Hare Krsna,
The final instruction of Lord Krsna to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita is to abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Him (BG 18.66). A materialist and non-devotee may cringe at the word surrender because in material parlance surrender has a negative connotation. The word surrender does not usually conjure good images in their minds. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines surrender as ‘to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand; to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another; to give (oneself) up into the power of another especially as a prisoner; to give (oneself) over to something (such as an influence).’ As the dictionary confirms, surrender is associated with defeat and despair, and loss of pride and prestige. When an army surrenders to the enemy, it brings disgrace to the nation. A criminal or a terrorist is forced to surrender because he is a nuisance to the society.
But the surrender that Krsna demands in the Bhagavad Gita is far different from the forced surrender of a loser in life. There is an assurance of love when Krsna advises Arjuna to surrender. He reassures Arjuna, “I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” Krsna’s call for surrender is not driven by egoistic claims of supremacy; it is impelled by His supreme compassion for Arjuna and all living entities.
Actually, surrendering to Krsna is the most beautiful experience and the most wonderful concept in all of creation. It means to genuinely offer our love to Him. Those who are unwilling to surrender to Him with love have to surrender to Him at the time of death. To the degree we consider ourselves the controller and proprietor of things of this world, to that degree we suffer when we face Krsna in the form of death. That surrender is too painful and immensely horrible. On the other hand, if we understand our eternal position as the servant of Krsna and humbly accept it, all our miseries will cease to exist. Krsna immediately takes the devotee under His tutelage. There is a beautiful verse in Sri Caitanya Caritamrta where Krsna promises to deliver one from the ropes of maya if one turns to Him even once.
“One is immediately freed from the clutches of māyā if he seriously and sincerely says, ‘My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, although I have forgotten You for so many long years in the material world, today I am surrendering unto You. I am Your sincere and serious servant. Please engage me in Your service.” (CC Madhya 22.33)
Krsna, as the most loving Father, allows the rebellious souls to rebel against Him, and creates the material world for them, so they can satisfy their gratuitous desires. Krsna tolerates all and patiently waits for the moment these souls will realize their folly and turn towards Him. This is the moment Krsna lovingly waits to see. The moment when the jiva turns to Krsna is a source of great pleasure to both Krsna and the jiva. Krsna is pleased that the forgetful child has turned to Him finally seeking shelter and surrender. The jiva is also pleased because he finds his eternal Father after wandering and suffering in this material world for millions of lifetimes.
In Sri Brhad-Bhagavatamrta, there is a culmination of a beautiful journey of the protagonist Gopa Kumara when he finally returns to Goloka Vrndavana from the material world and meets Krsna. As soon as Krsna saw Gopa Kumara, He stopped playing His flute. Leaving His friends, leaving His cows, and leaving all confused he ran frantically towards him. He leaped towards Gopa Kumara and embraced him. Seeing his dear friend after such a long time, Krsna overwhelmed with emotion fainted in the arms of Sarupa (Gopa Kumara’s name in the spiritual world is Sarupa). After regaining consciousness, Krsna took the hand of Gopa Kumara in His left lotus hand and inquired, “How are you? I missed you so much, Sarupa. Every day I waited for you hoping that you will return one day for sure. I am so thankful. I am so grateful. You are back. Now please stay here. Don’t go anywhere.”
Isn’t this wonderful? Isn’t this hope giving? This is the beauty of surrendering to Krsna with love and devotion. Krsna is waiting for each one of us struggling in this material world to turn to Him. Surrendering to Krsna, our original father, does not bring us any dishonor. Our surrender to Krsna is like a patient submitting himself to a doctor for treatment or a child taking shelter of his mother. A patient agrees to abide by the prescription of the doctor for his own benefit; a child experiences love and care on the lap of his mother. Krsna’s clarion call to surrender is for our salvation.
Not everyone surrenders; Krsna understands this: “After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (BG 7.19) If we are not with Krsna, we are undoubtedly with maya, Krsna’s material illusory energy. Either to Krsna or to His material energy, we must surrender. Every day, knowingly or unknowingly, we surrender to the dictum of our mind and senses, to our insatiable desires, to the demands of our bodies, to our lower self, to so many people in our daily life. Arjuna was in acute anxiety before the Mahabharata war began, but after hearing Krsna’s message he completely surrendered to Krsna and thus paved the way for his glorious victory.
Surrendering to Krsna opens the door for a blissful and eternal life. “For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murari, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoof-print. Their goal is param padam, Vaikuntha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.58)”
Mother Devahuti is so exalted. As our teachers mentioned in the forum topic, she was incomparably pious and expert in yoga practice. She had a glorious birth, a glorious father, a glorious husband and a glorious son. Yet she still experienced the pangs of material existence to the point where she even more fully surrendered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and sought His shelter and guidance to become free from material entanglement. Therefore, why wouldn’t a jiva like me who is incomparably (to Mother Devahuti) insignificant and suffering from material miseries every moment lovingly surrender to Krsna and offer my heart to Him? After all, Krsna is my only salvation and shelter.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
This is the picture of Gopa Kumara meeting Krsna in the spiritual world after he returns from the material world.
Krsna Katha 