Attitude of surrender

Expressions researched:
"surrendered attitude" |"surrendering attitude" |"attitude of surrender" |"attitude of surrendering" |"attitude to surrender"

Renunciation Through Wisdom

The Māyāvādīs are totally bereft of this attitude of surrender; hence when they try to understand the nondual concept on their own, they end up becoming impersonalists.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 3.5: In an essay entitled "Surrender and Opening," Śrī Aurobindo writes:

The whole principle of this yoga is to give oneself entirely to the Divine alone and to nobody and nothing else, and to bring down to ourselves, by union with the Divine Mother, all transcendent light, power, breadth, place, purity, truth, consciousness, and Ananda of the Supramental Divine.

Rādhā is the personification of absolute love for the Divine, total and integral in all parts of Her being, from the highest spiritual to the physical, bringing the absolute self-going and total consecration of all being and calling down into the body and the most material nature the supreme Ananda.

Although there are disparities in conclusions in the above statements, still on his own Śrī Aurobindo has pointed in the right direction. It is impossible to comprehend the conjugal mellow, which is the most elevated and brilliant of spiritual mellows, without the mood of surrender. The Māyāvādīs are totally bereft of this attitude of surrender; hence when they try to understand the nondual concept on their own, they end up becoming impersonalists. Let us read what Śrī Aurobindo has to say about these Māyāvādīs:

To seek after the impersonal is the way of those who want to withdraw from life. Usually such impersonalists try by their :own effort and not by opening themselves to the superior power, or by the way of surrender, for the impersonal is not :something that guides or helps but something to be attained, and it leaves each man to attain it according to the way and :capacity of his nature. On the other hand, by opening and surrendering to the Mother, one can realize the Impersonal and :every other aspect of truth also.

The Māyāvādīs are never successful in their efforts to attain liberation on their own merit. The only way to conquer illusion and achieve liberation is to surrender to the Supreme Lord, who is complete with six absolute opulences. As Lord Kṛṣṇa clearly states in the Gītā (7.14), mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etān taranti te: "Those who surrender unto Me can easily cross beyond it [the modes of material nature]."

Sri Isopanisad

The Lord comes here to reestablish the principles of religion, and the basic principle is the development of an attitude of surrender to Him. This is the Lord's last instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā. "Give up all other processes and just surrender unto Me alone."

Sri Isopanisad 14, Purport: No one can dominate Kṛṣṇa. It is the conditioned soul who tries to dominate material nature and is instead subjected to the laws of material nature and the sufferings of repeated birth and death. The Lord comes here to reestablish the principles of religion, and the basic principle is the development of an attitude of surrender to Him. This is the Lord's last instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.66): sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. "Give up all other processes and just surrender unto Me alone." Unfortunately, foolish men have misinterpreted this prime teaching and misled the masses of people in diverse ways. People have been urged to open hospitals but not to educate themselves to enter into the spiritual kingdom by devotional service. They have been taught to take interest only in temporary relief work, which can never bring real happiness to the living entity. They start varieties of public and semi-governmental institutions to tackle the devastating power of nature, but they don't know how to pacify insurmountable nature. Many men are advertised as great scholars of the Bhagavad-gītā, but they overlook the Gītā's message, by which material nature can be pacified. Powerful nature can be pacified only by the awakening of God consciousness, as clearly pointed out in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.14).

General Lectures

One who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa fully, without any reservation, his life is perfect. That's all. So keep this attitude of surrendering and then everything will come, perfection. And this remembrance also will be kept by chanting the mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Srila Prabhupada and Disciples Speak -- New York, April 9, 1969: Simply you become surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and always pray to Kṛṣṇa. Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays, hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu-sutā-yuta: "My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda, now You are standing before me with Rādhārāṇī, the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu." Hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu-suta, karuṇā karoho ei-bāro: "Many lives I have wasted in this material encagement. Life after life, I was frustrated and baffled. Now, this life I am dedicated unto You." Hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu, karuṇā karoho ei: "Now You become merciful. You are already merciful, but due to my forgetfulness, rebellious condition of life, I did not surrender unto You. Now I have come to my senses." Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante [Bg. 7.19]. "After many, many births, so I surrender unto You. Please give me Your protection." This much. That's all. There is no necessity. Of course, not in the beginning, but actually, one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa fully, without any reservation, his life is perfect. That's all. So keep this attitude of surrendering and then everything will come, perfection. And this remembrance also will be kept by chanting the mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

1969 Correspondence

I thank you very much for your nice surrendering attitude by placing yourself at my disposal.

