In the Gita, God declares the discipline of devotion (Bhakti-Yoga) as the best discipline namely surrender to Him. The teaching begins with surrender and also ends with surrender:
‘Surrendering all duties to Me, seek refuge in Me alone. O Arjuna, I shall liberate you from all sins, grieve not.’ (Gita18.66)
Sarvadharmaanparitajya maamekam sharanam vraj |
Aham tvaa sarvapaapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shuchah ||
(Gita18.66)
Before this, God spoke about `secret’, `more secret’, `most secret’ and here in the sixty-fourth couplet of the eighteenth chapter, He mentioned the supreme or profoundest secret (Guhya, Guhyatara, Guhyatama, Sarva Guhyatama). Therefore the profoundest, supreme secret which God shares is –
‘Seek refuge in Me alone.’ (Gita18.66)
‘Mamekam sharanam vraj’ (Gita18.66)
Arjuna asks Lord Krsna –
‘My understanding is confused with regards to my duty. So I entrust you to guide me.’
‘Dharamasammudhachetaah tvaam pruchchhami’,
Lord Krsna tells Arjuna that for those things that you are confused and unable to take the right decision, leave those up to Me. Arjuna could not take the right decision on whether to combat in the war or not. So Lord says that if you do not know, then do not put yourself into a dilemma. Leave all of this and surrender to Me only. I will liberate you from all sins. You need not worry. So in this, there is renunciation of all sorts of dependence. Let there be no dependence on anything at all. Give up reliance and faith in anything or anyone else. Surrender exclusively to God. Accept God as the means and the end. This exclusive surrender to God is the most confidential and the best thing told by Him.
There is an extremely great and mysterious secret in it and that is –
“Aham tvaa sarvapaapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shuchah”,
“I shall liberate you from all sins, grieve not.”
This is something very extra-ordinary. It does not mean, if you (Arjuna) take refuge in Me, then I will destroy all your sins. It is not as if Arjuna was enticed and tempted to surrender. But it means that, Arjuna you surrender exclusively to Me without caring about duty. I will take responsibility for the sins incurred as a result of renouncing your duty. It is mentioned in the Gita that the man who does his duty without any desire has no adverse effect and unrighteousness does not take place. Simply take refuge in Me. And thereafter do not worry.
Nehaabhikramanaashosti pratyavaayo na vidyate |
(Gita 2.40)
“You need not worry after surrendering yourself to Me.”
By this Lord Krsna means that after surrendering yourself to Him even if worry, adverse feeling, attachment or malice to the worldly things crops up, even if your mind may not concentrate on God and you may feel that you don’t have promptness and faith and have such other defects, then too, you need not worry at all about those defects. After taking refuge in God, he should have no worries whatsoever. He must become free of all agitations. He should become fearless and regrets. He should become free of all doubts. Don’t bother whether you will get fame or defame, praise or reproach, profit or loss, regard or disregard and what will happen in this world and in the next world. Let your attention not go towards these things at all. Simply surrender exclusively to God and leave all other dependencies. Give up dependence on all the worldly things and seek refuge in Him alone. Don’t have fear, don’t have regrets and gloom and also don’t have doubts. Doubt arises over those things that have gone away and one feels regrets and remorse over them. Give up this sorrow and mourning. “Maa Suchah” means do not grieve whatsoever, not in the least bit.
I seek refuge in only God ! Just like a married girl knows she is married and rests in the one relationship, for the rest of her life. She accepts this relationship to hold firm and permanent, whether her husband lives or dies, respects her or insults her, leaves her, becomes invalid, or becomes a hermit. Such is the character of an indian women that whoever she accepts, she accepts once and for all.
The same principle has been mentioned by saints in the following words:
Pativrataa rahe patike paasa |
yun saahibake dhig rahe daasaa ||
“As a faithful wife always lives with her husband, in the same way a devotee always lives with his Lord.”
She has one owner; and her thoughts remain with that one only. She is gratified in his gratification – to serve him.
A devotee is always pleased in serving and pleasing his Lord. In the Raama Charita Maanas it has been mentioned in the following words:
Ekai dharm ek brat nemaa |
Kaayan bachan man pati pad premaa ||
(3/4/6)
“For a faithful wife there is only one duty, one promise, one principle and that is to have affection and devotion at the feet of her husband with body, mind and speech.”
In the same way surrender yourself to God. Only one vow, one acceptance, that I am God’s. It is God’s duty, it is God’s command, it is God’s will. Whatever is favorable to God – that alone is duty. “I am exclusively God’s and I belong to no one else”.
