Sunday, March 31, 2024

Om! Self-surrender ¬ Atman Nityananda


Self-surrender 

 Surrender to God's will is the most powerful means to accept life just as it happens (what life brings us to experience), to live in peace, love and plenitude, to dissolve the ego (all egoic tendencies) and to attain God-realization, i.e., to establish ourselves in conscious union with the Absolute Consciousness or God.

 Surrendering to God (self-surrender) means offering our body, mind, intellect, heart and ego to God and taking everything as God's will. It is keeping our mind and heart steadily focused on Him through repetition of His name or otherwise. When we take life experiences as God's will for our benefit (I am not referring to our ego benefit but our spiritual growth and the realization of Oneness with God and life), it becomes easier to accept the challenges, difficulties and adversities. By accepting moment by moment what happens, we do not give space to the ego to react and make us identify with its mental and emotional reactions and be under their dominance. As a result, egoic tendencies are weakened little by little and we enjoy the silent peace within us.

 Of course, complete self-surrender from the very beginning of our journey is not possible since the rajasotamasic ego is very strong and we identify with it. Self-surrender is gradually developed through purity of mind, the increase of sattvic quality in the mind, the development of sattvic virtues and skills, and the development of devotion, love and faith in God. In the measure that purity, sattvic virtues, love and faith in God develop, our surrender becomes deeper and firmer.


Have perfect trust in God. Do total surrender unto Him. Place yourself in His loving care. Do this with your whole heart and mind, with perfect confidence and faith. Worry not about your future, about money, about your health. He will take care of you. You will have plenty, immense strength and wonderful health.

Egoism and desire are obstacles to self-surrender. Slay these two enemies of self-surrender ruthlessly.

    ~ Swami Sivananda

 

258. The self-surrender is truly made by him who always has the feeling, ‘Let all things happen according to your will. In all respects, I am bound to you.’

262. The ripe devotee must pass his time, patiently enduring whatever happens to him, whether pleasant or unpleasant or otherwise, without yielding to sorrow or joy, with his heart absorbed in Him.

263. When the ego dies, having been swallowed by divine grace, the devotee’s self-surrender becomes true and complete.

~ Excerpt from the book ‘Sri Ramana Paravidyopanishad’ -The Supreme Science of the Self, taught by Sri Ramana’