Ideal of Surrender

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Nrisingha Palli, 27 December 2020, part 3

Srila Param Guru Maharaj, Om Vishnupad Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj wrote one very beautiful sloka (1.40) in his book Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam.

sravana-kirtanadinam, bhaktyanganam hi yajane
aksamasyapi sarvaptih, prapattyaiva harav iti

"Everything is accomplished by surrendering unto the lotus feet of Sri Hari, even for one who is unable to execute the integral practices of devotional service based on hearing and chanting."

We must properly surrender at the lotus feet of Sri Hari. Somebody may not be able to understand everything properly, somebody may not be able to do everything properly, somebody may not be able to properly learn and practise sravan, kirtan, etc.—yet if they fully surrender to Sri Hari, they too can get everything. Somebody may not not know how to practise sravan, kirtan, etc. or may not be able to do it perfectly, but if they are surrendered at the lotus feet of Sri Hari, even they can get everything. This is what Srila Param Gurudev writes, it is very beautiful. He also writes here (1.46) that surrender is of three types,

mano-vak-kaya-bhedach cha, tri-vidha saranagatih
tasam sarvanga-sampanna, sighram purna-phala-prada
nyunadhikyena chaitasam, taratamyam phale 'pi cha

"One surrenders by thought, word, and deed. Complete surrender in all these respects promptly affords full success. Otherwise, the fruit attained will be proportionate to the degree of one's surrender."

One can surrender in three ways—by body, speech, and mind. It is necessary to surrender with your body (actions), it is necessary to surrender with your mouth (to speak in a surrendered manner), and it is necessary to surrender mentally too.

I was reading Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam today—I got some time this afternoon after four o'clock, and I was reading it. Here, Srila Param Gurudev also writes (1.50),

srisanatana-jivadi, mahajanasamahrtam
api chen nichasamsprstam, piyusam piyatam budhah

"Even though touched by one as lowly as me, please, O learned devotees, drink this nectar gathered by the great souls headed by Srila Sanatana and Sri Jiva."

O great scholars! I am very unqualified, I come from a low caste, but even though I am nothing, even though I have no quality, please you drink the nectar that Srila Sanatan Goswami and Srila Jiva Goswami have given us.

yo brahmanam vidadhatipurvam yo brahmavidyam
tasmai gah palayati sma krsnah
tam hi devam atmavrttiprakasam
mumuksur vai saranam amum vrajet

"In the beginning of creation, He who created the universal creator, Brahma, and then imparted to Brahma knowledge of Brahman, the Absolute—He is the selfsame Lord Krishna who tends the cows (or nourishes the Vedas). Those desirous of liberation should surrender unto that Lord, who reveals the innate function of the soul."

(Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam, 2.2)

At the beginning, Lord Brahma created so much knowledge, he presented so many things in this world, and Krishna gave service to everybody, and the truth is that even liberated souls need to surrender. If somebody wants to attain liberation, they too must come to surrender to Lord Krishna.

There is another sloka from Sri Brahma-vivarta here that Srila Param Gurudev quotes,

asitin chaturas chaiva, laksams tan jiva-jatisu
bhramyadbhih purusaih prapya, manusyam janmaparyayat
tad apy aphalatam yatam, tesam atmabhimaninam
varakanam anasritya, govindacharanadvayam

"After wandering throughout 8,400,000 species, the soul eventually takes a human birth. But that human birth is rendered worthless by those miserable fellows who are so proud of their bodies that they refuse to take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Govinda."

(Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam, 2.8-9)

We wander throughout 8,400,000 species, coming and going, coming and going, and after that we have finally got this human body, but our misfortune is that, even though we have got this rare human body, we still do not surrender to the Lord! If a jiva soul gets a human body but does not surrender to the Lord, does not heed this warning—if it thinks, "I am this body," and is proud of this temporary body (deha-abhimani)—then its human body is useless, meaningless.

Tell me, who of you has read Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam properly? It is an important book in our line. There are many slolas from Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Brahma-vivarta, and many other books. There are so many highest things written here in a very beautiful way. I read it today again after many years, and I liked it a lot, I am thinking I must read it again and again.

This time I have brought some books from Kolkata and put them on my shelf here. I had so many books, including Srila Prabhupad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur's books and so many Gaudiya magazines, in Nabadwip, but I have lost them now. There were books that Gurudev gave me, there were also books that Srila Sridhar Maharaj gave to Gurudev and Gurudev then gave to me. I could not bring those books from there, and now I do not know what they have done to those books. I left so many things there...

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