Surrendered soul

By Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur

Question 1: Is the surrendered soul bound to attain the topmost welfare?

Answer: Most definitely. The very same moment we surrender, our welfare is confirmed, as if it is already in our hands. One’s welfare is ensured when one becomes dependent upon the principal owner. Until we are surrendered, or to the extent we are not surrendered, we are simply embracing discomfort for ourselves.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa has not brought us to this world to inflict pain upon us. But by utilizing our independence improperly, we have by our own actions chosen inauspiciousness and our own distress. As soon as we develop faith in His benevolent words, our false ego of being the doer shall be dispelled forever. Then we shall no longer make a mad dash to celebrate our bravado in the field of karma. Instead, we shall surrender unto His lotus feet in order to truly listen to Him.

Question 2: What are the symptoms of a surrendered soul?

Answer: The prime symptom of a surrendered soul is that he has relinquished any notion of being the doer. Renouncing this notion and exclusively accepting Śrī Kṛṣṇa as one’s maintainer and guardian is the constitutional characteristic of surrender (śaraṇāgati). For one who is surrendered, there is no need of being the doer. When the conception of being a fully protected and maintained maidservant of Śrī Vṛṣabhānu-nandini appears in our heart, then no other worldly identifications, which are all insignificant in comparison, can overpower it.

“I am dependent on Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Unless one develops this identification, true surrender, or truly taking shelter (āśraya), has not yet occurred. Prior to this, it is natural to maintain the ego of being the doer.

Question: Why am I unable to depend completely on Bhagavān?

Answer: As atomic conscious beings, our only nature is to be surrendered — to accept the shelter of the infinite conscious being. If we pay heed to the topics of the external world, we will be unable to place our full faith in the Supreme Lord. Those who do not wish for anything from this external sphere, those who consider themselves most insignificant, and do not seek support from any corporeal object — they alone can repose their faith in the Supreme Lord. They alone can truly and completely depend on Him. By faithfully hearing the powerful harikathā that emanates from the lotus lips of the divine saint, he who is living scripture, we can come to completely depend on the Supreme Lord.

Question: When will we achieve true welfare?

Answer: Only upon hearing bhagavata-kathā from great saintly devotees, and then following in their footsteps and remaining under their guidance, will we attain true welfare. When one first sets out to engage in pottery, he must initially hear from a skilled potter. Thereafter he can actually begin his work. Before a cook prepares delicious sandeśa (a traditional Indian milk-sweet), he must first learn the recipe and the process from a confectioner. In the same way, if we do not follow in the footsteps of a great, knowledgeable guide, if we try to attain our welfare independently, then we will likely face many difficulties along the path to success. Instead of becoming knowledgeable of the true essence of the revealed scriptures, we will become disciples of our own mental concoctions.

Our only duty is to take shelter of the lotus feet of śrī guru. There are no means to attain the Supreme Truth apart from accepting the path prescribed in the revealed scriptures. There is no possible way for us to attain any form of darśana of the Absolute Truth, apart from bathing in the dust of the lotus feet of the niṣkiñcana mahājanas (great saints whose only possession is Śrī Kṛṣṇa). Only these great personalities can save us from our bhogya-darśana or ku-darśana — our vivid communion with the perceived objects of our own enjoyment, or our faulty perception of the world in general. The real truth becomes known only when we take shelter at the lotus feet of śrī guru, make ourselves his property, and accept service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa as our very life.

Question: Is there any other way to attain welfare besides surrendering one’s very self?

Answer: No. The jīva cannot attain complete welfare until he completely surrenders unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa. If Lord Kṛṣṇa does not remain within the scope of my attention or remembrance at every step — while roaming about or while performing any other activity — then I shall definitely be lead down the wrong track.

We will not be benefited in any way if our fixation on “I” and “mine” remains dominant on account of knowledge acquired by our material senses. To be governed by the conception that ‘I am the enjoyer, and this material world is for my enjoyment’, shall lead us to our doom. We are conscious entities, but this material world is an unconscious thing. That which can be enjoyed by us here is known as jaḍa, or inert. We have forgotten our true identity and have become influenced by our false pride, epitomized by the belief that “temporary things are to be enjoyed by me, for I am the enjoyer.” When that pride becomes strong enough, it leads to the misconception that “I am Supreme Spirit; I am God.” The result is complete disaster. When we are overcome by the thought that “I shall become great,” then the path to our spiritual welfare is totally closed.