By Kavicandra Swami
We often get questions about surrender, like “how can we surrender”. Recently I was reading one old BTG, 2001, and found a nice practical statement from Srila Prabhupada. If we search “surrender” on the vedabase we find 7445 hits, so we know it is an important topic. And we all know the conclusion of the Bhagavad Gita:
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami mä suca
TRANSLATION
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
BG 18.66
Here is simple guidline from Srila Prabhupada.
” Another name for Krsna is Ajita. No one can conquer Krsna, but Krsna can be conquered by His devotee.
One should be submissive and say, “Krsna, I am very poor. I have no means to understand You. Please be merciful upon me. Please allow me to understand You and surrender.”
This is wanted. Krsna is very merciful, and when He sees that someone has surrendered, He will help from within.
Just before that he refers to the following verse from the SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM:
nane prayasam udapasya namanta eva
jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam
sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir
ye prayaso ‘jita jito ‘py asi tais tri-lokyam
TRANSLATION
Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.
PURPORT
Here the word udapasya clearly indicates that one should not even slightly endeavor to understand the Absolute Truth by the process of mental speculation, for it invariably carries one to an imperfect, impersonal understanding of God. The word jivanti indicates that a devotee who always hears about Lord Krsna will go back home, back to Godhead, even if he can do nothing except maintain his existence and hear topics concerning the Lord.
Srila Sanatana Gosvami has explained the words tanu-van-manobhih (“by the body, words and mind”) in three ways. In reference to devotees, through their body, words and mind they are able to conquer Lord Krsna. Thus becoming perfect in Krsna consciousness, they can touch His lotus feet with their hands, call Him to come with their words, and attain His direct audience within their mind simply by thinking about Him.
In the case of nondevotees, the words tanu-van-manobhih refer to the word ajita, “unconquered,” and indicate that those not engaged in the loving service of Lord Krsna cannot conquer the Absolute Truth by their bodily strength, verbal expertise or mental power. Despite all their endeavors, the ultimate truth remains beyond their reach.
In reference to the word jitah, “conquered,” the words tanu-van-manobhih indicate that the pure devotees of Lord Krsna conquer His body, words and mind. Lord Krsna’s body is conquered because He always remains by the side of His pure devotees; Lord Krsna’s words are conquered because He always chants the glories of His devotees; and Lord Krsna’s mind is conquered because He always thinks about His loving devotees.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has explained the words tanu-van-manobhih in regard to the word namantah, “offering obeisances.” He explains that the devotees can take full advantage of the transcendental topics of the Lord by offering all respects to those topics with their body, words and mind. One should engage his body by touching the ground with his hands and head while offering obeisances to the topics of the Lord; one should engage his words by praising transcendental literatures such as Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, as well as the devotees who are preaching such literatures; and one should engage his mind by feeling great reverence and pleasure while hearing the transcendental topics of the Lord. In this way, a sincere devotee who has acquired even a small amount of transcendental knowledge about Lord Krsna can conquer Him and thus go back home, back to Godhead, for eternal life at the Lord’s side.
SB 10.14.4
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