Surrender is the Foundation of the World of Devotion.

[Beggar]

Srila Sridhar Maharaj:

 

With a broad vision, we must know ourselves as created of smaller stuff, and thus only with assistance from above can we improve our situation and achieve a position in the higher plane. A submissive, serving attitude is necessary. If we submit, the universal authoritative aspect of the Absolute will take us upward to a higher prospect. He is the autocrat, the absolute knowledge, the absolute good: everything about Him is absolute. Being in a vulnerable position as we experience in this world, why then should we not submit to Him?

The road to the sphere of transcendence is the deductive or descending method. We can reach the absolute good, the absolute will, by His consent alone. Only by faith in absolute surrender is anyone allowed entry into that domain; never by "exploration," by "colonization," or by attempting to become a "monarch" there. No inductive or ascending method such as renunciation or yoga can compel Him to accept us. Whosoever He chooses can alone reach Him. Although the highest point of the renunciates is desirelessness or freedom from possessiveness, the surrendered soul is naturally desireless. Detachment is only the negative side of surrender, and above selflessness, the devotee surrenders himself to the higher substance, and this is what it means to be awake in another world, another plane of life. Such is the positive Vaishnava conception of life to determine one's real self beyond the jurisdiction of the world of misconception.

The nature of progressive substance is eternal existence, knowledge, and beauty. The one harmonizing organic whole contains similarities and differences, held inconceivably in the hand of the Absolute. And there is no anarchy in the absolute power. Nonetheless, mercy is found to be above justice. Above judiciousness the supreme position is held by love, sympathy, and beauty: "I am the absolute power, but I am friendly to you all. Knowing this you need never fear" (Bhagavad Gita 5.29). This revelation relieves us of all apprehension: we are not victims of a chaotic environment, but it is judicious and considerate, and the ultimate dispenser is our friend.

Surrender is the foundation of the world of devotion. It is the very life and essence. One cannot enter into that domain without surrender. It must be present in every form of service, and to attempt divine service without it will be a mere imitation or a lifeless formality. The entire gist of the Vedic instruction is to dedicate oneself to the service of the Supreme Lord. Without surrender, the activity will be adulterated with exploitation, renunciation, artificial meditation, and so on.

By constitution the soul is the Lord's servant, and the Lord has the right to do anything according to His sweet will. If accepting this truth we undertake devotional practices, only then will our activity be devotional. The activity of the self-dedicated soul alone can be called devotion. Sincere prayer will help us to seek the help of the Lord, but again, prayer in the spirit of surrender can alone reach Him. The path of devotion entails inviting the positive to descend and embrace us: "I am very low and You are so high. You can purify me for Your higher purpose. Be pleased. Otherwise I am helpless." It is impossible to take Him captive in the cage of our knowledge. Only the way of devotion can help us. In every respect He is high, great, and infinite-and we are comparatively small. His mercy-His sympathy, love, and grace are the only medium through which we can come to know Him. And cultivating good faith in that autonomous sweet land which is so high, we will earnestly hope and pray to be associated with the Absolute as His devotee; and that will bring our happy prospect for the future.

[theist]

 

If we submit, the universal authoritative aspect of the Absolute will take us upward to a higher prospect.

 

"Take us upward". We don't climb our way into the sphere of the Absolute. That plane is beyond the reach of our towers, space ships and intellectual constructs.

[theist]

 

The path of devotion entails inviting the positive to descend and embrace us: "I am very low and You are so high. You can purify me for Your higher purpose. Be pleased. Otherwise I am helpless." It is impossible to take Him captive in the cage of our knowledge.

Thanks to Beggar for posting these jewels from BR Sridhar Maharaja.

[Amlesh]

 

Thanks to Beggar for posting these jewels from BR Sridhar Maharaja.

 

Look at the beauty of Krishna Consciousness, it is even possible to get jewels from beggars also.

 

Thanks indeed, Beggar;).

[cbrahma]

 

 

To Love God

by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Reprinted from a Journal of Tajpur Dated Friday, 25th August, 1871.

 

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Bhaktivinód Thákur

(1838-1914)

 

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>It was Christ Jesus who first said "Love God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and love man as thy brother." This is an absolute truth indeed; but different men put different interpretations to this noble expression. The expressions of all great men are nice but somewhat mysterious. When understood they bring the truth nearest to the heart otherwise they remain mere letters that ‘kill'. The reason of the mystery is that men, advanced in their approach to the Deity, are in the habit of receiving revelations which are but mysteries to those that are behind them. The stages of progress are very much the same as the circles of spiritualism which, though not true themselves, explain a great deal about the gradual development of the soul.

