplendent]+

“साङ्ख्यमास्थितः ” – “साङ्ख्यम्” is the highest knowledge concerning the self. What is this knowledge? That the self, by nature, is subservient to bhagavAn and belongs to him.

droNa meditated on shesha-sheshi bhAva, saying “namaH”+

पुराणं पुरुषं विष्णुं जगाम मनसा परम् ।
[He went by mind, to VishNu, the Purusha, who has an ancient form that appears ever new (upon experience).]

By his grief, droNa extinguished his pApa. By his bliss on seeing bhagavAn’s form in his mind, he extinguished his puNya+

मुखं किञ्चित्समुन्नाम्य विष्टब्योरस्तथाग्रतः । निमीलिताक्षः सत्वस्थो निक्षिप्य हृदि धारणाम् ।
 
[His face bent down, with chest forward, closing his eyes, situated in sattva (without ego), he entrusted himself to contemplation on Brahman in the mind.]

He meditated on OM+

ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म ज्योतिर्भूतो महातपाः । स्मरित्वा देवदेवेशमक्षरं परमं प्रभुम् । दिवमाक्रामदाचार्यः साक्षात्सद्भिर्दुराक्रमाम्

[With reflection on the one-syllabled OM, the Shabda-Brahman,  he of supreme knowledge of the self became resplendent.]+

“OM” is said by prapannAs as it bestows knowledge of subservience, as below:

प्राणान् सर्वान् परमात्मणि प्रणानयति एतस्मात् प्रणव (~atharvashiras)

[OM is called “praNava” as it makes all beings bow to paramAtma]

Moving on+

स्मरित्वा देवदेवेशमक्षरं परमं प्रभुम् । दिवमाक्रामदाचार्यः साक्षात्सद्भिर्दुराक्रमाम्

[Remembering the Ruler of brahmA, that god whose greatness never diminishes, the Supreme Master – AchArya (droNa) verily obtained the Supreme Abode, difficult to attain for even the gods]+

मूर्धानं तस्य निर्भिद्य ज्योती राजन्महात्मनः । जगाम परमं स्थानं देहं न्यस्य रथोत्तमे

[Breaking open the skull via the suShumNa nADi, that noble-minded one became resplendent with the light of the self. He went to that Supreme Abode, Vaikuntha, leaving his body in the chariot]+

Only a select few saw his mukti, hence it was a rahasya:

ब्रह्मलोकगते द्रोणे धृष्टद्युम्ने च मोहिते । वयमेव तदाऽद्राक्ष्म पञ्च मानुषयोनयः । योगयुक्तं महात्मानं गच्छन्तं परमां गतिम् । अहं धनञ्जयः पार्थः कृपः शारद्वतो द्विजः । वासुदेवश्च वार्ष्णेयो धर्मपुत्रश्च पाण्डवः ।+

[Dhrishtadyumna was bewildered when droNa ascended to brahma loka (paramapada).

We five alone among men saw droNa, yoked to bhagavAn, the supreme means, proceed to the highest state -  Myself (Sanjaya), Arjuna, kR^ipAchArya, vAsudeva and yudhiShThira. None else could see that]+

Sanjaya could see droNa’s mukti by vyAsa’s anugraha. The others saw him by anugraha of vAsudeva. dhR^iShTadyumna, would-be killer of droNa, never saw it.

अन्ये तु सर्वे नापश्यन्भारद्वाजस्य धीमतः । महिमानं महाराज योगयुक्तस्य गच्छतः । ब्रह्मलोकं महद्दिव्यं देवगुह्यं हि तत्परम्+

[All others did not see that wise bhAradvAja, his glory, as he united with bhagavAn as the means, proceeded to that highly respendent brahma loka, a secret known only to nitya sUrIs, that Supreme Abode from which there is no return]
 
“देवगुह्यं” –  “देव” means nitya-sUrIs here+

गतिं परमिकां प्राप्तम् अजानन्तो नृयोनयः नापश्यन् गच्छमानं हि तं सार्धम् ऋषिपुंगवैः 

 [Those born of human womb, did not see droNa go to that supreme end, with Adi-vAhika gods.] 
 
“ऋषिपुंगवैः” refers to the gods who escort the mumukkshu on the path of devAyana or archirAdi+

आचार्यं योगम् आस्थाय ब्रह्मलोकम् अरिंदमम् . वितुन्नाङ्गं शरशतैर् न्यस्तायुधम् असृक् क्षरम्

[AchArya, situated in Brahman, the supreme means, obtained brahma loka, while his body was pierced with arrows, bleeding,  having relinquished his weapons]+

sharaNAgati can be done at anytime, anywhere, by anyone.

droNa performed it in midst of battle. He was a brAhmaNa, yet he was fighting – which was adharma.

He was fighting for the Kauravas – again, adharma. Yet, he attained the supreme abode by self-surrender+

A few clarifications - Why didn’t droNa perform sharaNAgati to ensure his was son alive, instead of mukti?

Because he was weary of samsAra itself. He knew that even if his son was alive, grief would assail him again due to such attachments – so he wanted to leave samsAra+

dhR^iShTadyumna cut off the head of a lifeless body. But agni purANa says “धृष्टद्युम्नशराक्रान्तः पतितः” – droNa fell by dhR^iShTadyumna’s arrows. Why?

dhR^iShTadyumna defiled a prapanna’s body, dear to bhagavAn, incurred the latter’s wrath, & was killed through ashvattAma+

Finally, svargArohanika parva says droNa entered brihaspati upon death. YudhiShThira sees droNa with brihaspati. If he had attained moksha, how is this possible?

A mukta has free movement in all worlds – so saying droNa attained brihaspati’s world is true & preserves a rahasya+

Also, mukta assumes infinite forms. The mukta who was formerly droNa appeared in a similar form near brihaspati for dharmaputra’s sake, by bhagavad anugraha.

Normally, muktAs are not seen by samsArIs, so this was a special favor of bhagavAn to yudhiShThira.//