Secret of Surrender

Sakrudeva prapannaya tavasmeeti cha yachate;
Abhayam sarvabhutebhyo dadamyetad vratam mama.

"I remove all fears of all beings even if they come to Me only once and seek My refuge; calling themselves as Mine-This is My vow. " -Sri Ramachandra's vow.

Throughout the Gita there is a ringing note that surrender and devotion are absolutely necessary for the attainment of God-consciousness. In reality, the nine modes of devotion (Navavidha Bhakti) are reducible to one, viz. , Atmanivedan. The following Gita Slokas will impress on your mind the importance of devotion and self-surrender:

Tameva saranam gachha sarvabhavena bharata;
Tatprasadat param santim sthanam prapsyasi sasvatam.

"Flee unto Him for shelter with all thy being, O Bharata; by His Grace thou shalt obtain supreme peace, the everlasting dwelling-place. " (XVIII-62. )

Manmana bhava madbhakto madyajee mam namaskuru;
Mamevaisyasi satyam te pratijane priyosi me.

"Merge thy mind in Me, be My devotee, sacrifice to Me, prostrate thyself before Me, thou shalt come even to Me. " (XVIII-65. )

Sarvadharman parityajya mamekam saranam vraja;
Aham tva sarvapapebhyo mokshayishyami ma suchah.

"Abandoning all duties come unto Me alone for shelter; sorrow not, I liberate thee from all sins. " (XVIII-66. )

Slokas 65 and 66 of Chapter XVIII are the most important Slokas of the Gita. The gist of the teaching of Lord Krishna is here. If anyone can live in the true spirit of these Slokas, he will realise the goal of life soon. There is no doubt of this.

The self-surrender must be total, ungrudging and unreserved. You must not keep certain desires for gratification. Mira says: "I have given my whole heart, mind, intellect, soul, my all to my Griridhar Gopal. " This is perfect self-surrender.

A real devotee will not ask the Lord even for Mukti. So long as the subtle desire for liberation lingers in one's heart he cannot claim himself to be a true devotee of the Lord. Though the desire for emancipation is of Sattvic nature, yet the devotee has become a slave of Mukti. He is still selfish and so is unfit to call himself a sincere lover of God. He has not yet made total, unreserved self-surrender. To ask for Mukti is a variety of hypocrisy. Can a true devotee dare ask anything from God, when he fully knows that He is an ocean of love and compassion?

A real devotee never complains anything against God. A raw Bhakta speaks ill of God when he is in distress. He says, "I have done 25 lakhs of Japa. I am studying Bhagavata daily. Yet God is not pleased with me. He has not removed my sufferings. God is blind. He has not heard my prayers. What sort of God is Lord Krishna? I have no faith in Him."

A real Bhakta rejoices in suffering, pain and destitution. He welcomes grief and sorrow always, so that he may not forget God even for a second. He has the firm belief that God does everything for his good only. Kunti Devi prayed to Krishna: "O Lord! Give me pain always. Then only I will remember Thee always. "

In Puri a saint who completely dedicated himself to Lord Hari was seriously ailing from chronic dysentery. He became quite helpless. Lord Jagannath was serving him for months in the form of a servant. The law of Prarabdha is inexorable. Nobody can escape from the operation of this infallible law. The Lord did not want the Bhakta to take another birth for the exhaustion of his Prarabdha. So His devotee had to suffer from protracted ailment. This was his Karmic purgation. But He Himself served him, as the devotee surrendered himself completely. Look at the unbounded mercy of the Lord! He becomes a slave of His devotees when they entirely depend upon Him.

Self-surrender does not mean retirement into the forests. It does not mean giving up of all activities. Tamas or inertia is mistaken for self-surrender. This is a sad mistake. What is wanted is internal surrender. The ego and desire must be annihilated. This will constitute real surrender. The Rajasic mind stands obstinate to effect complete self-surrender. Obstinacy is a great obstacle in surrender. The lower nature again and again raises up to assert itself. There is resurrection of desires. Desires get suppressed for some time. Again they manifest with redoubled force. Man is dragged hither and thither by these desires. Believe in the divine possibilities. Completely dedicate yourself to the Lord. Have full trust in Him. Rest in peace. All cares, worries, anxieties, tribulations and egoistic efforts will terminate now.

