Surrender

Surrender

Secret of Surrender

by Swami Sivananda

Sakrudeva prapannaya tavasmeeti cha yachate;
Abhayam sarvabhutebhyo dadamyetad vratam mama.

“I remove all fears of all beings even if they come to Me only once and seek My refuge; calling themselves as Mine-This is My vow. ” -Sri Ramachandra’s vow.

Throughout the Gita there is a ringing note that surrender and devotion are absolutely necessary for the attainment of God-consciousness. In reality, the nine modes of devotion (Navavidha Bhakti) are reducible to one, viz. , Atmanivedan. The following Gita Slokas will impress on your mind the importance of devotion and self-surrender:

Tameva saranam gachha sarvabhavena bharata;
Tatprasadat param santim sthanam prapsyasi sasvatam.

“Flee unto Him for shelter with all thy being, O Bharata; by His Grace thou shalt obtain supreme peace, the everlasting dwelling-place. ” (XVIII-62. )

Manmana bhava madbhakto madyajee mam namaskuru;
Mamevaisyasi satyam te pratijane priyosi me.

“Merge thy mind in Me, be My devotee, sacrifice to Me, prostrate thyself before Me, thou shalt come even to Me. ” (XVIII-65. )

Sarvadharman parityajya mamekam saranam vraja;
Aham tva sarvapapebhyo mokshayishyami ma suchah.

“Abandoning all duties come unto Me alone for shelter; sorrow not, I liberate thee from all sins. ” (XVIII-66. )

Slokas 65 and 66 of Chapter XVIII are the most important Slokas of the Gita. The gist of the teaching of Lord Krishna is here. If anyone can live in the true spirit of these Slokas, he will realise the goal of life soon. There is no doubt of this.

The self-surrender must be total, ungrudging and unreserved. You must not keep certain desires for gratification. Mira says: “I have given my whole heart, mind, intellect, soul, my all to my Griridhar Gopal. ” This is perfect self-surrender.

A real devotee will not ask the Lord even for Mukti. So long as the subtle desire for liberation lingers in one’s heart he cannot claim himself to be a true devotee of the Lord. Though the desire for emancipation is of Sattvic nature, yet the devotee has become a slave of Mukti. He is still selfish and so is unfit to call himself a sincere lover of God. He has not yet made total, unreserved self-surrender. To ask for Mukti is a variety of hypocrisy. Can a true devotee dare ask anything from God, when he fully knows that He is an ocean of love and compassion?

A real devotee never complains anything against God. A raw Bhakta speaks ill of God when he is in distress. He says, “I have done 25 lakhs of Japa. I am studying Bhagavata daily. Yet God is not pleased with me. He has not removed my sufferings. God is blind. He has not heard my prayers. What sort of God is Lord Krishna? I have no faith in Him.”

A real Bhakta rejoices in suffering, pain and destitution. He welcomes grief and sorrow always, so that he may not forget God even for a second. He has the firm belief that God does everything for his good only. Kunti Devi prayed to Krishna: “O Lord! Give me pain always. Then only I will remember Thee always. “

In Puri a saint who completely dedicated himself to Lord Hari was seriously ailing from chronic dysentery. He became quite helpless. Lord Jagannath was serving him for months in the form of a servant. The law of Prarabdha is inexorable. Nobody can escape from the operation of this infallible law. The Lord did not want the Bhakta to take another birth for the exhaustion of his Prarabdha. So His devotee had to suffer from protracted ailment. This was his Karmic purgation. But He Himself served him, as the devotee surrendered himself completely. Look at the unbounded mercy of the Lord! He becomes a slave of His devotees when they entirely depend upon Him.

Self-surrender does not mean retirement into the forests. It does not mean giving up of all activities. Tamas or inertia is mistaken for self-surrender. This is a sad mistake. What is wanted is internal surrender. The ego and desire must be annihilated. This will constitute real surrender. The Rajasic mind stands obstinate to effect complete self-surrender. Obstinacy is a great obstacle in surrender. The lower nature again and again raises up to assert itself. There is resurrection of desires. Desires get suppressed for some time. Again they manifest with redoubled force. Man is dragged hither and thither by these desires. Believe in the divine possibilities. Completely dedicate yourself to the Lord. Have full trust in Him. Rest in peace. All cares, worries, anxieties, tribulations and egoistic efforts will terminate now.

Look at Prahlada’s surrender and faith in God! He completely resigned himself to Lord Hari. No other thought save thoughts of God occupied his mind. He had His full Grace and benediction even though he was ill-treated by his father in a variety of ways. He was hurled down from the top of a cliff. He was trampled by the elephant. He was poisoned. He was thrown into the sea with the legs tied by iron chains. Cobras were thrown over him. His nose was filled with poisonous gases. He was thrown over fire. Boiled oil was poured over his head. Yet his faith in Narayana was not shaken a bit. The Name of Narayana was always on his lips. Such must be the faith of every devotee.

