There is a beautiful verse by Sanaatan Goswami on six aspects of surrender.
(Verse and meaning source)
आनुकूलस्य सड्.कल्प प्रतिकूलस्य वर्जनम्
रक्षिष्यतीति विश्वासो गोप्तृत्वे वरणं तथा।
आत्मनिक्षेप कार्पण्ये षड्विधा शरणागति।।
(हरि भक्तिविलास 11.676)
ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ pratikūlyasya varjanam
rakṣhiṣhyatīti viśhvāso goptṛitve varaṇaṁ tathā
ātmanikṣhepa kārpaṇye ṣhaḍvidhā śharaṇāgatiḥ
(Hari Bhakti Vilas 11.676)
1) ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ – To desire only in accordance with the desire of God.
2) pratikūlyasya varjanam – Reject what is not in favor of devotion.
3) rakṣhiṣhyatīti viśhvāso – The faith that God will surely protect me.
4) goptṛitve varaṇaṁ tathā – To maintain an attitude of gratitude toward God.
5) ātmanikṣhepa – To see everything we possess as belonging to God.
6) kārpaṇye – To give up the pride of having surrendered.
This is a beautiful structured way to present bhakti and surrender. Here is a way to understand them.
The first two aspects say “do what is agreeable to God and don’t do what is not agreeable to God”. How do we know what is agreeable and what is disagreeable to God? In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna has give a number of directions for this. You can read in the article titled “Deciding between Right and Wrong according to Bhagavad Gita“. A detailed discussion with reference to the verses are given in that article. To summarize:
- follow virtues like truthfulness, non-violence, self-control, humility, forbearance, cheerfulness, cleanliness, silence, helpfulness, etc.
- emulate the character of virtuous people. It also advises leaders of the society to conduct themselves in such a way that can be emulated.
- do unto others what you would like others to do unto you.
- behave in such a way that we will not be afraid or ashamed in front of God.
- judge an action by whether it is elevating up or dragging down the mind.
- seek the greatest welfare of maximum number of people.
- prefer long-term well-being than short-term pleasure in any situation.
In the twelfth chapter, Krishna gives a list of virtues, behaviors and attitudes that His devotees must have. He clearly says that such a person is dear to Him.
The second two aspects answers the question, “If a person focusses on what is agreeable to God, who will take care of his needs?” The verse says, “have faith and gratitude that God protects you and provides your needs.” Krishna mentions this in several verses in the Gita like 9.22 (ananyaascintanto maam …”), 18.62 (tam eva sharanam gacca …”), 9.31 (“na me bhakta pranashyati”) and 6.40 (“na hi kalyaana krit …”). Then why do people suffer in life? God wants us to remember Him. If we remember Him only during times of trouble, that is what we will get. If we remember Him in gratitude for all the good things, that is what we will get. Also, we don’t know what is good for our spiritual growth. God provides the right situations in life that is the best for our spiritual growth. What is good for our spiritual growth may or may not result in material prosperity. God focuses on our spiritual growth only. In some situations, we may not understand how and why it is needed for our spiritual growth. We will always be able to connect the dots in retrospective. So, in the current situation, we need faith.
The last two aspects asks us to always remember that nothing belongs to us. Everything belongs to God. Everything that we may claim to be ours – relatives, friends, wealth, body, mind, intellect, skills, achievements, character, knowledge, etc. – all belong to God alone. They all have been given to us to serve God in the form of the living beings in the world. They can be taken away anytime. This is mentioned in the Gita in several verses like 3.27 (“prakriteh kriyamaanaani …”), 18.59 (“yad ahamkaaram aashritya …”), 18.61 (“bhraamayan sarva bhutani …”), 9.10 (“mayaa adyakshenNa …”) and 9.19 (“tapaami aham …”). Keeping this in mind, we need to be humble.
If we live a God-centered life based on the six aspects above, we will have peace.