Look at Prahlada's surrender and faith in God! He completely resigned himself to Lord Hari. No other thought save thoughts of God occupied his mind. He had His full Grace and benediction even though he was ill-treated by his father in a variety of ways. He was hurled down from the top of a cliff. He was trampled by the elephant. He was poisoned. He was thrown into the sea with the legs tied by iron chains. Cobras were thrown over him. His nose was filled with poisonous gases. He was thrown over fire. Boiled oil was poured over his head. Yet his faith in Narayana was not shaken a bit. The Name of Narayana was always on his lips. Such must be the faith of every devotee.

The lower nature must be thoroughly overhauled. All old, wrong habits must be completely destroyed. Then the surrender becomes complete. Do not make plans and speculations. "Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. " Keep the mind and the intellect passive. Allow the Divine Will and Grace to work through your mind and Indriyas. Become silent. Feel His Grace and Love and enjoy the Divine Ecstasy. Be at ease.

Pray to God fervently, "O Lord! Make my will strong to resist all temptations, to control my Indriyas and lower nature, to change my old evil habits and to make my surrender complete and real. Enthrone Thyself in my heart. Do not leave this place even for a second. Use my body, mind and organs as instruments. Make me fit to dwell in Thee for ever. "

Give up all ideas of duty and responsibility. Allow the Divine Will to work unhampered now. This is the secret of surrender. You will feel yourself a changed being. This exalted state is ineffable. A great transformation will come upon you. You will be enveloped by a halo of divine effulgence. You will be drowned in indescribable bliss, peace and joy. Your old little self is dead now. You are now a changed spiritual being. Your individual will is merged in the Cosmic Will. You are now illumined by the Divine Light. All ignorance has melted now. Enjoy the immortal, divine life wherein there is neither despair nor fear, neither hunger nor thirst, neither doubt nor delusion. Shine in Divine Splendour and Glory, O my beloved Visvanath! Radiate peace and joy all around.

Bhaja Govindam Verse- 5

यावद्वित्तोपार्जन सक्त-

स्तावन्निज परिवारो रक्तः ।

पश्चाज्जीवति जर्जर देहे

वार्तां कोऽपि न पृच्छति गेहे ॥ ५॥

yaavadvittopaarjana saktaH
staavannija parivaaro raktaH .
pashchaajjiivati jarjara dehe
vaartaaM ko.api na pRichchhati gehe .. 5

(yaavat.h = so long as; vitta = wealth; upaarjana = earning / acquiring; shaktaH = capable of; taavannija = tAvat.h + nija, till then + one's; parivaaraH = family; raktaH = attached; pashchaat.h = later; jiivati = while living (without earning); jarjara = old / digested (by disease etc); dehe = in the body; vaartaaM = enquiry / inquiry; ko.api = kaH + api, whosoever; even one; na = not; pR^ichchhati = inquires / asks / minds; gehe = in the house.)

(yaavadvittopaarjana shaktaH= as long as one is capable of earning money; taavannija parivaaro raktaH . = up to that time one’s family members will be affectionate; pashchaat.h, jarjara dehe jiivati = Afterwards, when (he) lives with an infirm body; gehe ko.api vaartttaM na pR^ichchhati = nobody in the home enquires (his) welfare.)

Those who are madly after money should pause for a moment and consider what is likely to happen to them in the later stage of their life! They struggle all their lives to earn as much as possible, to get more power and position, not always through fair means, perhaps cheating others, perhaps committing crimes. However, all this should come to and end. A stage will come when a doctor will not be able to continue his profession, neither a singer to sing. All our physical, intellectual and mental abilities will deplete as we advance in age. There is no escape from this fact. As soon as we are incapable of earning anymore, people distance from us. A very bitter fact, indeed; but true: As long as we earn, family, relatives, friends, etc. are there with us giving us all affection. When we are old or incapable of earning wealth, all those who surrounded desert us. Son or daughter, brother or sister, mother or father: all care more for the person who earns money. The respect commanded is directly proportional to the money he has.