The lower nature must be thoroughly overhauled. All old, wrong habits must be completely destroyed. Then the surrender becomes complete. Do not make plans and speculations. “Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. ” Keep the mind and the intellect passive. Allow the Divine Will and Grace to work through your mind and Indriyas. Become silent. Feel His Grace and Love and enjoy the Divine Ecstasy. Be at ease.

Pray to God fervently, “O Lord! Make my will strong to resist all temptations, to control my Indriyas and lower nature, to change my old evil habits and to make my surrender complete and real. Enthrone Thyself in my heart. Do not leave this place even for a second. Use my body, mind and organs as instruments. Make me fit to dwell in Thee for ever. “

Give up all ideas of duty and responsibility. Allow the Divine Will to work unhampered now. This is the secret of surrender. You will feel yourself a changed being. This exalted state is ineffable. A great transformation will come upon you. You will be enveloped by a halo of divine effulgence. You will be drowned in indescribable bliss, peace and joy. Your old little self is dead now. You are now a changed spiritual being. Your individual will is merged in the Cosmic Will. You are now illumined by the Divine Light. All ignorance has melted now. Enjoy the immortal, divine life wherein there is neither despair nor fear, neither hunger nor thirst, neither doubt nor delusion. Shine in Divine Splendour and Glory, O my beloved Visvanath! Radiate peace and joy all around.

Surrender – A Spiritual Path to Peace and Divine Trust

Human life becomes heavy when the mind tries to control everything. We want every person to behave according to our wishes, every situation to move according to our plan, and every result to arrive at the time we expect. But life does not always follow personal desire. This is why Surrender becomes an important spiritual lesson. It teaches the heart to trust a higher wisdom while still performing duties with sincerity, courage, and love.

Surrender is not weakness. Many people misunderstand it as giving up, becoming passive, or accepting failure without effort. In truth, it means offering the burden of ego, fear, pride, and anxiety to the Divine. A person still works hard, speaks truth, serves others, and makes wise choices. The only difference is that the heart no longer carries the restless feeling of “I alone must control everything.”

Surrender does not ask us to stop action. It asks us to purify the attitude behind action. When work is done only for ego, praise, or personal gain, the mind becomes disturbed by success and failure. But when action is offered with humility, the same work becomes peaceful. A student can study with faith, a parent can care with patience, a worker can serve with honesty, and a devotee can pray with love.

The biggest obstacle on this path is ego. Ego says, “I am the doer,” “I know everything,” and “Life must happen my way.” When events go according to desire, ego becomes proud. When life becomes difficult, ego becomes angry or depressed. Spiritual wisdom gently reminds us that human understanding is limited. We see only one part of life, but the Divine sees the whole picture.

Surrender becomes easier when a person develops faith. Faith does not mean blind belief. It means inner confidence that truth, goodness, and divine grace have value, even when the path looks unclear. Sometimes life’s delays protect us. Sometimes difficulties teach us. Sometimes loss creates space for deeper growth. A faithful heart does not break easily because it believes that every experience can become a lesson.

This spiritual attitude also brings emotional freedom. Many people suffer because they hold tightly to past mistakes, broken expectations, and future fears. They keep asking, “Why did this happen?” or “What if things go wrong?” Such thoughts drain energy. When the mind learns to place its worries at the feet of the Divine, inner space opens. Peace slowly returns, not because life has become perfect, but because the heart has become softer.

Surrender also teaches humility. A humble person understands that personal strength, intelligence, health, and opportunity are not fully self-created. There is grace behind every breath and blessing. This understanding removes arrogance and makes a person more grateful. Gratitude changes the way we live. We stop complaining about every small discomfort and begin noticing the silent support that life gives every day.

In relationships, this quality is deeply useful. We cannot control how others think, speak, or respond. We can only control our own honesty, kindness, patience, and boundaries. When we stop forcing people to match our expectations, relationships become lighter. Love becomes less possessive and more compassionate. We learn to care without becoming emotionally trapped.

Surrender is especially meaningful in difficult times. When illness, loss, rejection, failure, or uncertainty enters life, the mind naturally becomes afraid. At such moments, spiritual trust gives strength. It does not remove all pain instantly, but it helps a person stand with dignity. A heart connected with the Divine can cry, pray, learn, and continue walking.

This path also improves prayer. Instead of praying only, “Give me what I want,” the seeker begins to pray, “Guide me toward what is right.” This change is powerful. It shows maturity. The devotee no longer treats God only as a fulfiller of desires, but as a loving guide. Such prayer brings clarity because it is not driven by demand; it is filled with trust.

In daily life, this practice can begin in simple ways. Before starting work, one can silently offer the task to God. Before making a decision, one can ask for wisdom. During stress, one can pause and breathe with faith. At night, one can release the day’s worries and rest with gratitude. These small habits slowly train the mind to let go of unnecessary burden.

Ultimately, Surrender is the art of living with effort outside and trust inside. It teaches us to act with responsibility but without ego, to love deeply but without possession, and to face life bravely but without fear. When the heart learns this sacred balance, peace becomes natural. Life may still bring changes, but the soul remains anchored in divine grace.

4 States of Consciousness