Letter to Dayananda -- Allston, Mass 1 May, 1969: You have not mentioned when you are returning to Los Angeles. The idea of New Dvaraka in Los Angeles is developing there, and Tamala Krishna has already informed Mr. Leo Brown, the real estate man, to find out a bigger place than the present one. So when you return you try to complete it. I thank you very much for your nice surrendering attitude by placing yourself at my disposal. Of course, I am using you already in the service of the Lord, and personally I cannot utilize your service. So whatever I demand from you, it is for Krishna's sake. Personally I am humble servant of Krishna as you are also, but I am deputed to accept your service just to transfer it to Krishna as via media. I shall try to do this service to you and Krishna throughout my life, and I am so proud to have such assistants as you are to help me in my mission to push on the Krishna Consciousness Movement. I do not know why I am attached to your country, but I strongly believe that if the American boys and girls would accept this philosophy, it would render the greatest service to the rest of the world. In Los Angeles, the situation is improving, and when you reach there it will be further accelerated.

1970 Correspondence

This attitude of surrendering to the Spiritual Master is the best qualification of spreading this movement of Lord Caitanya. That is the Vedic way.

Letter to Bali-mardana -- Tokyo 25 August, 1970: I have received the painting of my Guru Maharaja. It is very nicely done. Please convey my thanks to the girl. I have immediately placed this painting on my Deity altar. Yes, this attitude of surrendering to the Spiritual Master is the best qualification of spreading this movement of Lord Caitanya. That is the Vedic way. One should have unflinching faith in Krsna and similarly in the Spiritual Master. That is the way of understanding the secret of Krsna Consciousness. Unfortunately, attempt has been made lately in our Society to shake this formula. This mischievous attempt has done a great harm, but if you the members of the Governing Body Commission can rectify this mischievous attempt, then still there is hope of making our progress uninterruptedly. I hope Krsna will help us.

1971 Correspondence

I am very pleased by your attitude to surrender yourself completely by engaging cent per cent in Krishna's service. Somehow or other always to be thinking about Krishna, that is the goal of Krishna Consciousness process.

Letter to Mahamaya -- Delhi 23 November, 1971: Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter undated, and have noted the contents carefully. I am very pleased by your attitude to surrender yourself completely by engaging cent per cent in Krishna's service. Somehow or other always to be thinking about Krishna, that is the goal of Krishna Consciousness process. So now you please help me to spread this information all over this earth planet, especially by helping to distribute my books and literatures, as many as possible. Then you will get the credit, and know it for certain that very soon you will go back to Home, back to Godhead.

1972 Correspondence

If you simply serve in a surrendered attitude, and go on chanting regularly, the answers to everything will come out automatically: "To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

Letter to Mohanananda -- Mayapur 27 February, 1972: So far you being philosophically-minded, that I can see and appreciate, but in future I think you can ask any questions you may have in these matters to one of the Swamis or to your GBC man. I have given them the answers to all such questions, so they can help you. I am an old man now, and my interests are turning to philosophy and translation. If you help me by relieving me from this administrative work, that will free me to give you so many more fine books from Vedic literature and from our own devotional line. So kindly assist me in this way. Actually, if you simply serve in a surrendered attitude, and go on chanting regularly, the answers to everything will come out automatically: "To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

1972 Correspondence

If someone wants to become devotee but he is little weak, never mind he is living outside, he may come regularly to the temple, chant at home and at his work, and offer his foodstuffs always to Krsna, like that, and gradually he will develop the surrendering attitude and accept voluntarily the life of austerity which must be practiced in the temple living.

Letter to Cyavana -- Bombay 29 December, 1972: Yes, if anyone agrees to live with us in the temple he must without any exception follow the four rules and regulations, plus the other regulative principles, otherwise he may be asked kindly to leave the temple and live outside. Or he may not be invited to live in the temple until he has agreed and has proven his ability to obey the regulative idea. The point is that we should not be over anxious just to recruit men if they will not be of the best quality. If someone wants to become devotee but he is little weak, never mind he is living outside, he may come regularly to the temple, chant at home and at his work, and offer his foodstuffs always to Krsna, like that, and gradually he will develop the surrendering attitude and accept voluntarily the life of austerity or tapasya which must be practiced in the temple living. Without such voluntary understanding of the principles and agreement to obey them, no one is qualified to live in our temples. Of course if there are one or two instances of falling down, that may be excused, we are not so overly critical, otherwise who would be qualified of any of us to become devotee? So that tolerant attitude must be there to a certain extent, but we must remain also always firm on this point, that the brahmacaris living in the temple shall not disobey the orders of the spiritual master.