SIRD Malaysia

SIRD Malaysia

Videosatsang: Sunday 19th July 2009

Topic: Surrender

Moderators: Brahmacharin Ramaswamy at the Ashram and Unnikrishnan at SIRD Malaysia.

C.P. Ramachandran: Swamiji, pranaams from all of us. There are 20 of us assembled here today, Swamiji. Many who usually attend have gone outstation for personal engagements.

Poojya Swamiji: Asirvaad.

C.P. Ramachandran: The first question: What is the meaning of surrender? Is it surrender of one’s ego? Can an impure mind surrender?

 (At this point there is a computer technical problem; video image is lost,  telesatsang continues by telephone-speaker mode).

Poojya Swamiji: I shall start again. See, surrender is a goal of all courses of spiritual, religious and redemptional life.  For the spiritual seeker there is a goal. For the emotional seeker there is a goal. For the philosophical student also there is a goal. For the yogic seeker also there is a goal.  But you should not think that surrender will be had instantly as well as in its full measure. It is almost like the sky, you can go on, go on, go on. So it indicates a kind of attunement of the mind and intelligence. Normally there is the world, there will be a number of differences and defeat for us. Whether you accept or reject, you may not be able to reject. It cannot be rejected, so it is imposed upon you, there will be a conflict of the mind. There will be some episodes and instances, there will be success or there will be failure, I was not right or the other party was not right. Assuming that you were not right or the other party was not right what difference does it make?

So in the case of the surrender what happens? Mark what I say. Surrender is a definite forethought, a reconciliation with life and whatever it brings. Reconcile with life and whatever it brings. That reconciliation is meant by surrender. How will you reconcile? How will you reconcile with the things that take place in life? You can reconcile with them only when you take a particular thought process. You must have a kind of evaluation, ultimately this is the point. For example, in a family, a small boy has died. Now the death of the young person is never acceptable to us because we feel ”It is wrong, it is wrong, it is wrong. Why, why, why?” This question arises. If you have an attitude of surrender you start thinking. Everybody is born in the world of God. The birth is something we cannot think of or alter. What so death? Similar of death also. So anybody dying, prematurely or untimely, in an accident, etc., this is also a part of nature, God is behind that. So I cannot help it if God has sent a boy. If you able to feel this reconciliation this is called surrender, not the opposite.

What are the obstructions to the surrendering path? It is the surrender of one’s ego. Really speaking, ego is the fulcrum and the pivot all our anxieties. When ego resistance is there ego extinction is quite difficult. I should develop an ego which bubbles and  then says “Whatever happens, I shall reconcile with it. I shall not seek my God as God is behind it. That can be said by anybody. My dear world, I am a product of nature.  Whatever you throw into me I accept it. Because I am a product of the world, as you are throwing,  I accept  whatever you throw into me. For both you are responsible. Now in order to say that do you think your Swamiji’s ego must be lofty and strong? Answer me? (Audience reply “Yes”). Now so you can say it is a refined or enlightened ego that is evolved. You can also say it is the reconciliation of the ego.  What language you use is not so much important, it is what is the effect it produces. On the one hand, it is an ill-reconciled ego surrenders or perishes. On the other hand a reconciled ego is evolved. What difference is there? There is nothing in me, either my body, or   my mind or my intelligence or my ego has in the way of accepting an event; all of them are reconciled. This reconciliation of whatever that evolves is called surrender.

Can an impure mind surrender? Surrender can be attempted by anyone. How far you succeed and attain the exposed path is always the point. Even if a student has cleared all the history paper and he gets 50% pass,  he does not get attracted to any one question; he starts answering the questions one after  the other. So the course of surrender can be practised by anyone at any point in time. How we progress and if it becomes troubling is the only question.  Impure mind cannot be full. Impure mind cannot have strength. So the impurity of the mind is a hindrance to a devotee in the devotional path, to a seeker in the spiritual path, to a yogic student in the yogic path, to a philosophical student in the path of philosophy.  Surrender is one aspect of developing purity. When the mind becomes pure it will also have the strength to surrender. Have I completed answering the question now? (Audience reply “Yes”). Okay, very good.

C.P. Ramachandran: The second question: Is surrendering to the guru a prerequisite for spiritual progress?

