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’