We have understood some spiritualists to maintain that matter when sublimated converts itself to spirit. This theory is indeed against any inward conviction. Matter is matter, and spirit is spirit; one of them cannot form the other. Spirit is certainly of a superior existence; though we cannot fully understand in our present state of material imprisonment, what relation Spirit does exactly bear to matter, space and time.

Metaphysics apart, we decide that the human soul rises higher and higher and can understand things of which we have no idea at present. Subject to this important rule, Christ Jesus of Nazareth received and uttered the words quoted above. To readers who are a little above the scale of ordinary men, these expressions of Jesus teach that man should love God with all his heart (meaning the affections of the heart perceivable in all children as opposed to hate), with all his mind, (meaning the intellect which knows as opposed to ignorance of good things), with all his soul (meaning that principle of the human constitution which worships the Almighty and feels its own immortality), and with all his strength (meaning all active work). To the inspired, however, more things and better and more sublime meanings appear beneath these holy words of the inspired Jesus. He teaches man to love God and not to know, infer, hate, or think of God. He tells us that man in his absolute state is not the intellect or the body but is the pure soul itself.

The essence of the soul is wisdom and its action is love absolute. The absolute condition of man is his absolute relation to the Deity in pure love. Love then alone is the religion of the soul and consequently of the whole man. The pupil asks here, "What have I to do with the heart? — My heart loves ‘to see the sun smile, to eat the sweetest dish and to see a dance.' Jesus profoundly replies "Yes, you must love God with all thy heart, your heart now runs to things other than God, but you must, as you train a bad horse, make your feelings run to the loving God." This is one of the four principles of worship or what they call in Vaisnava literature, santa rasa.

Then the pupil says, "My Lord, the intellect takes me elsewhere from God, that is, it wants to take me to positivism; please instruct me what am I to do?Yes," replies Jesus, "You must love God with all your mind, that is, when you perceive, conceive, remember, imagine and reason, you must not allow yourself to be a dry thinker but must love. Love alone can soften the dryness of the intellect, you must develop the intellect on all good and holy things by means of love of truth, spiritual beauty and harmony." This is the second phase of Vaisnava development which passes by the name dasya rasa.

The pupil then inquires whether development of the affections and the intellect is quite enough for him. Then says the Lord "You must love God with thy soul also, that is, you must perceive yourself in spiritual communication with the Deity and receive holy revelations in your sublimest hours of worship." This is called the sakhya rasa of the Vaisnavas — the soul approaching the Deity in holy and fearless service. The disciple apprehends that he will be lost in such a position and will be unable to act. Then the Saviour tells him these words, "You must love God with all thy strength or will — you are wrong in concluding that you will loose your active existence — you will get it the more. Work for God and work to God, proceeding from no interested views but from a holy free will (which is alone the strength of man) and identifying with pure love, it will fully engross your attention." This is a description of bhakti in general. Then Jesus proceeds to tell us, "You must love man as thy brother." From this is inferred the fourth phase of love which is a feeling that all men are brothers and God is their common Father. This is vatsalya rasa in its first stage of development.

Bhakti (love) is thus perceived in the very first development of man in the shape of heart, then in the shape of mind, then in the shape of soul and lastly in the shape of will. These shapes do not destroy each other but beautifully harmonize themselves into a pure construction of what we call the spiritual man or the ekanta of Vaisnava literature. But there is another more sublime truth behind this fact which is revealed to a few that are prepared for it. We mean the spiritual conversion of the soul into a woman. It is in that sublime and lofty state in which the soul can taste the sweetness of an indissoluble marriage with God of Love. The fifth or the highest stage of Vaisnava development is this, which we call madhurya rasa, and on this alone the most beautiful portion of the Vaisnava literature so ably expatiates. This phase of human life, mysterious as it is, is not attainable by all, nay, we should say, by any but "God's own". It is so very beyond the reach of common men that the rationalists and even the ordinary theists cannot understand it. Nay, they go so far as to sneer at it as something unnatural. Oh God! Reveal Thy most valuable truths to all so that "Your own" may not be numbered with the fanatics and the crazed and that the whole of mankind may be admitted as "Your own."

 

 

[Amlesh]

Thanks cbrama, you've rightly put forward the real purpose and spirit of Vaishnavism.

Indeed, you know the secret of the missing links between the different religions.

 

Cheers.

[theist]

 

Look at the beauty of Krishna Consciousness, it is even possible to get jewels from beggars also.

 

Thanks indeed, Beggar;).

 

Ahh yes. Well put.

[theist]

Thanks cbrahma. Never read that from Bhaktivinode before. Saved to file.