Poojya Swamiji:  This question I will not like anybody to ask.  When a person goes to the guru, why does he go? I am a sishya and you are the Guru; these statements, what do they mean?  I have an aspiration in my life. I am sure about taking on this aspiration. You can’t go to a guru and then say “Guru, you give me your instruction, whatever I find to be acceptable, I take, the rest of it I discard. In this way I don’t think you can go to god or guru.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

So, surrendering to the guru, what is meant by surrendering to the Guru? Recognizing that I am not mentally sufficient, I am not able to elevate my own life and endure suffering, therefore I go to the Guru. Then after going to the Guru, surrendering is the only act you have to do, nothing else. So it is a prerequisite, that is why you go to the guru, otherwise why should you go at all. It is the surrender that makes you approach the guru. Then after going to the guru, are you going to sit upon his shoulder? Are you going to ask him to prostrate before you and say take instruction from me?  Why are you going there? We are going through a course to be extracted. Where does this question arise? It is a queer question for spiritual progress.

The entire spiritual progress depends upon the sadhana and the right sadhana is imparted by the guru. If all of you know the sadhana will you ever go to the guru? Suppose I have got my guru. After having gone and got my guru, I never felt the necessity to go to anybody else for this purpose. So when you go to the guru and you are instructed by him, all you have to do from then on is replace all practices, mantras and chanting, etc. you have been doing till then; accept implicitly whatever he has said and that do. This is what you should always do. Normally, just as a piece of consolation I shall tell you, a guru will not impose anything on you, things that you will not be able to take or bear. Even in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna fervently says “I have explained far more than what you wanted; after considering all of them, my dear Arjuna, do whatever you like”. Then Arjuna says “Yes I have understood, my delusion is gone, I shall do only what you say”. Reflect upon this statement: “You do what you like” he said and Arjuna said “I will do what you asked me to do”.  So in surrender there is no conflict with the Guru at all. The sishya will feel like surrendering, guru also will be happy about his surrendering, the subject is set.  The guru will tell whatever is possible for him, whatever is probable for him, not more than that. Okay?

C.P. Ramachandran: Yes Swamiji. Can we go to the third question? Both the mind and the intelligence play a role in fostering the attitude of surrender. Can Swamiji explain precise role of mind and intelligence in this respect.

Poojya Swamiji: See, the mind and intelligence are very fulcrumatic, very important in our life, in our personality. All the actions, sensory actions we are performing, the mind is the cause of it, the mind is the portraiter of it, the mind is the sustainer, mind also concludes; so mind is very important. Both the mind and intelligence play their role, not merely in the path of surrender, in any relationship.  Suppose you have a family; you have married and after marriage during the course of married life, there are many occasions when both the partners will equally feel  “Oh! Is my husband like this?”, “Is my wife like this?” These are areas which I don’t like, I cannot reconcile it. Such situations come.  Mind emotionally and intelligence intellectually disapprove of many things. And when they  disapprove, do you break the relationship? You still carry on. So, the mind and the intelligence are playing their roles in every interaction and in every relationship. When you foster the attitude of surrender and try to progress, there also the mind and intelligence play their role.  Certainly. Now when the mind and intelligence play their role, how you are to look at it is an important point;  a very important point.  Now what shall I tell you to explain it?  Generally it will take some time.

That in fostering the attitude of surrender, can Swamiji explain precise role of mind and intelligence in this respect?

            See, the mind’s attitude is called bhava (emotions). All the emotions may not generally be miserable. So you always be conscious of the fact  “I have accepted God to be the Supreme. The entire world is his creation. I, being a part of the world, am also his creation. Whenever I use my senses, whenever I think with the mind, whenever I use my intelligence, I am only using the faculties which God has given me, which God has given me (Swamiji repeats). So God is at the back of my thinking even, intellection even. God is at the back of the earth’s revolution. Everything is from God, by God, of God, for God”.

Thinking in this manner, you develop a note of reconciliation with whatever takes place. This is called bhava samarpana. Emotionally you may not understand, you may not approve of it; there are so many instances of rape cases taking place in this world. Nobody accepts, the mind and the intelligence revolt. In spite of it I will like to tell you this raping is a tendency in human nature. The human nature has been moulded by mother nature. So like them, like life, like death, (Swamiji repeats) this is also one form of human beings, and also perhaps some of the animal kingdom. Let us accept that, that is also part of the God’s world. At no instances of rape, you should not indulge it, you should not approve of it; nevertheless, that is not the answer to your mind. When you are able to reach that plane, your surrender is good. Now whether your intelligence should bring it about by a proper understanding of the world and other factors, or mind by virtue of its faithfulness, will develop this attitude, is an individual question.

