How can we cultivate the disposition of surrender?
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Transcript
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Any other questions? So, if all the elements surrender, how do we understand the disposition and how we can develop that? So, we see these four are more like dispositions or moods. And they are something which grow over time. Just like sattva guna, we can make Vishwanath Chaturthi Thakur in his Uddhav Gita commentary state that by consciously choosing activities in a particular mode, we can nourish that mode within us.
So, for example, we may not do goodness we don’t feel like waking up in the morning. But just by waking up in the morning, by doing activity in a particular mode, gradually that mood develops. Similarly, we may not feel dependence on Krishna right now.
But still, by acting as if we are dependent on Krishna, what would that mean? That means, before we do any major service, we take the blessings of Krishna, pray to him, we check on the Mahapuru, we check on the ghost, he takes blessings from everyone. He takes blessings even from Sarvabhupattacharya, who we could say from ISKCON language, I made you a devotee. Had he made me his devotee, Sarvabhupattacharya was a two-month-old devotee.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is asking blessings even from him. So, seeking blessings offering prayers before we do any particular activity, this is dependence. And with each of these activities, we can look at, even in the devotee community, there are some devotees who have more of certain devotional dispositions.
We associate with them. We study scripture. We see this in Markine Bharbhata Dharma, the song that Shankar Prabhupada composed when he was in Janata.
He ruled in the Boston Empire. We see Prabhupada’s utter mood of dependence. He is saying, Krishna, I don’t know why you have brought me here.
Now, actually, if you look at the chapters of Ilan, before that, Prabhupada had worked very hard to come there. And Prabhupada had put in a huge amount of efforts. Prabhupada is saying, Krishna, you have brought me here.
And for whatever purpose you have brought me here, now make me dance. Make me dance. So, especially question of songs.
Meditating on them is a very powerful way of evoking the devotional disposition within us. So, Atma Nivedan Tu Aapade, a song by Makaranda Thakur. Very beautiful song.
He says, my dear lord, I surrender to you. He says, Purva itrihas bhuliyu sakad. He says, all my past history, I just forget it.
And, I drink from the nectar of your lotus feet. Ami to tomar, tumi to amar, kikaj apar dhame. He says, my dear lord, I am yours, you are mine.
I don’t need, I don’t need anything else, my lord. So, especially the Vaishnava songs, where the Vaishnavas, even Bhaktivinoda Thakur has his analytical books. Prabhupada’s purports are also very analytical.
They guide our decisions towards the Siddhantic conclusions. But the Vaishnava songs, they directly address our heart. And meditating on the Vaishnava songs, Bhaktivinoda Thakur is and his book Sharnadati, he has written songs about each of the elements of surrender.
So, reading that, reading those songs and contemplating those songs, reciting those songs, they are a very powerful way of internalizing the disposition of surrender. Does that answer your question? Thank you. I like this.
Shatrughna Padukhi I bow to you, my lord. I bow to you, my lord. Shatrughna Padukhi Shatrughna Padukhi