0:00 Intro
0:17 What is meant by surrender?
1:47 What are we expected to surrender?
3:30 What is spiritual achievement, and how is it measured?
6:17 What spiritual sadhana is recommended apart from meditation?
11:12 Is there a difference in to whom or how we pray
14:09 After we surrender what should be the mindset to take the next action?
16:29 Is it a sign if we are going through a period without any tests?
18:08 After surrendering how will we know what is the right decision or action we should take?
20:16 What characteristics do we need to cultivate when building up the power of surrender?
22:58 How do we manage the world’s norms and perceptions?

Discourse: Thus Spake Babaji – online Q and A No. 75
The Power of Surrender
Recorded: 09 December 2021 with Malaysian participants

Start of Questions and Answers

Question: Babaji, the first question is, “What is meant by surrender?”

Babaji Maharaj: The real surrender in spirituality is when your mind surrenders. ‘When mind surrenders’ means it does not analyze or make any judgments, and does not even recognize anything else other than the Divinity. So that is the real surrender. This happens only in deeper meditations. As you progress in meditation, when all thoughts and visions all stop and the mind’s silence is being achieved, then mind doesn’t think or analyze or make any judgment; it becomes quiet and quiet. So that is when I have always told mind has no third way – either it is into its own imaginations or when it is able to stop those imaginations, it goes to its ultimate source which is recognized as Divine. So it merges slowly, goes towards the Divinity. That is the real worship or real surrender. So this is what is the required aspect of the spirituality.

Question: Babaji the next question – when we say surrender, what are we actually expected to surrender?  Please explain how we should do this Babaji?

Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, precisely talking, I can say that that the ego of the mind needs to be surrendered. Because if there is ego, we try to maintain a separate identity for our own existence. When we do that, we narrow down into the physical body and then become selfish. In that selfishness, we forget the Divine that is all pervaded, we forget that the oneness of our own real Self is simply all pervaded. It is something like we forget that we are that space, instead we become a small dot in the space, or instead we forget we are the ocean, we start thinking that we are just a droplet. So  that is what we need to surrender. If we surrender that one, we will go and merge with the ultimate source of ourselves – will happen one day. So for this purpose only we need to surrender. We can either hold the ego by staying away from the Divinity or surrender that ego so that we become one with the Divine.

Question: Thank You Babaji. The next question – what is spiritual achievement Babaji, and how do we measure spiritual achievement?

Babaji Maharaj: First, everybody needs to understand that everybody is looking for peace and happiness. But if the path is not known or in other words if the technology is not known, technique is not known how to achieve that, then people take wrong paths; they go after the materialistic world, they go after object matter and there is a never-ending pursuit. Just like you pursue water for water in a desert. So that type of thing happens. This happiness is always elusive in this world. To achieve this you have to quieten the mind; mind’s silence has to be achieved. That is what is the first step for spiritual achievement. Spiritual achievement means you become aware how you exist as that soul that is in the spirit form. Spirit means not visible to the naked eyes. Though it is formless, though it is there, it appears as if it is not there. So that’s what is the Spirit. So to achieve that means, just to give an example, imagine that you are the space. But now you have become something else because of your imagination. You have to give up and become that space. It appears to be like a void, but it is Supreme Consciousness and existence. For that only the great sages told of Atman. Achieving the Atmasakshatkaram. Sakshat means as it is, you become aware of your real Self. That is the spiritual achievement. That is recommended, that is needed. Through the sadhana of meditation also, you achieve that one. When you achieve that awareness, you also gain a supreme, permanent peace and happiness, enjoyable happiness, which will remain at all times. It won’t break down and it won’t disappear. The constant cravings of the mind are the basic reason for all unhappiness. So we have to understand and go for spiritual achievement.

Question: Thank You Babaji. Babaji always encourages us to do meditation, but other than meditation, what are Your recommendations for good spiritual sadhana Babaji?