            Now in my case I will tell you I have been strict right from the beginning. So I have no problem accepting God behind everything that takes place; that takes place either in the world or in anybody’s life. My immediate younger brother in poorva-asrama died in Karnataka. He was only one and a half years. I never questioned the death of my brother. Though so many things can be said medically and otherwise, but the other brother told “If I were here he would not have died. So I asked him “My dear brother, do you mean to say the death of our younger brother was forestalled by you?”    He said “Yes”. But I never felt that. I was twenty years old or twenty-one years old at the time. So while I had an ascent to the development, my brother did not have. So in my case you cannot say that I have understood everything and agreed with it. So surrender is the constant or final note of reconciliation. So the mind faithfully should accept the hand of God or the intelligence should think about it and accept it.

How to think about it? There are so many methods. In the Bhagavad  Gita, the seventh chapter, Krishna says, “I shall explain to you what the world is. There are the panchabutas (the external matter and energy), the other three is the mind, intelligence and ego. All these eight together constitute nature and all these are my expression, my manifestation”. So what is the mind? – God’s expression. What is the intelligence? – exactly so. What is the ego? – exactly so. So their behavior is also God’s behaviour.  Let us understand it and accept it. So I understand it and accept it. So I have no problem with anybody’s any kind of a behaviour. I cannot like or disapprove of.  Not approve, approve; even then I cannot dislike a person. I don’t know whether it is giving you any idea. (C.P. Ramachandran replies “It is very clear”). Okay.

C.P. Ramachandran: The fourth question. The ideal of complete surrender seems almost impossible to achieve because we momentarily lose our balance when faced with unfavourable situations. Does such momentary loss of balance mean that we are not practising that attitude of surrender?

Poojya Swamiji: In Mahabaratha, after coming to know of Duhsasana pulling Draupadi’s dress, Krishna says “If I were here, I would not have permitted this treachery”.  But the question arises, why was he not there and why could he not prevent? So providence has its own wonderful note, so I accept. So Krishna is right. But providence also is right. Now this kind of a thought we must always have. See, surrender will not and need not become complete. Even a small percentage of the so called surrender will infinitely be blissful and blessed. So why should you think of a complete surrender? And intermittent balanced laws, etc., that you are referring to, that is also part of the whole Godly process. Don’t set too much freedom. Any kind of an effort  and all effort cannot be successful. So even your effort for surrender may not succeed 100%. But whatever success you attain is more than sufficient for finding harmony and joy in life. So why should you have the greed that I must completely surrender? That greed is not good at all. God will not allow you to have greed even for me.

            You know there was a boy, the son of somebody from Maharashtra called Usha, the youngest boy.  He wrote in an examination for graduation in law in a very good recognized state institute. He decided, from Puna he will start walking to our ashram. But he was not prepared to come without getting the approval of the father. Father finally getting approved, he started walking. Do you know how he did? He had a bag and packed maybe a banyan, a shirt,  that’s all. He never had a second spare cloth and no money, nothing. He started walking and  walking and walking. And various experiences took place for him. And I asked him “What you have done is very, very good. Very fortunate people alone will be able to do. At one point I asked him.  He said  “I wanted to do this, I wanted to do that”. I said ultimately what did you want to do? He said “Swamiji, I stopped thinking. I never wanted to have a choice at all. I wanted to leave all choices, all expectations and completely accept the hand of God. Then everything became clear, peaceful. Things started flowing one after another. In many places people gave me food and in the last part of the journey I have come by bus. That is what he said. I would like all of you Malaysian people similarly to …(Swamini does not complete sentence).  Don’t think it is not possible, not possible, not possible. But living within the framework of your house, it may not be possible. Suppose you are going to have to conduct Hindu Spiritual Meet, the second one, we don’t know how it will fare. I understand you have started working. You will find the desired help, you will not find. Help from undesired quarters or not expected quarters will arrive. And ultimately it will be good. But if you look at it there will be so many problems, so many difficulties, etc. Believe in surrender. Try to practise it. About the  failure, don’t worry about it. Go on practising, practising, practising. You know our heart, even when there are three blocks, the heart does not stop beating; it goes on, goes on, goes. Similarly, you go on practising surrender without any stop. You need not look into surrender for completion, you should not.

C.P. Ramachandran: The last question Swamiji.  In Bhagwad Gita, chapter 18, verse 66, Krishna has defined surrender. He has said Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. In that definition, what are the dharmas he is referring to?

Poojya Swamiji: See, this answer will take a long time, it may not be possible to answer. I will give you a clue in a brief manner. Here the two points involved are: leave the thoughts of many and accept the thought of one. You need not go into dharmas, many, many dharmas, standards of morality from literature to literature, from place to place, from time to time, from generation to generation, etc, etc, etc. So whatever it may be, all of them are plural considerations, plural. Now leave the plural consideration and foster the singular consideration.

