!! Shri Swami Samarth Jay Jay Swami Samarth !!
CASE-STUDY #6
Query
A young Indian earning woman, married recently, has posted five different questions. We are considering, only first question. She has some doubts, about, her understanding about meditation.
- Before marriage when I was doing meditation regularly, I was able to surrender completely to the Ultimate Power. After marriage, juggling office work and home was a challenge by itself and so I did not have the peaceful time that is required to meditate regularly. As a result, I think, surrendering completely became a problem after that.
- Let me also explain the concept of complete surrender, the way I understand it. It will help us to understand if I am thinking on the correct lines. In complete surrender, we have complete faith in the Almighty and we do not worry about anything. We go about doing our thing with full faith that the Almighty is with us and that He will never fail us. Also, whatever is good for us, will happen to us. But at the same time, whatever is destined, will happen. The only thing is that the intensity of the bad things to happen to us will be less, due to our own power and the faith that we have in God. So, in short, we rest assured that we have someone to take care of us and that He will never fail us. At the same time, we will not get anything that we are not destined to, just because we want those things.
ANALYSIS
First, understand that meditation is just one of several tools, developed for self-improvement. Major purpose of meditation is to develop capability and habit of performing introspection for 24 hours a day, irrespective of surrounding conditions.
One learns to observe the thought chains, roaming in your mind, from third party perspective. Meditation is a mental exercise. Physical posture is of secondary importance. This capability of observation is very useful throughout the process of developing dormant faculties of your mind.
Mentality or mind-set needs to be revised for establishing knowledge based conduct. Knowledge based conduct results in a sober, helping and pleasing personality.
Consistent knowledge based conduct is the base for further spiritual development. One should knowingly strengthen and broaden the base, in order to achieve sustained, strong, everlasting enhancement of spiritual status. One has to overcome lot of physical and mental hurdles, in process of establishing consistent knowledge based conduct. Theory and practice go hand in hand. Because of practical experience, solid foundation develops.
Never think that I will meditate only when peaceful & disturbance free time is available. It is very difficult to find a peaceful and disturbance free time slot, in your hectic routine. You have to learn & practice performing under adverse surrounding conditions. Consider disturbances as an opportunity to develop capability, and not as a trouble. Choose a fairly disturbance free time slot, which you can consistently abide. Consistently performing the exercise is extremely important. You should not feel disturbed by an unavoidable gap of a day or two. Restart the exercise immediately thereafter. Sit in a comfortable posture, steady. Backbone should be erect. Relax all muscles in that posture. Folded legged, lotus posture is not mandatory. Close your eyes gently. Thereafter try to neglect inputs from sensory organs. Thus, stop paying attention towards your body. State of no attention towards physical body will provide the peace, which you feel necessary for meditation. After you switch off attention towards Physical Body, you will then be able to observe your mind. If any external input disturbs you, take it as a test. Do not get annoyed. Avoid anger and maintain mental balance. A single thought about disturbance will induce several new thought chains, which in turn will trouble you. Hence, no blame game please. Restart again. Ultimately, you should develop habit to observe your mental activity, throughout 24 hours. All 24 hours cannot be free of disturbances. Hence, you have to develop capability to handle disturbances politely. When surrounding personnel are aware of your regularity of meditation, people will surely try to avoid disturbance during that period. This tendency will take time to develop. Be patient. Do not worry, even if it does not develop. This faculty of nonstop introspection would lead further to state of dynamic equilibrium. Physical body is in dynamic state. However, mind is in a state of equilibrium. This state is called SahajSamadhi (सहजसमाधी). Now that you are already accustomed to a certain type of mental exercise, learnt and practiced earlier, continue with the same. Relief from mental pressure, after meditation, indicates that you are on right track.
SURRENDER
Man is convinced that he performs all actions, done by his own body. He is ready to accept ownership of deed and related responsibility. He is confident of performing right actions, under various circumstances. During some serious problem situations, his confidence shakes. He realises his limitations of capability to handle the situation. Gets convinced that with Divine help, he would be able to resolve the problem. At that time, he prays for “Divine Help”. This is partial surrender.
