How to Measure Your Surrender to God? Swami Mukundananda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs *Main Points* 1. God has blessed us with free will—the power to choose; how we use it is crucial in life 2. Just as energy from a powerhouse is at our disposal, we choose how to apply our senses and actions via free will 3. To measure surrender, first grasp its true meaning, then compare yourself against that ideal 4. Surrender means aligning desires with the guru’s wishes, trusting God’s protection, expressing gratitude, living egolessly, and seeing all as belonging to Him, as defined in scriptures 5. The essence: Aanukulyasya Sankalpaha—desiring in step with the guru’s will is the sign of genuine surrender 6. If your desires stray or you feel upset when not aligned with the guru, it signals a lack of surrender 7. True surrender brings freedom from fear; faith in God’s protection means becoming fearless 8. Introspection is vital; self-assessment of surrender is ongoing—everyone is a work in progress 9. Noticing your gaps fosters humility and motivates change; let the pain of separation from the ideal inspire action 10. A devotee should pray for actions to match knowledge, turning sincere yearning into continuous spiritual practice
1 We have a free will, God has given us the ability to choose, how do we use that free will is the critical thing in all of creation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=0 2 Like we have been discussing in the lectures that the powerhouse has given you the energy now, what you do with it is your free will. In the same way God has given us the ability to see, hear, think - what we are doing with it ? It is our free will. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=19 3 So your question is that when we are not yet surrendered, how can we assess where we are ? First of all understand what it means to surrender and then measure yourself against that ideal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=39 4 So you may have heard surrender means to align my desires in accordance with the desires of the guru, not to desire against the desire of the guru, to have faith that God is protecting me, to feel gratitude, to think all I have belongs to Him, and to be free of the ego, so this is how the scriptures have defined the state of the surrender. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=60 5 Now you measure and if you want to put it all in one, the first of these six points is in itself complete, Aanukulyasya Sankalpaha, to desire in accordance with the desire of the guru, so if this is our mental state what do I want - whatever my guru wants, that means we are surrendered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=96 6 To the extent it is not there as yet, guruji wants this but I want this, or to feel upset, to have mood off, all these things are indicative of lack of surrender. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=124 7 The third point of surrender is to have faith that God is protecting me. What is the sign ? Sign is that you are free from fear, if you are surrendered, you have no fear, if you have fear, you are not surrendered, the two don't go together, so check yourself, do i have fear or have I become fearless ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=146 8 These all require introspection, the ability to read ourselves very carefully, so it is all a work in progress, wip, we are all works in progress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=178 9 To see our deficiencies is good, it makes us humble and makes us realize that the goal is far but becoming aware of that we should not become dejected, we should then make this gap as intolerable to us I know this is where I should be and this is where I am, the next thing is this gap is not tolerable to me "O my divine beloved, this life without Your love is worse than death", which means now we are inspired & hence I will do my best to be as i know how i should be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=196 10 Somebody said, o Lord, please make my actions in line with my knowledge, what a beautiful prayer, we have the knowledge, this is how i should be. The devotee says, Lord, make my actions in line with that So to want to be the best that we know we are supposed to be, is the goal, the yearning of our sadhana, our spiritual practice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DTznpliHs&t=251
Standby link (in case youtube link does not work) How to Measure Your Surrender to God Swami Mukundananda.mp4