Babaji Maharaj: Several ways. Some important things we can take up in your active life. One is the meditation you all know; you have to take out at least one hour of time every day, not simply once in a fortnight Babaji comes, if we are present in front of him, so he will be impressed. No, not like that. Your sadhana has to be every day. You have to be impressed, you have to be sincere to yourself, then only you can achieve. So that’s what has to happen. Next one, bhakti marga. Be devoted in the name of the Divine or the Divine Guru; you have to fall in love, you have to love so that at all times your mind is aware of that remembrance only. Remembrance of that Guru or that Divine – that is what is important, then your mind gets connected to that Divinity, then also it will become quiet and more focused – single-pointedly it will be towards that Divinity. So thus it starts remaining contented. When it is contented, it is totally secure and achieves peace, and eventually one day in your consciousness you can achieve that Divinity at all times. So that is what is the bhakti marga; it is very important.

   Other is the karma yoga. You are active in this world, no problem. You have to live in this world, no problem, you have to live. But while trying to live, while you are being active in the world, you would like to plan for a successful life so that you can achieve success in life, maintain a good standard of life. For all these things you would like to earn a livelihood, that which can give you more comfortable life. So for this you have to strive – you have to plan and put an effort. When putting an effort, you remain focused on the effort. Don’t get involved into an anxiousness about future or brooding about past. That disturbs your hundred percent focus. So and then when the result comes after your effort, sometimes or often, even if it is not according to your expectations, accept. Accept it as the Divine’s wish. “This was supposed to happen and this has happened. No problem. We will try again.” Then the mind recedes, it surrenders. It accepts everything as the Divine verdict. “It is the Master who has made this. It’s okay, no problem. If this is His wishes, let it happen like this.” So that’s what is the karma yoga. Then the mind goes into yoga, into the reunion with the Divine, so it recedes. So there is no more craving. The craving stops. So that’s how we live.

Like with Swamiji while we lived, whatever was ordained we simply went on doing. We never saw whether it was to our liking or not. As long as health permitted in our young age, whatever came in front in the ashram life, that food we took. We didn’t have likes and dislikes that we won’t like this vegetable, we don’t like this, that, there was no such thing. All dal, everything that was cooked, we took it. There was no reservation. And what type of work in the Ashram we had to do, there was no reservation. Any work that came across, that was given to us, ordained by our Master – to look after somebody, anything, we simply did it without bothering. Thus our mind receded, it surrendered, it became quiet. So this is the karma yoga. So like this, several paths are there. And in spiritual exercises, apart from meditation, music can be a very good therapy. Singing the Divine glory, devotional songs, practice and sing melodiously so that it sucks your mind, it makes your mind concentrated. And also participating in agnihotras (fire worship) and seva karyums (service) – all these things can be very helpful for you to surrender mentally.

Question: Thank You Babaji. The next question. Babaji, some people say that by surrendering to Lord Krishna we will attain bliss forever. While if we pray to other deities, we attain heaven but once we exhaust our merits, we will take rebirth. Can You help to address if there is any difference in to whom and how we pray?

Babaji Maharaj: You see, many people who have either read or heard about Bhagavad Gita, they tend to imagine wrongly like this. In Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna advises Arjuna – “Arjuna, if you cannot do any type of other yoga, just surrender to me. And if you surrender to me, you will attain the Divine. If you surrender to any other deities, angels, devatas, you attain only them.” So for this many people misunderstand, it is not complete by surrendering to other devatas. It is not that. It all depends on your imagination. Like when you surrender to Swamiji, if you have in your imagination Swamiji as the Lord Divine Master, then you achieve the same truth. When you surrender to Krishna also, you have to imagine that Krishna is the Supreme Lord. You surrender to Lord Shivan, then you have to imagine Shiva is the Supreme Lord. You surrender to Hanuman, then you have to imagine Lord Hanuman as the Supreme Lord. So your imagination is what matters. If you can imagine about that deity as the Supreme, final God, then you achieve that one; you achieve that Supreme Divine. So, in bhakti marga, your imagination is important, that criteria. So that is why you see, even we all know that God is all pervaded; He is in everything, as everything, everywhere. Yet, when we see other thing, if our imagination comes to only that much – we imagine chocolate as God, we imagine a small stone as a Shiva lingam, Lord Shiva as God, then God is there for us in that, but if you imagine that it is only a stone, only the stone appears. Depending on your imagination the things appear. So here it is not the Krishna things, it is your visualization, your faith in the name of Lord, that can work wonders.

Question: Thank You Babaji. After we surrender Babaji, what should be the mindset to take the next action?

