Obstacles to Surrender

The topic of surrender has been explained in various scriptures and was most recently covered in our blog titled “What does it mean to Surrender?” The surrender of the Gopis of Braj was such that even Shree Krishna longed for their footdust! How can we get any where close to such a level? Surrender requires constant awareness as there are many obstacles placed in the path. Knowledge of these impediments is important if we are to stay focused and move forward.

Surrender requires us to think simply. If we are following the instructions of the Guru, then we don’t always have to ask why for every task; we don’t have to know and agree with everything going on; and we don’t always have to share/provide our opinion or perspective. Focusing on our task at hand and doing our seva to the best of our ability should be our priority.  As Maharajji used to say, “buddhi turunt lag jati hai.” This behavior is precisely what we have to stop or avoid.

One of the important things to be aware of is pratishta or the desire for prestige through bhakti i.e. the desire to be perceived as a good/great devotee in the eyes of others. Sincerity is a great virtue on this path. Since we are serving God and Guru, putting up a façade or trying to hide our mistakes is a detriment as it eventually results in our downfall. We end up losing rather than gaining. It is best to be humble and to admit to our mistakes. In his book, Bhakti ki Adharsheela, Shree Maharajji goes to the extent of teaching us that we should also accept it when it is not our fault.

Tushti or santhushti i.e. to be contented with our spiritual achievements is a great blemish on this path. We should always be contented with the material aspects of our life such as the spouse/significant other, food, and wealth. If we truly believe God is our father then we must also believe that he is taking care of us. We need sufficient food to nourish/sustain this body so that we can go about the physical works of daily life. A seven course meal every day, for all the three meals is unnecessary. On the other hand, we should never be content with swadhyaya (the study of scriptures), dan (charity), and dhyan (meditation on the pastimes of God).

In addition, santushti can take the following four forms:

1. Ishwar Tushti is the attitude that if God wants me to surrender, I’ll surrender. God cannot grace us without our desire. Our surrender starts with our desire and effort and not with God’s desire. As long as we continue to put in our best efforts without the expectation of any results, the grace will continue to flow.
2. Bhagya Tushti is the thought that I will do bhakti if it is written in my destiny. We mold and shape our destiny with our thoughts, attitude, beliefs, values, speech, and actions. As humans, we have the power to choose and thereby shape our destiny. Every decision we make today impacts our future to some shape or form. So let’s focus on our efforts in the present moment as that is the one thing we can control.
3. Kal Tushti means to think that the passage of time will automatically make us surrender. Every moment that passes is a loss. We must not let our mind get away with excuses. Unless we put in the effort, time will not make anything happen by itself.
4. Sharan Avaran Tushti is a covering on surrender. In such instances, we talk about being surrendered but our actions indicate otherwise. Having said we are surrendered, we become content and put in no effort to actually surrender.

In order to move forward on the spiritual path, we should view our speech and behavior through the lens of these principles to ensure that we do not digress. If we do, then we should take the time to identify where the breakdown is and get back on track. The positive aspect of all this is that surrender is within our control. We are positioned and equipped to make this decision every day. So, let’s make a firm resolve to accept every circumstance as a grace of God and surrender unto Him.