Full Surrender

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
12 May 2012

We sing this song in the morning:

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য প্রভু জীবে দয়া করি' ।
স্বপার্ষদ স্বীয় ধাম সহ অবতরি ॥

sri-krsna-chaitanya prabhu jive daya kari'
svaparsada sviya dhama saha avatari

Sri Krishna Chaitanya—Bhagavan, the Lord Himself—came in the form of Chaitanya. Chaitanya means consciousness: Krishna, who comes in Dvapara-yuga, comes Himself in Kali-yuga with all His associates and the abode to give consciousness—Krishna consciousness—for the benefit of the jiva souls.

অন্ত্যন্ত দুর্লভ প্রেম করিবারে দান ।
শিখায় শরণাগতি ভকতের প্রাণ ॥

atyanta durlabha prema karibare dana
sikhaya saranagati bhakatera prana

To distribute the most rare form of divine love, He teaches surrender, which is the life of the devotees.

Saranagati has six parts [sad-anga, lit. 'six limbs']. What are they?

ভক্তি-অনুকূল মাত্র কার্য্যের স্বীকার ।
ভক্তি-প্রতিকূল ভব—বর্জ্জনাঙ্গীকার ॥
দৈন্য, আত্মনিবেদন, গোপ্তৃত্বে বরণ ।
'অবশ্য রক্ষিবে কৃষ্ণ'—বিশ্বাস পালন ॥

bhakti-anukula matra karyera svikara
bhakti-pratikula bhava—varjanangikara
dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
'avasya raksibe krsna'— visvasa palana

1) Accept what is favourable to devotion.

2) Reject what is unfavourable to devotion.

3) Dainyata, humility. We think we know everything; we are proud we took initiation thirty years ago; somebody is proud they are Srila Sridhar Maharaj's disciple—it is ego, and it is a big problem. If you want to learn, be humble.

4) Atma-nivedan, surrender, atma-niskep—throw yourself at the lotus feet of the Lord.

5) Goptritve varan means Krishna is the palankorta (পালনকর্তা), protector. We cannot save ourselves—no one can—only Krishna can save us. Do you believe it or not?

Gurudev said in Srila Sridhar Maharaj's time there was a devotee, a perfect brahmachari—he worked all day and night, and slept on a rice sack in the store room, where rice, dahl and other bhog was kept. Srila Sridhar Maharaj said about him, "I have not seen that kind of brahmachari in my life." That kind of service mood that devotee had. Do you know how he died? Next to our old prasadam building, there is a big guava tree. Once he saw some ripe guava there and wanted to pick it for the offering. He climbed the tree, but a branch broke and he fell down. He fell from only three-four feet but died immediately.

In another case, one chief minister broke his leg and died. Do you see? Who will protect us? Krishna protects us.

6) Avasya raksibe Krsna: who will take care of us? Krishna takes care of us. Not mother, not father—we think our father and mother protect us, but they cannot do anything. They can only help us survive, give us some nourishment, but not protect.

You must understand these six aspects of saranagati,

ষড়ঙ্গ শরণাগতি হইবে যাঁহার ।
তাঁহার প্রার্থনা শুনে শ্রীনন্দকুমার ॥

sad-anga saranagati ha-ibe yahara
tahara prarthana sune sri-nanda-kumara

Sri Krishna hears the prayers of those who surrender in this six-fold way.

That kind of full surrender must come, then Krishna will protect—Gurudev said, "If you serve the Guru, Krishna will serve you."

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