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Friday, October 23, 2009

Surrender


The above picture is the deity in the famous Parthasarathy Temple, Triplicane. This is Krishna, as He was in the war front of Kurukshetra, while He was the charioteer for Arjuna and delivered The Holy Gita.

In the picture one can see that His left hand points towards His legs, signifying an instruction to surrender. This is the pose He has taken to become a statue in this temple, where thousands of devotees walk in and walk out day by day with so many problems, complaints, queries, obligations, grievances and also to thank Him for the good things that have happened in their life. To all of them He gives the same answer. "Leave it at my feet."

There is much significance to the way Krishna shows His hands. If He had pointed his legs with His fore-finger with the other fingers closed, showing us the rear of the palm, it would have meant that He is arrogant about His supremacy and that He orders us to surrender. But Krishna shows the palm to us while his fingers point towards his feet. Body language experts state that when a person shows his palm to us it means he has no secrets. That is what God is. He is neither arrogant about his supremacy nor does he have any secrets to hide from us. He just makes a simple and plain statement. "Leave it at my feet." And He doesn't say that as an commandment, but as a friendly guidance, so gracefully.

When an illiterate patient approaches a doctor, he subjects himself to the later's treatment without a question. Thereby he gets the full benefit of the doctor's knowledge. The patient need not even know the name of the disease that is curbing him. Nor does he need to know the chemical formulas of the medicines, the doctor has prescribed to him. All he needs to do is to believe in the doctor and take up the treatment with complete faith.

Similarly all that a spiritual aspirant needs to do is to surrender to Krishna. Everything else is taken care of. He need not even have the knowledge of The Gita, but Krishna can transform him into a sagacious spiritual master. Once you get into the train, you just keep down all the luggage and sit simply. The train takes you.

The first thought of any creature is 'I.' And then comes 'I am'. I am this. I am that. Then comes 'I do'. This 'I' thought is given to the soul by God Himself. It is necessary to move about the mundane business. It is not a problem until the soul sticks to the truth and realizes that it is nothing. But ironically it gets deluded. The souls starts to think, 'I am .... I am this.. I am that.... And then comes the 'I do' thought. I do this.. I do that...
These thoughts give rise to pride and or guilt. They make us feel responsible. Thereby a lot of complexities are created in us. This is what our burdens are.

So this 'I' is the root cause of all miseries. Only on this 'I', do planets play their tricks. Helping us and making us feel superior. Hindering us and making us feel inferior. When we surrender giving up our ego, then the substratum of all the other thoughts is shaken.

A solid can be broken.
Can a liquid ever be broken?
A stiff one can be bent.
Can a flexible one ever be bent?

This is the secret and significance in surrendering to The Almighty.

And, surrender is not a one time process. One can't just walk into the temple of Krishna and say, "Hare Krishna! Note down my name. I have surrendered to you. It is your duty to take me back to Vaikuntha. Now I got some work. Until I meet you in Vaikuntha, it's me, so and so, signing off" and then get back to his/her own work. Though even such a lethargic prayer is answered and the individual will be taken back to Vaikuntha, the process will be tough and painful. Surrender is something which we have to do repeatedly. By constantly remembering Him.


17 comments:

Manivannan Sadasivam said...

Surrendering to Krishna is the highest knowledge! I think, there is no other simple and easy path in spirituality.

You've given a beautiful explanation 'na! I especially liked the doctor analogy :-) Very profound!

Looking forward the next one - Remembering Krishna!

ramesh sadasivam said...

Thanks Mani

AutoDT said...

So informative...and so spiritual...thank you for your kind explanations of the path to be taken in life...

Namaste to you brother!:)

Cyrus

ramesh sadasivam said...

Thank you brother
Namaste to you!

Parv Kaushik said...

a really nice blog ramesh!! words here are full of energy and love.... keep the love flowing!

ramesh sadasivam said...

Thanks Parv. I will try. :)

Samvedna said...

Beautiful post!I also believe in complete surrender to God, leave it to him how her runs our life, just follow, and whatever happens will ve good for us.

ramesh sadasivam said...

Hello Antarman,

Welcome to my blog. Thanks for your comment.

Good to hear you too have the attitude of surrender towards life. :)

Kavinaya said...

Very nice post, Ramesh! I liked the train example :)

ramesh sadasivam said...

Thank you Kavinaya! :)

venuss66 said...

Thank you for sharing this spiritual and informative post.

ramesh sadasivam said...

Welcome Venus! :)

Thilaga. S said...

Very very interesting blog.

ramesh sadasivam said...

Thanks Thilaga, Please do come often. :)

NARANG said...

TRUELY IT CANNOT BE SURRENDER OF ACCUSED BEFORE A MAGISTRATE BUT SELF SOUL HAS TO DETACH ITSELF FROM MATERIAL WORLD AND ATTACH ITSELF TO LORD KRISHNA.
LORD KRISHNA HIMSELF PRESCRIBES THYE MODE OF SURRNDER UNTO HIM IN FOLLOWING VERSES OF CHAPTER 18ALONG WITH RESULT:

Manmana bhav madbhakto madyaji mam namaskuru I

Mameveshayasi satyam te partijan e priyoasi me II

Sarvadharman parityajya mamekam sharnamvraj I

Aham twam sarvpapebhay mokshishyami ma shuchah II
(18.65-66)

Give me your mind, be devoted to me, worship me and bow to me. I truly promise you as you are extremely dear to me that by doing so you will come to me.

Leave all prescribed duties aside; take my shelter alone, I will absolve you of all sins.

Lord is again emphasizing the all important his shelter being taken alone. it can easily be perceived that self alone has taken forms and Lord is present in all shapes whether animate or inanimate.

Taking recourse to different religions and performing all sorts of duties for one’s emancipation are always full of desire of salvation. Duties- which if not performed according to prescriptions, become counter productive. They put individual soul in cycle of unending births and deaths.

Easiest solution to end this is to realize self by surrendering unto lord Krishna.

But it is attachment with embodiment and egotism which is a hindrance to achieve this. Surrendering one’s mind to Lord helps to shed ego in the body which is a dead stuff minus consciousness. Lord’s doors are open to every one.

This is essence of the message; Lord has delivered in his whole discourse to Arjun in the mid field of Great War.

This is divine undertaking and direct command by the Lord Krishna himself expressing his willingness to undertake the service of his devotee.
There should no misconception for the word ‘dharma’
Whatever religious we do in our life is always pretence of performing and it emanates from ‘ego’.
The Lord is commanding complete surrender unto him. end of ego by complete surrender, unto lord Krishna is itself realization.
Take shelter unto his feet, love him alone. Surrender is the easiest way to self-transcendence.

kavi said...

I would highly appreciate if you guide me through this. Thanks for the article…
Nice One...
For Tamil News Visit..
https://www.maalaimalar.com/ | https://www.dailythanthi.com/

ramesh sadasivam said...

Hello Kavi,

Sorry for the late reply...what guidance do you want?