Now, what does this mean when it is said – “I belong to no one else”? To take nothing whatsoever from anyone at all. To have no desire or longing for anything whatsoever from anyone. As a faithful wife serves all the members of the husband’s family (mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law’s wife etc) and is hospitable to guests, gives alms to hermits and does every kind of duty but her relationship is exclusively with her husband, and no one else. All other relationship (with brother-in-law, sister-in-law etc) are due to her relationship with her husband. She has no independent relationship with anyone at all. Similarly take a vow, that my relationship is only with God, and I have no relationship with anyone else, whatsoever.
Only one observance, to be in remembrance and worship of God and to seek refuge in Him, and let no dependence remain of anyone else.
It is not a sin to serve others, to do their work, to give them comfort and pleasure as per the dictates of the scriptures. It is a sin to want anything for ourselves. After surrendering ourselves to God, let there never be any want for anything, from anyone.
In the Ramacharitmaanas it is mentioned:
Mor daas kahaai nar aasaa |
Karai tau kahahu kahaa biswaasaa ||
(7/45/2)
“If any person being called a devotee of Mine expects anything from others, should he be trusted?”
How can anyone who expects anything from others be a devotee of mine? He is a slave of the thing he wants. He is not a devotee of God. One who desires to get wealth and property etc., from God is not a devotee to God but a slave of wealth and property, as God is only a means for him to achieve an end. Therefore, without wanting anything from anyone, neither hope, nor trust, nor power, nor relationship with anyone whatsoever, a devotee seeks exclusive refuge in only God and after taking refuge, he becomes free of all worries, anxiety and cares.
If worry arises, then there is a very subtle point. Just as when there is worry that there is no money, then it means that I am confident in my power and abilities to earn money, and when I can earn money, then this means there is dependence on my power, abilities and egotism. On the other hand a devotee may suffer shortage of money, but he will not be worried. Similarly a devotee will not worry about any disease that comes, thinking what to do, for this disease is not going away. No one likes to have a disease, however, a devotee does not worry that the disease is not going away. Worry comes when one has faith and confidence in one’s own ability to get rid of the disease. Do not depend on your self at all – neither on your power, nor skill, nor intelligence, nor ability, nor authority etc. Depend only on Lord Rama, as He is the power of the powerless.
Sune ri maine nirbal ke bal Raam |
All in all it is God’s power only, it is not our power at all. It is due to thinking it is our power that we get worried. This is a very small point, brothers, please pay attention. Worry arises when, one feels I have not done this, I have not done that, I will do this, I will accomplish that. All such thoughts lead to worry. After taking refuge in Him, you feel the lacuna that you could not behold Him, could not have the supreme devotion of the Lord’s feet, could not develop intense and deep affection as well. There is uneasiness about these things, but a devotee should not get worried, as this is not in his hands. He simply calls out to the Lord. I am only Yours (God’s). Now if God wills, He will love me, when He wishes he will make me behold Him, when He wishes He will make me an exclusive devotee. He will make me as He wills. A devotee has surrendered Himself to the Lord once and for all. As a potter makes use of clay in anyway he likes to make a pot. He carries it on his head, turns it into mud by mixing water, rubs it thoroughly, revolves it on the potter’s wheel and makes different kinds of pots such as jars, pitchers and cups etc. Clay has no will of its own. A devotee feels the deficiency in his love, and it is also good thing to feel that what have I got to do with love, devotion or beholding God. I am God’s – knowing this, become free of all worries. It is not a fault to see deficiencies in yourself, but worrying about these deficiencies is a flaw. We have no strength whatsoever. We have turned to His Lotus feet and taken shelter in Them. Now we are His. Now whether He gives birth or death, it is His will. Leaving all resolves and uncertainties, simply seek refuge in God. Do not worry in the least bit.
The more free of worries a devotee is, that much more exceptionally the grace of the Lord flows. And the more a devotee worries on his own, that many roadblocks he places on the grace that is flowing. The point is, after taking refuge in God, roadblocks are placed in the exceptional grace that is flowing from the Lord. God thinks that my devotee himself is worried, therefore he will set things right by himself, thus His grace is blocked. The more that a devotee is free from worries, fear, gloom, doubt and dilemma, to that extent his exclusive refuge in the Lord is superior. Therefore say – I have no responsibilities whatsoever. I have no burden on my shoulder, I have no load over my head. Now I am totally and entirely God’s.
When a devotee wishes to get his desires fulfilled by God, then he remains separated from God. Just as the son of a multi-millionaire tells his father that he wants to get a few thousand rupees from him, it means he wants to be separate from his father. In fact, he is the heir to the entire estate of his father. It all belongs to him alone.