Man, or any animal for that matter, is basically selfish. All this behaviour alleged is a direct result of selfishness. An elderly man (or woman) who has passed his prime and lost potential to earn is not paid attention; Nobody consults him. This is the way of the world. The Acharya urges us to understand this truth and hence keep the mind clear of expectations and attachments. For, these are bound to bring misery, sooner or later. At the end of life, when the body is weak and sick, nobody may even come to say a few kind words.

Bhaja Govindam Verse- 4

नलिनीदलगत जलमतितरलं

                       तद्वज्जीवितमतिशयचपलम् ।

                       विद्धि व्याध्यभिमानग्रस्तं

लोकं शोकहतं च समस्तम् ॥ ४॥

naliniidalagata jalamatitaralaM
tadvajjiivitamatishayachapalam .
viddhi vyaadhyabhimaanagrastaM
lokaM shokahataM cha samastam .. (4)

(naliniidalagata = nalinI + dala + gata = lotus + petal + reached / gone; jalaM = water (drop); atitaralaM = ati + taralam, very + unstable; tadvat.h = like that; jiivitaM = life; atishaya = wonderful; chapalaM = fickle-minded; viddhi = know for sure; vyaadhi = disease; abhimaana = egoism; grastaM = having been caught / seized; lokaM = world; people; shokahataM = attacked (hata) by grief (shoka); cha = and; samastaM = entire.)

 (naliniidalagata jalamatitaralaM = The water drop trapped in a lotus petal is susceptible; tadvat.h = likewise; jiivitaM atishaya chapalaM = life is also wonderful and uncertain; samastaM lokaM, vyaadhyabhimaanagrastaM shokahataM cha viddhi = know that the whole world is seized by diseases and pride and devastated by grief)

The great poet in Sri Sankara here compares life with a drop of water trembling on a lotus petal. It is so uncertain and unstable. The water drop trapped on a lotus petal is shaky and may fall any time. Our life is no different. It may come to end anytime. Death comes without any forewarning. Man should understand this truth and turn his attention to God.

Life is not only unstable, but it is infected with the maladies like diseases and pride. Pride or egoism is also considered a disease here. Jnana (knowledge) and mukti (salvation) cannot be had as long as egoism persists. Birth and death also do not come to an end to him who is given to egoism. Hence it is really sorrowful. There is more pain here than pleasure. More trouble than fun. This is the nature of life.

 There must also be a hidden meaning to this shloka. Lotus grows in water. Hence the water drop which falls into the water again joins its original source; i.e, water. If we think of the infinite Brahman as water and the Jeevatma as the water drop, the matter is clear. From Brahman we come. We remain in the lotus petal of life for a short while and then again merge in our original state. While in this apparent state of isolation from the original place, like the water drop trapped in the lotus petal, our life is full of uncertainties. Slightest wind will mean the downfall of the drop. In life also, slightest mishap can mean disaster. Hence the Acharya urges us to turn to God.

Bhaja Govindam Verse- 3

नारीस्तनभर नाभीदेशं

दृष्ट्वा मागामोहावेशम् ।

एतन्मांसवसादि विकारं

मनसि विचिन्तय वारं वारम् ॥ ३॥

naariistanabhara naabhiideshaM
dRishhTvaa maagaamohaavesham.
etanmaaMsaavasaadi vikaaraM
manasi vichintaya vaaraM vaaram. .. (3)

(naarii = woman; stana = breasts; bhara =full; naabhiideshaM = nAbhI + deshaM, navel + region; dR^ishhTvaa = having seen; maagaa = mA + gaa, Don't + go; mohaaveshaM = infatuated state (moha + AveshaM - seizure); etan.h = this; maa.nsavasaadi = mAmsa+ vasa + Adi, flesh, fat, etc. vikaaraM = appearance (generally, grotesque / ugly); manasi = in the mind; vichintaya = think well; vaaraM = again; vaaraM = and again)

 (naariistanabhara naabhiideshaM dR^ishhTvaa = Seeing the full breasts and the navel area of women; mohaaveshaM maagaa = don’t lust after; etat maamsa vasaadi vikaaraM = these are mere derivatives of flesh, fat and the like; vaaraM vaaraM manasi vichintaya = think (this) again and again.)