At this state of partial surrender, Divine help is normally not available. After some waiting, when problem aggravates, he loses his confidence, and prays Almighty to resolve the problem situation. He surrenders his control authority to GOD. He is then ready to accept, the resultant situation, willingly. As God’s gift. This is complete surrender.
After complete surrender, Man acts based upon the ideas, which popup in mind, without worry about results. He accepts the resultant situation, willingly. Whatever that is destined, happens. It may or may not match with your wish. However, He is still happy, because of willing acceptance. Man experiences such situations several times, as he leads his real life. A devotee concludes that “God manages situations better way. Better, pray for Divine involvement in each event, throughout life. Better handover all controls to Almighty, and be happy all the time.” He decides and hands over total control of his life flow to Almighty, and mentally engages himself in efforts for achieving merger with Almighty, fulltime. His body keeps on performing activities, based upon the instructions from Almighty, received in form of idea bias, from within. Life enfolds as usual. However, devotee is detached mentally, without getting involved. Devotee considers real-life events as God’s will. This state is ultimate surrender.
Real life events keep on happening one after the other as per the predefined plan called Fate/ destiny. Mentality or perspective of considering each real-life event, changes.
Adhyatma helps gradual, regulated, and controlled revision of mentality. Abrupt change is avoided. It is a slow and steady process. One needs sustained determination and a lot of patience.
Your real identity is Soul (जीवात्मा). Within the control centre of your body system, termed as Hrudayaakash (हृदयआकाश), Parameshwar (परमेश्वर) resides, by the side of Soul. This presence of Parameshwar (परमेश्वर) is called Sadgurutatva (सद्गुरूतत्व).
Ultimate Surrender or handover of controls of all aspects of your entire life, to Sadgurutatva (सद्गुरूतत्व), is an important trick of the trade. Sadguru (सद्गुरू) can work upon your mind, only after getting the full controls. At that juncture, Sadguru (सद्गुरू) accepts devotee as his disciple, and accepts responsibility of disciple’s progress on Divine path, until disciple attains merger with Sadgurutatva (सद्गुरूतत्व), or Parameshwar (परमेश्वर). Sadgurutatva then manages progress of disciple, even if travel span covers multiple births. After ultimate surrender, he never exercises his controls. Surrendered mental conviction becomes a permanent feature of his character throughout his life.
Sant Tukaram Maharaj has explained this state of mind in one of his Abhang (अभंग).
हेचि थोर भक्ती आवडते दे वा । संकल्पावी माया संसाराची ।
ठेविले अनंते तैसेचि रहावे । चित्तीं असोद्यावे समाधान ।
वाहिला उद्वेग दुःखचि केवळ । भोगणेते फळ संचिताचे ।
तुका म्हणे वाहू तयावरी भार । वाहू हा संसार देवा पायीं ॥
Please remember that ultimate surrender, and acceptance by Sadguru (सद्गुरू) as a disciple, is a very important stage on divine path. Further progress is not practicable without acceptance by Sadguru (सद्गुरू). Please note this fact, register. Willingly accept each & every event of life, as it comes across, and face the situation boldly on basis of knowledge idea bias or Antahprerana (अंतःप्रेरणा). Willing acceptance will not disturb mental peace. What you give-up during process of surrender, are feelings of sorrow or frustration, arising out of emotional attachments (आसक्ती). What is left out with you is pure bliss (आनंद). So easy it is, to gain bliss. Sant Tukaram Maharaj therefore surrendered, willingly handover authority along with responsibility to Parameshwar (परमेश्वर). In turn became free and happy. Thereafter, one is not concerned about events of real-life, which are the outcome of past deeds. One does not get involved and emotional. One becomes a silent spectator. A neat and simple way to pass on troubles. Similar policy you conveniently adopt at workplace. You pass on troublesome responsibility to superiors, and troublesome work to subordinates. You are then cool and comfortable. Same way is the devotee.
However, tremendous sustained determination and daring to handover are essential. Surrender appears to be simple but it is a toughest step, to convince your inner-mind. I hope you have now understood meaning of surrender. I pray Shri Swami Samarth to provide you the required willpower for sustained determination, and wish a grand success, to all who decide to tread Divine path, which leads to merger with Almighty.