A devotees sentiments should be that I do not wish to take anything thing at all. When there is desire to take, then it creates a separation from God. It creates an obstacle in the grace that is flowing from God. Just like a kitten has no concern about its own welfare, where it has to go and what it has to do? It remains entirely dependent on its mother. When the mother holds the kitten, it gently withdraws its paws inwards and uses no strength what so ever to resist. It leaves itself to the will of its mother. Now wherever the mother wants to take it and place it, it is the mother’s call. Similarly, a devotee, remains happy in all circumstances, and whatever is God’s will, whether it is prosperity or adversity, riches or poverty, union or disunion, regard or disregard, praise or reproach, none of these make any difference to him, as he looks towards God only for everything. From his own point of view, he has no worries. If a thought arises, if a worry descends upon him spontaneously, then he calls out to God, he invokes Him and says “O Lord ! What should I do?” In this way, surrender to God leaving all worries aside.
Question: What sort of life does a devotee lead after surrendering himself to God? (Sharanagat bhakt)
Answer: According to the Gita, a devotee must not renounce his duty and actions. Nonetheless, he should offer (surrender) all “dharmas” in other words, all duties and actions to God. This is the best of all “dharmas”. When all actions and duties are surrendered and he takes refuge in God then there is no need for him to take any decisions about his duty, his dharma.
I am God’s and God is mine – There is no ability, no worthiness, no eligibility etc. like it at all. This is the essence of all spiritual disciplines. Therefore a devotee who has taken refuge in God, must not look towards his inclinations, his tendencies etc, he must continue to look only towards his relationship with God, his affinity with God, the feeling of being God’s very own.
God says that after taking refuge in Me, if you worry, then this is an offense against Me. It is a blot on surrender, and in this is your pride. After taking refuge, not having faith in Me, not trusting Me – this is a crime against Me. And worrying about your faults, and thinking you have the power to get rid of them is only due to your pride. Therefore give up your pride. If your conduct, tendencies, feelings have not been purified, adverse feelings arise and at times bad actions also take place, then too do not worry about them. I will worry about these flaws.
Every law of God has been made for the benediction of all creatures of the world. Now if a devotee that has surrendered to the Lord, pays attention to this law, then nothing more remains to be done for him.
He who surrenders Himself to God with a true heart, his feeling of surrender becomes firm spontaneously and continues to be strengthened on its own.
God’s only sees towards the relationship, the feeling of being His very own (apnaapan). He is unable to look at the vices and virtues of the devotee. i.e. God cannot see the defects, the sins and faults.
For a devotee that is firmly grounded and determinate about in taking refuge in the Lord, – “I am God’s and God is mine”, his worries, fear, doubts, regrets and various other flaws are rooted out. In other words, the life support of those evils is cut off. Because all defects are sustaining due to disinclination towards God.
After taking refuge in God, never put yourself to a test that you do not seem to possess the characteristics of a devotee that has taken refuge, so how could you have actually surrendered?
If you are free from these three things – doubt, testing and contrary feelings – it is an indication that you are firmly grounded and determinate in your relationship with God. It means you have accepted your true relationship with God. In a surrendered devotee these things perish from the very beginning.
When a devotee surrenders himself to God, he is not afraid of creatures and other obstacles etc. No one can make him scared in anyway. No one can harm him in anyway.
A person can attain God-Realization only by the grace of God. In practicing spiritual disciplines an aspirant is merely an instrument, a means, however in fulfillment of one’s spiritual discipline, grace of God is most important. In this manner establishing any sort of relationship with God, is bound to lead to a person’s welfare. Thus the establishment of relationship with Him leads to God-Realization. Those who have not connected themselves with Him and remained indifferent, have been deprived of God-Realization.
God possesses boundless prosperity, sweetness, beauty and divine manifestations. But a devotee that has taken refuge no heed of His attributes and magnanimity. He only feels that he has surrendered himself to God and only God is mine. A devotee that has surrendered to God, his eyesight should remain on God only, not on his qualities, magnanimity, radiance etc.
As a being gives up his dependence on the worldly things, his dependence on God enhances and he experiences the grace of God. When he completely depends on God, he attains God’s full grace.
In the fifty-seventh couplet of the eighteenth chapter in the Gita, Lord Krsna says to Arjuna, “Mentally resigning all deeds to Me, have Me as your highest goal and resorting to even-mindedness fix your mind always on Me.”
Chetasaa sarvakarmaani mayi sanyasya matparah |
Buddhiyogamupaashritya machchittah satatam bhava ||
(Gita 18-57)
In this couplet Lord Krsna has mentioned four points (i) Mentally resign all deeds to Me (ii) Offer yourself to Me (iii) Detach yourself from the world by being even-minded (iv) Have and unshakable, and permanent relationship with Me. These are the important elements of refuge.
In the process of spiritual discipline a devotee has to face the problem of earning livelihood, suffering from diseases, and other impediments and obstacles etc., but in spite of them coming, on having dependence on the grace of God, an aspirant does not lose heart and patience, rather he experiences an exceptional grace of God in facing those problems.
Narayan ! Narayan !! Narayan !!!
‒ From book “Art of Living” in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji
Comments are closed.