After tackling the issue of limiting the greed for wealth, Sri Sankara now turns his attention to the issue of sex. Don’t be carried away by the sight of full breasts and the belly of a beautiful woman! Think of it again and again as mere flesh, fat and the like covered in skin. A very difficult advice indeed! This perhaps would not be accepted by the worldly minded people. But this advice is for spiritual aspirant.

Beauty is but skin deep. The Acharya points to this fact. If the spiritual aspirant is stuck with such diverting things, his progress will be stalled. So the caution. The mental picture of such beautiful objects as mere combination of flesh, fat and other undesirable matter (for the sadhaka), will slowly develop a vairagya (renunciation) in the sadhaka’s mind. The reality behind many attractive things in life will often be shocking. This shock is necessary to develop ‘vairagya’ to cross the river of ‘maya’. But it is not easy. Lust is not easy to give up, because it is our animal nature. Hence the thought as explained has to be reinforced again and again (vaaram, vaaram).

Sri Sankara has often been criticized for writing this verse; the sanyasi discusses explicit sexual details, they accuse. But sex is part and parcel of life. It is a basic instinct of man, who is after all an animal. There is no escape from this fact. Closing our eyes on it will not help. Sexual urge is quite natural and it is hence very difficult to control it. The spiritual aspirant needs solid advice to tackle the problem. Hence Sri Sankara boldly attacks the subject and suggests solution also. It should be remembered that the Acharya doesn’t condemn either dhana or sexual urge. Objects are neither ugly nor beautiful; But the mind colours them as such; the trouble starts there. Spiritual aspirant’s mind has to be free from attachment to such things. He or she should see the truth and then turn their mind to the Real.

The spiritual aspirant’s life is not an easy one. He has to conquer the thirst for unlimited wealth and also his insatiable urge for the opposite sex. It may sound very demanding. True; but to realize a higher truth and to reach a state of infinite pleasure in the discovery of the Self, this sacrifice is necessary. The Acharya only tries to help the situation by offering practical suggestions.

Though the Acharya addresses men here, by explaining about female anatomy, the advice is, needless to say, for women also to think twice on attraction for men. The Acharyas were certainly not biased against women.

Bhaja Govindam Verse- 2

मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णां

                      कुरु सद्बुद्धिं मनसि वितृष्णाम् ।

                         यल्लभसे निजकर्मोपात्तं

                       वित्तं तेन विनोदय चित्तम् ॥ २॥

                                                                         mUDha jahiihi dhanaagamatRishhNaaM
                                                                       kuru sadbuddhiM manasi vitRishhNaam.
                                                                                 yallabhase nijakarmopaattaM

vittaM tena vinodaya chittam. .. (2)

(mUDha = Oh fool!; jahiihi = jahi + iha, leave / give up + here (in this world); dhana = wealth; agama = coming / arrival; tR^ishhNaaM = thirst / desire; kuru = do; act; sadbuddhiM = sat.h + buddhiM, good + awareness (loosely speaking: mind); manasi = in the mind; vitR^ishhNaaM = a state without desires; yallabhase = yat.h + labhase, whatever + (you) obtain; nijakarma = nija + karma, one's + duty (normal work); upaattaM = obtained; vittaM = wealth; tena = by that; with that; vinodaya = divert / recreate (be happy); chittaM = mind.)

 (mUDha dhanaagama tR^ishhNaaM jahiihi = Oh fool, give up here the thirst to amass wealth; manasi vitR^ishhNaaM sadbuddhiM kuru = Getting rid of desire, fill (your) mind with good thoughts (on God); nija karmopaattam yad vittaM labhase = the wealth that is obtained as a result of one’s own karma; tena chittaM vinodaya = with that, entertain your mind.)

Again Sri Sankara calls a man ‘fool’: This time he addresses the man who is yearning for money! Money itself is not bad. But the ‘thrushna’, the relentless thirst for money could be a poison. Such a man could be easily called a fool! There is no harm in earning whatever money is obtained by doing honest work as per one’s dharma. But one shouldn’t be greedy.

