Fwd: General- SARANAGATHI

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SAI RAM Dear Brothers and sisters,

With Namaskarams at the Lotus feet of Bhagawan Baba I wish to share some of my thoughts on surrender to the Divine. Our preceptors have shown to us that in Spirituality more than strenuous efforts like Tapas, fasting etc. etc., unconditional surrender at the feet of the Lord(ATMASAMARPANAM) is the most important path. The extraordinary feature of this act of surrender is that it is not bound by any eligibility criteria such as gender, scholarship, birth status etc. of the individual. Nor are there any special injunctions to be followed when one surrenders except implicit faith in God and acceptance of one`s utter helplessness. When Draupadi sought Krishna`s feet it was the exigency of utter helplessness and the unflinching faith in the protective power of Lord Krishna that made her plea effective. Did not the Lord come to save the elephant-king Gajendra post haste? In all such instances the efficacy of Saranagathi is determined only by the degree of

sincerity.

The following are considered as the essence of Surrender by the Vaisnavites:-

1.Anukulasya Sankalpa meaning accepting those things that are favourable

for devotion to God.

2Pratikulasya varjanam, that is, rejecting those things that are averse to surrendering to God

3.Rakshishyatiti viswasah- considering God to be one`s protector in all circumstances.

4.Goptrutve varanam,that is, accepting God as one`s supporter.

5.Atmanikshepa-Surrendering everything in God`s service and

6. Karpanya meaning cultivating an humble attitude.

In fact, Saranagati forms the basis of devotion to the Lord in the Bhakti traditions founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramanuja. In the Svetasvatara Upanishad there is a mantra ending with the words ,"Mumukshur vai Saranamaham prapadye". The Lord has asserted in the Bhagawad Geeta that He would come to the succour of man only if he suurenders to him with faith(Sarva Dharman Parithyajya mamekam saranam Vraja Aham twam sarva papebyah mokshayishyami ma suchah). Rama`s acceptance of Rakshasa Vibeeshana`s surrender is an oft-quoted instance to instil the hope that the Lord would certainly accept our Saranagathi. Before concluding let me try to recapitualate another verse in the Bhagawad Geeta in which the Lord says," My Divine power(Maya) constituted of the three gunas is difficult to overcome. Whoever takes refuge in Me alone, in utter devotion, overcomes it.(..... Mameva ye prapadyante maayaam etam taranti te)".

With Loving SAI RAMS,

G.Balasubramanian

diana braèiæ <dina17012003 > wrote:

diana "braèiæ" <dina17012003 >

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 08:07:55 -0700 (PDT)

Re: [sBOI-post] General

 

IF YOU COMPLETELY SURRENDER TO SWAMI'S WILL,

HE WILL TAKE THE ENTIRE RESPONSIBILITY OF LOOKING AFTER YOU.

LAKSHMANA IS A SUPREME EXEMPLAR OF THE

DOCTRINE OF SHARANAGATHI (SURRENDER ).

"O RAMA I OFFER MY WEALTH ,MY FAMILY AND

EVERYTHING TO YOU , PROTECT ME."

IT WAS THIS TOTAL SURRENDER .

WHEN A PERSON HAS A FULLY SURRENDERED TO GOD ,

BABA ACTS IN THE MODE OF DIVINE MOTHER, CARING

FOR AND GUARDING THE DEVOTEE, DOING MORE FOR

THE DEVOTEE THAN THE DEVOTEE COULD EVER IMAGINE.

BUT IF A PERSON CHOOSES TO FOLLOW EGO AND DESIRE,

THEN SUCH A PERSON IS LEFT TO WORK OUT HIS OR HER DESTINY.

With Love

Diana

 

ravikumar pammi <ravishamili > wrote:

Dear Sai Brothers and Sister,

I LOVE SWAMY. HE IS THE ALL IN ALL FOR ME. HE IS THE

KING OF GOD. I HAVE DONE SOME GOOD THING IN THE PAST,

THAT IS WHY I AM BORN IN A FAMILY WHICH HAS DEVOTION

TO SWAMY.

I MUST HAVE DONE SOME BAD THING FOR WHICH I AM

SUFFERING FOR THE PAST 13 MONTHS. I HAVE NO PEACE OF

MIND.IN FACT SWAMY HAS APPEARED IN MY DREAMS AND SAID

HE TAKE CARE. BUT INSPITE OF THIS I HAVE NO PEACE OF

MINE. WHEN I GO AND SEE SWAMY WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE

TEARS GETS COLLECTED IN MY EYES.

I DONOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. MY ONLY SOLUTION IS TO TALK

WITH GOD.

I AM TRYING. RECENTLY SWAMY LOOKED AT ME AND STARED.

KINDLY GIVE YOUR THOUGHTS.

 

WITH LOVE,

SAI RAM

P.S.RAVIKUMAR