When the singularity is accepted, and the mind starts everytime thinking in a singular manner, singular manner, leave everything else. That process itself is liberating. Bondage is caused by plural thoughts and plural concepts and plural supports. If you are displacing the plural thoughts, plural holds, in a single hold, automatically the mind becomes peaceful and free. If there is only one, how can it be bound by itself? If there is only one, where is its liberation? It is already liberated, there is only one. This point you will start understanding; it is what the word scripturally means. But I am discussing it in a brief manner. When I come to Malaysia I shall discuss it at any length of time. Is it okay?  (“Yes Swamiji”). These questions are very good questions, I complement you.  I am sorry that many of you are not there.

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C.P. Ramachandran: Thank you Swamiji. Pranaams Swamiji.

Poojya Swamiji: Asirvaad.

C.P. Ramachandran: Swamiji, could we request Ma to conclude with the prayers? Thank you.

Poojya Swamiji: I am giving the microphone to Maa. Asirvaad.  Asirvaad.

Maa Guru Priya: Shall I chant the concluding verse? I am only sorry we could’nt see you this time (referring to the technical video image failure). I don’t know whether all of you know that Swamiji has started ayurvedic treatment from yesterday. There is an ayurveda centre that is near our ashram in Palaghat. It will go on for three weeks. It will start at 9 o’clock everyday in the morning. Swamiji comes back by 11.30 am our time. Shall I chant the verse? (Ma chants Prabuddham Vimukhtam …)

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End of Telesatsang, 19th July, 2009. Duration 45 minutes.

Skype set-up and recording by Rames and Rema. Satsang coordination by Unnikrishnan.  Hand-out sheet  to participants prepared by Rema & Management Committee, Society for Inner Resources Development Malaysia. Bhojan & Annakshetra team supervised by Shanti & Sotheeswari. Transcription of audiofile by Swaminathan; transcript emailed to Ashram  on  13th September 2009.

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APPENDIX 1: Handout sheet to participants of the discussion before the videosatsang.

SIRD Malaysia

Video-satsang: Sunday 19th July 2009

Topic: Surrender

Swamiji says….”Anybody can surrender. It is very simple – as simple as doing prostration. Even though it looks so very simple, somehow, this ‘surrender’ does not become true, even in the best of devotees. What is the reason?”

(Swamiji explains how to cultivate it.)

When you look at the world, and also look at yourself, try to understand that everything in the universe proceeds with certain harmony. As an individual you are small and limited. Swamiji says that ultimately we have to understand that human life is but a zero. “Whatever great undertaking you may take up, it is merely a multiplication of zero by a huge figure. Maybe for sixty, seventy or eighty years you have been active; but in reality nothing has been added to the universe.”

“Surrender is primarily an attitude of the mind. Any attitude originates from the mind. Though mind originates the attitude, the mind will not be able to preserve it. In order to sustain it, strengthen it and make it wholesome, the mind requires the help of the intelligence. The intelligence is the most decisive factor in human constitution………….. to initiate an attitude is rather easy. But to make the attitude sustain itself, to be persistent and ceaseless in the pursuit calls for another set of qualities. That is not given to the mind. It has to be derived from the intelligence. …..Surrender is an attitude of the mind. This attitude has to be strengthened and supported. It has to be deepened and made wholesome with the help of intelligence ….. this conjunctional position of the mind and intelligence is not resorted to by people. That is why surrender does not become effective.

Surrender, according to Swamiji, is a ready and facile reconciliation with whatever had come, whatever is coming, and whatever will come. At no point of time should the mind suffer from any kind of stifling. It should not have a sense of rebellion, revolt or non-acceptance. Equally the mind will have to reconcile with the changes in the present state of affairs and should not resent any development taking place from time to time. It also will have to remain unperturbed by imagined fears, threats and anxieties. When all these are wholesomely adopted, only then is surrender complete.”

Questions for the GROUP MEMBERS participating in the discussion.

1. What is ‘surrender’ that Swamiji is referring to? Surrender requires the help of the intelligence; how can intelligence help in surrender?

2. Swamiji says that even his best devotees are not true to surrender; what are some of the obstacles and barriers that you have that prevent you from total surrender?

3. How can you take some steps to resolve this?

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AFTER the discussion, list  one or two questions your group wishes to put forward to Poojya Swamiji.

1.

2. 

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End