It is an everyday affair: Killings for money, robbery, corruption and numerous financial crimes. The reason is the insatiable thirst for money. Man thinks that without money he cannot lead a reasonable life. This is true also. But when he finds his own means are limited, he tries to grab others’ property; if this is not easy, he even tries violent means. Sometimes he also ends up in trouble, along with his victim. Human mind refuses to set a limit for requirement of wealth. The shocking fact is that crimes are often committed not by poor people, but by well-to-do men who are not satisfied with their present position!

The word ‘dhana’ here not only means money, but also all other human pursuits for enjoyment and collection of wealth. The important thing is to isolate our mind from material possession. The materials of enjoyment are neither good nor bad. But we should not attach ourselves to them. This is the secret. The Acharya here doesn’t condemn money or wealth. Neither does he differ with our fair means of acquiring it. What is objectionable is the greed. There is no end to greed, if we give it a free hand. Very few people are satisfied with what they get. No amount will satisfy them. So, for having a balanced mind and a peaceful life, there has to be a line marking the limit. Sri Sankara nicely sets it here: Obtain your lot by fair means by doing your legitimate duties; but do not fall for greed. Be happy with whatever you attain through your limited and fair means and lead a contented life. This is the message. The mind which is isolated from greed should be filled with good thought; i.e, turned towards God. Mind being always in a restless state, needs something to entertain itself. Good thoughts and love of God should fill the vacuum created by lack of greed for material enjoyments. Wealth thus acquired without greed, through fair and legitimate means and meant for distribution to the needy, is good.

Bhaja Govindam Verse- 1

भजगोविन्दं भजगोविन्दं
गोविन्दं भजमूढमते ।
सम्प्राप्ते सन्निहिते काले

नहि नहि रक्षति डुकृञ्करणे ॥ १ ॥

bhajagovindaM bhajagovindaM
govindaM bhajamuuDhamate .
saMpraapte sannihite kaale
nahi nahi rakshati DukRiJNkaraNe .. (1)

(Bhaja = worship; govindaM = Govinda; (a name of Krishna, God); muuDhamate = OH fool; saMpraapte = (when you have) reached / obtained; sannihite = presence / nearness of; kaale = Time (Kala, Time, the great destroyer, Lord of Death, Yama); nahi = No; rakshati = protects; DukR^iJN karaNe = a formula of grammar (from Panini’s book) (bhajagovindaM bhajagovindaM govindaM bhaja muuDhamate .= Worship Govinda, Worship only Govinda, oh fool! sannihite kaale saMpraapte = when the time (for death) comes near; DukR^iJNkaraNe nahi nahi rakshati = the rules of grammar won’t save (you). ) 

Sri Sankara warns us that at the hour of death, "dukrin karane" (a formula from Panini's book of grammar) will not help us. By "dukrin karane", not only the rules of grammar are meant, but also the whole of physical knowledge. He urges us to close down the book of material knowledge such as art, science, etc. and turn the mind toward God. Further, “dukrinj karane” means “useless knowledge”. He does not condemn all knowledge, but merely states that such knowledge will not be useful for God – realization, in case that is what you aim for. Well, if you have not taken it in your agenda, the material knowledge may be useful to you - for a livelihood or for satisfying curiosity, for example; but the fact remains that the best of physical knowledge serves no purpose for a spiritual aspirant, though the story of the man who is still immersed in worldly pursuits, is different. One whose mind is set on God realization will find all other knowledge quite useless: may it be mathematics, grammar, history or atomic science. Because it doesn’t accompany him beyond the point of this life. When the doors of death are suddenly opened, knowledge of God alone helps. Nothing else. So, what is knowledge ? Knowledge is that which helps to realize God. The rest is ignorance. Hence Sri Sankara asks firmly to discard useless pursuits and set the mind to God.

Material science or knowledge indeed is great, but it is only a part of the Infinite knowledge of the Self. For the man who wants to have the full knowledge which will solve ALL his problems, the limited knowledge of physical science is not critical. There are many people who believe in God, but consider it not necessary to follow the religious path now. There is time, they say, till the old age. They could do all this in the retired life. After retirement from occupation or active life, people have little to do and religion could be pursued as a hobby. Till the hour of death, there is time. Good idea! But this may not work well always. Death may not wait till the old age. Moreover, the body and mind will be weak during old age and it may not be easy to carry out sadhanas, even if one wishes to do so.

