An extract from the book
“Glimpses of the Divine Vision” by Swami Ramdas – Section “Self-Surrender”
·
The path of pure and simple Bhakti is one
of the easiest means to reach the all-powerful feet of the Lord. Self-surrender
is the goal. Pure aspiration and ceaseless meditation constitute the path. All
else is secondary.
·
Take refuge in the Almighty God who resides
in your heart. Surrender yourself entirely to Him and you will gain
inexhaustible strength, for overcoming the passions, Kama and Krodha, that
assail you. Feel always that you are in His hands, and therefore always safe.
With the weapon of God-remembrance with you, you can dwell in the very midst of
temptation and remain unaffected. By constant practice, keep your mind ever
tuned to the infinite Truth.
·
Self-surrender denotes a life lived in
accordance with your exalted spiritual nature. Dwell in the Divine and act as
inspired by Him within you, having no doubt or fear. No movement in your
nature-revealing in action-is by itself either evil or sinful. True life
depends upon the standpoint from which it is lived. Self-surrender is therefore
a state in which all your actions are performed in utter dedication to the
indwelling Reality. Here the question of good and evil does not arise. Life is
then regulated automatically, ever tempered with moderation and self-control.
Doubt and hesitation have then no place here. Be a child in the hands of the
Divine Mother. Know that at the basis of your life stands the immutable and
unaffected spirit of God, and that your eternal nature is the very nature of
the Mother who is but the manifest aspect of the supreme Lord. Dependence on
and submission to Him in all matters contribute towards the realization of
eternal peace.
·
Rest assured that the spiritual struggle of
an aspirant ceases, the moment he puts himself entirely into the hands of God.
This is the culmination of all Sadhanas. Give up all thought of your slackness
or the insufficiency of your spiritual practices. Rest completely on the bosom
of the infinite Mother. You are after all Her all trusting and ever dependent
child. Her guidance and protection are all that you need to wish for. She is so benevolent and merciful. Be ever
conscious that you are eternally Hers, and Hers alone.
·
Realization of God is the fruit of
self-surrender, i.e., handing yourself over to Him totally with the result that
you have no care or anxiety left to harass your mind. So long as you are
impatient and fretful, you push away from you the goal of attainment. Be calm
and self-sufficient, and you are face to face with your ideal.
·
The secret of Tapasya and solitude lies in
your feeling about them. The moment you realize that all your activities and
works belong to the supreme Lord of your heart and of the universe, you will
become conscious that you are at once in solitude in the midst of the crowd and
that you have reached the end of all Tapasya. Believe, in all things that you
do, you are driven by a power which is all masterful, all loving and all
beneficent. Don’t crave for a state of external renunciation of activity; but
for the victory of peace and resignation in the midst of activity. This is
possible when you are grounded in the truth that you are merely a willing and
submissive instrument.