Babaji Maharaj: You put an effort to achieve anything you want. You want Self-Realization, you always put an effort to silence the mind. But here if you surrender for all your actions and don’t expect anything, just accept whatever results come, that is what is needed, that’s all you have to do, nothing else. That will take you to Divine finally. How much you can surrender?  Small, small things happen in life. Then again, big, big things happen. Lot of big troubles come. Big troubles come, more big troubles come, you bear with it. More big troubles come, the Divine goes on testing, testing. It is like when you are in primary or nursery school, a small test is given and you are passed and you are promoted to next class. As you go on to middle school, high school, college, university, research and specializations, the strength of the tests also increases.

In the same way the Divine tests – when you are ready to surrender, how much you can remain in patience, how much you can remain surrendered?  God might cut you into pieces, grind you into chutney, everything, anything can happen, life can become so miserable. And you might start thinking of scolding God, giving up God, anything, giving up the Guru, everything, such troubles come, but that is what a saint known as Devara Dasimaya, he tells – “Lord Shiva, He grinds you into chutney, He cuts you into small pieces, and He whips you like anything. Like this, the life will become so bitter, all loving people abandon you and they go away. But if you can remain unperturbed, total courage, never get scared, no panic, no problem, always remain attached to the Divine Master, then Lord Shiva takes you into His laps finally, and gives you that moksha. So this is what has to happen.

Question: Babaji, related to what You have just shared. So, that means every time we are being tested and tested, it is God testing our faith and how strong our surrender is?

Babaji Maharaj: Yes, definitely.

Question: And what about if we are not being tested, is that also a sign, if we are going through no tests in our life sort of situation?

Babaji Maharaj: Every moment, everybody will face a test. It can be in any form; it can be a form of temptation, it can be some trouble. Like this it keeps happening, mind getting attracted to worldly things – that is also a test, how much you have the forbearance, how much you get tempted quickly?  Like I have told, during our tapas, both visions and both manifestations happened. Some were giving lots of temptations, some were trying to give us power, money, everything types of things. And some manifestations were threatening – they were trying to wrench our neck – anything like that. So there is always a test. Every moment you have to be facing the test. The more that you remain in remembrance of the Divine as a devotee of the Divine Master, you win.

Question: Thank You Babaji. After surrendering Babaji, how will we know what is the right decision or action we should take?

Babaji Maharaj: You see, when you surrender devotionally, your mind becomes more purified. Then you will become aware of the Divine’s presence and automatically your decisions, your actions will not be of a selfish, egoistic nature. You will live for others, you will run a centre for sake of public utility, not for showing your selfish power and egoistic things. So you will always want others to come. You will know how to love people, you will give your love, your consideration. So these changes automatically come to you. If these changes have not come, you become egoistic, and that power goes to your head. So then that means you were not really a devotee of Swami. That means your mind has not become purified. You still have that arrogance, that ego attitude “O I am superior, I am the owner of this centre. I can do anything I want, I am the king”, type. “The subjects just have to listen to me.”  So this attitude is what is the egoistic things. That means mind is not purified. That person was never a devotee. That person always tried to buy God. Such people try to buy God. They work out a deal – “I give you this gold chain God, O give me this power.” Like that they work out a deal always. They don’t know how to surrender to God. So that’s very important.

Question: Babaji what is the character or beliefs that we need to cultivate and uphold while working towards building the power of surrender?

Babaji Maharaj: Consideration about a larger cause, as from the beginning, since twenty years I tell, Swami used to tell that, “If we live for ourselves, that is life, if we can live for others, that is Mission.” So you have to learn to live a Mission. Anything that you work, you will always think that, “Let people of the society be benefited. Let there be this thing, not simply my selfishness, not my body that we have to take care, not my ego that we have to satisfy, that others have to satisfy.” Instead, we satisfy others, we love, we consider all others, we give a consideration. So we try to exercise humility, humble.