Anta kale cha mameva smaranmuktua kalevaram Yah prayati sa madbhavam yaati nasty atra samshaya (Bhagavad Gita sloka 5, Chapter 8).

And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

Moreover, some commentators like Sri Sankara say, the ‘cha’ in the sloka after ‘anta kale’ is very important. It means, “thought of the Lord, ALSO at the time of death” (during the whole life and also at the time of death, “poorvamapi anta kale cha”). Lord cannot be reached with the thought of something else. So it is essential to start following the path of God as soon as possible. The desire to know the meaning of our existence should come from one’s own self. The rest will follow. Now, what is “Bhaja”? It is not the mechanical repetition of Lord’s name without the presence of mind. Some people do it as a mere religious ritual or observance. The Bhajan of Lord should come from the bottom of one’s heart. It should be true love and devotion to Him; Calling on Him in that spirit is what is meant by “Bhaja Govindam”. It may not be a coincidence that Sri Sankara chose to name God by the word ‘Govinda’: His Guru’s name was Govindacharya.   

Bhaja Govindam Introduction

Bhaja Govindam was written by Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya. It is classified as a prakaraNa grantha, a primer to the major works. Though sung as a bhajan, it contains the essence of Vedanta and implores the man to think, Why am I here in this life ? Why am I amassing wealth, family, but have no peace ? What is the Truth ? What is the purpose of life ? The person thus awakened gets set on a path to the inner road back to the God principle. 

The background of Bhaja GovindaM is worth examining. During his stay in Kashi, Adi Shankaracharya noticed a very old man studying the rules of Sanskrit by Panini. Shankara was touched with pity at seeing the plight of the old man spending his years at a mere intellectual accomplishment while he would be better off praying and spending time to control his mind. Shankara understood that the majority of the world was also engaged in mere intellectual, sense pleasures and not in the divine contemplation. Seeing this, he burst forth with the verses of Bhaja govindaM. In 31 verses, he, like no other, explains our fallacies, our wrong outlook for life, and dispels our ignorance and delusions. Thus bhaja govindaM was originally known as moha mudgAra, the remover of delusions. Shankara explains, nay chides, us for spending our time in useless trivia like amassing wealth, lusting after (wo)men and requests us to discriminate and cultivate the knowledge to learn the difference between the real and the unreal. To emphasise that, he concludes that all knowledge other than the Self-Knowledge is useless, Shankara makes the person realize how foolish he/she is in the conduct and behaviour by these verses, and shows the purpose of our worldly existence, which is to seek Govinda and attain Him.

 Bhaja govindaM is divided into dvAdasha manjarikA stotram and chaturdasha manjarika stotram. At the end of composing the first stanza, it is said that Shankara burst forth with the next 11 stanzas of bhaja govindam. Thus stanzas 1-12 are called dvAdash manjarika stotram. Inspired by the extempore recital by Shankara, each of his 14 disciples composed a verse and the 14 verse compendium is called chaturdasha manjarika stotram. Shankara added the finishing touches by adding five of his own stanzas at the last bringing the total to 31- The last two verses in this version is not found in all editions. Bhaja govindaM has been set to musical tones and sung as prayer songs by children. It is divided into dvAdashapanjarikA and charpaTapanjarikA for this purpose. The former is a set of verses (verses 1-12a) while the rest of the verses form charpaTapanjarikA. Anyone who listens to the music of Bhaja govindaM is attracted to it. However, the significance of the text goes much deeper and contains a well defined philosophy of attaining salvation.

 Shankara’s words seem to be quite piercing and seem to lack the softness and tenderness often found in his other texts, thus addressing directly. The reason is that this was an extempore recital to an old man. His words can be compared to a knife of a surgeon. The surgeon’s knife cruelly removes the tumor with much pain, but removing the tumor ultimately restores good health in the patient. So are Shankara’s words, which pierce and point out our ignorance. It is a knife into the heart of worldliness, and by removing this tumor of ignorance, we can attain everlasting bliss with the grace of Govinda. May the AchAryA guide us from ignorance to truth. OM tat sat.

Jai Shri Krishna!!