The Bhagavad-Gita ends every chapter with the words, "Om tat sat iti bhagavad-gitaasu upanishadsu brahmavidyaaya yogashastre ... yogah | The guhyatama guhyam, the secret of the secrets, revealed to us through arjuna is this brahma vidya and yoga shastra that gives us liberation, mukti. All the Upanishads reveal the secrets that cause our bondage and methods of release from it. One such story in the Upanishad is that of Shunashyepa. Here, Shunashyepa is crying for loosening the rope that is tied to him to the yajnya kambha and release from the altar!
As usual, we do not know the entire story. However, it is stated that, there was a rich man who wanted a son and prayed for it. He was blessed with a son with the condition that he should offer him at the altar of the sacrifice! First he agreed, but later on his attachment prevented him from offering his child to sacrific. So he thought of a plan and offrerred money in exchange for any person who would take his son's place at the altar. Finally, they found a poor boy Shunashyepa who offerred himself and took money for the sake of his aged poor parents. Hence, the prayer!
Now, our problem is that we are all Shunashyepas. We are all tied to the pillar of altar at the grand sacrifice (maha yajnya). Here the Sun is the agni, yajnya deva and we are all Shunashyepas. We are all tied by the invisible ropes of desire, ego, jealous, anger, worldly attachments, miserly and greedy attitudes and behavior, etc. We cry for liberation. Our greed is the cause of our bondage. Our attachment is the cause of our bondage. Who will redeem us?
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