Self-respect is totally different. When you have self-respect, you will remain composed. You won’t lose temper, you don’t have to scold somebody, or you don’t have to use foul language to anybody. You will be composed, you will use loving language but you will be firm in your principles. But if you keep scolding, and if you always show your anger and arrogance, that is not surrender. So that surrender needs to be cultivated. It comes automatically if your mind is purified. First look after to purify your own mind, then selfishness, narrow-mindedness all vanish. Then everything will be set right, perfectly all right. Your life becomes a Mission, because you will learn to live for others. You will always be enthusiastic to give happiness to others. So like that, people come to see you. You would like to give them darshan and love them, care for them. You don’t feel insecure. If some people don’t want to come, don’t curse them. It’s alright, it’s up to them. If they don’t want to come, no problem, we have nothing to lose. We have our peace. So like that, automatically that character will come.

Question: Thank You Babaji. The last question for today. How do we handle or manage people and the world’s norms and perception while we are working on this uncertain phenomenon?

Babaji Maharaj: You see, you have to be noble. However, that does not mean that you have to be an idiot. You have to be careful, you have to be clever, you have to be intelligent, you shall not allow others to sit on your head, but you will love everyone. But you will be polite, but you will be firm. So we have to exercise our principles, see the justice has to be done, a larger cause, may it be beneficial to all society, to the country, to the world. So, that type of attitude we have to develop. That is necessary. That is how we can fulfill the norms of this world. Wherever possible we try to adjust and do. If it is not possible, we cannot help. Finally it will be our choice what we want to do.

Like Swamiji used to tell, “Now you have to come to Ashram for one hour meditation. Some relative’s marriage is happening. It’s your choice to which one you want to give an excuse and to which one you want to oblige.” Swamiji used to tell, “Often people want to oblige the relationship and give an excuse. “Today I cannot meditate la, I have to go for a marriage.” So, like that they give easily an excuse but they don’t want to give an excuse, “Today I have to meditate. I cannot come for your marriage. I’m sorry, please.” Has anybody had the guts to tell this one? “Today Babaji is coming on Zoom, I have to be meditating with Him. Sorry I cannot come for this party, for dinner. Some other time we will come” –  excuse. So, choice is yours how you want to fulfill the norms of this world, what is it that you want to do.

The Guru is in the town and you are attracted to something else in that town. So you gain one and you lose the other. Which one you are ready to lose, which one you are ready to gain is your choice. So, you have to apply your wisdom to think what we want. So there was the whole life was in front of me at the age of twenty. World was there for me, relatives, everybody were there. But I gave an excuse to this world. “Sorry, I cannot remain in this world. I am going to my Guru’s lotus feet.” I packed my things and got into the train, straightaway headed to Swamiji’s Ashram. That’s it, never looked back – forty-seven years now. So finally, it is your choice. It was my choice that I wanted to come to Swamiji’s Ashram. It is your choice what you want to do finally.

So you practice meditation, be devoted to Swamiji, pray so that you get inspiration in the proper direction. If your mind becomes purified, if you get surrendered, if you want to serve Swamiji, if you really want to serve Swamiji and Babaji, you will not bother for anybody’s comments or shouting or pouting or anything, nothing. You will go on serving. Anybody criticizes, anybody. Not only these things, anybody wants to kill us, let them kill us no problem. We won’t give up serving Swamiji and Babaji. It’s your choice. Like that, we served. When people threatened that our lives can be in danger; telephones used to come, no problem, we are happy. So we came for this purpose. Swamiji also said “Where will you go?  You will be reborn and you will come back to me again. Don’t worry.” As simple as it is.

So, like this finally, we have to exercise our choice. Everybody in the world exercise their choice. It is their own mistake or the right decision. They have to be purified in the mind, then they’ll be able to take the right decision. Here, right decision means what is the criteria? You gain the highest, top, maximum! You have a good opportunity. If you take a decision, you can become the owner of the supermarket. And you have the opportunity, but you get attracted to a chocolate and you take a decision to go for the chocolate, not bother about the supermarket. Choice! So that is the decision. So this decision comes when you have the purified mind. Your mind is able to apply proper wisdom and make proper judgments and choose the right thing. At the right age we chose to go to Swamiji. Today people are honoring us as a yogi. It is the grace of the Master we chose, then that was it there. Choice.

End of Questions and Answers

Babaji Maharaj now concludes the session.

   May you all be blessed by Swamiji to get proper inspiration in the world to take right decisions and gain the maximum. Short time is there, a very short time life is. Today is there, tomorrow it may not be there.

End of Session