V. The strength of surrender2
The present-day world wants individuality. It demands freedom. But true individuality and freedom can breathe only in the Divine. Surrender is the key to open the door of the Divine. Surrender is the untiring breath of the soul.Human individuality shouts in the dark. Earthly freedom cries out in the deserts of life. But absolute surrender universally sings of Divine Individuality and Freedom in the lap of the Supreme.
In surrender, we discover the spiritual power through which we can become not only the seers but the possessors of Truth. This Truth is the omnipotent Power. If we can surrender in absolute silence, we shall ourselves become the Reality of the Real, the Life of the Living, the Centre of True Love, Peace and Bliss. We shall become an incomparable blessing to ourselves.
A lovely child attracts my attention. I love him, for he conquers my heart. But do I ask anything from him in return? No. I love him because he is the object of love; he is lovable. In the same way I can and should love God, for He is the most lovable Being. Spontaneous love for the Divine is surrender, and this surrender is the greatest gift in life. The Divine in no time gives me infinitely more than I ask for.
Surrender is a spiritual miracle. It teaches me how to see God with my eyes closed, how to talk to Him with my mouth shut. Fear enters into my being only when I withdraw my surrender from the Absolute.
Surrender is an unfoldment. It is the unfoldment of our body, mind, and heart into the Sun of divine plenitude within us. To surrender to this inner Sun is the greatest triumph of life. The hound of failure cannot reach us while we are in that Sun. The Prince of Evil fails to touch us when we have realised and founded our oneness with that eternally life-giving Sun.
Surrender and wholeheartedness play together, eat together, and sleep together. Theirs is the crown of victory. Calculation and doubt play together, eat together, and sleep together. Theirs is the fate that is crushed to disappointment, doomed to failure.
India is the land of surrender. This surrender is not a blind submission, but rather the dedication of one's limited self to one's unbounded Self. There are a good many stories in the Mahabharata dealing with surrender. They all have great spiritual truth in them. Let me tell you a short, but most inspiring and revealing story. Draupadi was the queen of the Pandavas. She wept while the evil Duhshasana ruthlessly attempted to unrobe her. She was praying to the Lord to save her, yet she was holding her garments tight with her fists. Her surrender was not complete. Her prayer was not granted. Duhshasana continued his attempts to pull off the garments of the unfortunate queen. But now the moment came when Draupadi gave up the hold on her robes. She began to pray to the Lord with hands upraised: "O Lord of my heart, O Boatman of my life, may Thy will be fulfilled." Lo, the strength of her absolute surrender! God's silence broke. His Grace rained on Draupadi. As Duhshasana pulled off her sari, he found that it was endless. His pride had to kiss the dust. The more he pulled off, the more sari appeared!
God's all-fulfilling Grace descends only when man's unconditional surrender ascends.
Our surrender is a most precious thing. God alone deserves it. We can offer our surrender to another individual, but only for God's sake, for the sake of realising God. If that individual has reached his goal, he can help us in our spiritual journey. If we offer ourselves to someone to satisfy that person, then we have committed the Himalayan blunder. What we should do is to offer ourselves unreservedly to the Lord in him.
Every action of ours is to please God and not to gain applause. Our actions are too secret and sacred to display before others. They are meant for our own progress, achievement and realisation.
There is no limit to one's surrender. The more one surrenders, the more remains to be surrendered. God has given us capacity. According to our rapacity He demands of us manifestation. Manifestation beyond our capacity God has never demanded.
In man's complete and absolute surrender is his realisation, the realisation of the Self, the realisation of God the Infinite.
6 May 1966. The fifth class of the Spring series on Yoga was held at the home of Miss Elma Winter, 139 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn Heights, New York. Elma attended the classes devotedly and was the only member who never missed a session. Twice she offered her home for the use of the classes. Her generous offer of household furnishings, before her departure to Texas, was deeply appreciated and gratefully accepted by Sri Chinmoy. Directness and straightforwardness in thought and expression are the divine characteristics of this aspiring soul. Sri Chinmoy sends his deep love and blessings for the fulfilment of her new life in Texas.↩
