Does True Surrender Require Wealth Renunciation?
Question:
In every lecture of every satsang I attend, it is said - “surrender everything to God”, but I need money for food, shelter, education, and other things that will make me and my loved ones' lives a little more comfortable. If I give away all the money, then I’ll be poor. How will I live, let alone be comfortable?
Answer:
Aspirants of unlimited divine bliss have to surrender to God. That is why this is reminded in every lecture in every satsang. This question brings about 2 points which need to be clarified before the question can be answered -
- Who surrenders, Why surrender, and How to surrender?
- What is the extent to which we can become prosperous?
Surrender means willingly accepting the will of God. It is true, financial resources are indispensable to survive in kaliyug. Wealth is needed for the upkeep of the body hence it is essential. Nonetheless, when you surrender everything then God takes care of everything and you don't need to care for anything.
So let us discuss each topic in briefHow do I surrender everything to God when I still need money for food, shelter and other necessities of life?
How to Surrender
In brief, the mind (मन) has to surrender to God and Guru. It has to be surrendered since God takes full responsibility of the surrendered soul. So, how do we surrender? By doing actions (called karma in scriptural language) that ushers us on the right path.
To get a better understanding of “Who surrenders” and “Why surrender” please review the following 2 articles.
In this article we will dive a little deeper into “how to surrender”. Based on the goal being pursued, humans’ karmas can be classified into four categories – Karmakand, karmayog, karma sanyas and vikarma.
1. Karmakand – When one leads a life that is 100% congruent to the precepts of the Vedas it is called Karmakand. The reward of such karmas is an afterlife full of luxuries in swarg till the time the fruits of those good deeds run-out. After that the individual is hurled down to the lower species of life.
2. Karma yog- Where mind is incessantly engaged in God while performing worldly durites is Karmayog. Since devotion is predominant the recompense of this type of action is God-realization, attainment of divine bliss and liberation.
3. Karma-Sanyas – Observing karma sanyas means staying focused on God alone at all times, and totally ignoring both Vedic rules and material duties. Since only devotion is being done, the result of such actions is also God realization, attainment of divine bliss and liberation.
4. Vikarm – Vikarm means deserting precepts of both the Vedas and not performing Bhakti. The result of performing Vikarma is suffering in narak.
Outcome of both karma and vikarma is karmic bondage therefore it is evident that they are both reprehensible. karmayog and karma sanyas are venerated for they bestow the ultimate aim of life.
Though there are two available options, yet there are some restrictions to follow karma sanyas. It can be followed only by those who
1. Are totally detached from the attractions of the world and
2. do not have any worldly responsibilities.
As you can imagine, such people are far and few in between. For all others karma sanyas is not a feasible option. These are people who are
1. attracted by the allurements of the world or
2. householders who have material responsibilities.
So for such people the only uplifting option left on the table is karmayog.
The Supreme Lord compared the 2 options in Gita : संन्यासः कर्मयोगश्च निःश्रेयसकरवुभौ ।
तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते ॥
गीता 5.2sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaśh cha niḥśhreyasa-karāvubhau
tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt karma-yogo viśhiṣhyate
Gita 5.2
“The path of karm sanyās (renunciation of all worldly duties) and karm yog (performing worldly duties while God remains as the focal point) lead to the aim of life. But karm yog is superior to karm sanyās.” Karma yog suggests to live in the world and perform as many household duties as you can as long as they don't hinder your sadhana. Karma yog means to perpetually feel the presence of God even while performing physical actions in the world.
Take Note: spending a couple of hours in devotion and lusting for worldly things for the rest of time, is not karma yoga. The Bhagwat says –त्रिभुवन विभव हेतवेऽप्यकुंठस्मृतिरजितात्मसुरादिभिर्विमृग्यात् ।
न चलति भगवत्पदारविंदाल्लवनिमिषार्धमपि यः स वैष्णवाग्र्यः ॥
भा 1.2.53
ananyāścintayanto māṃ ye janāḥ paryupāsate ।
teṣāṃ nityābhiyuktānāṃ yogakṣemaṃ vahāmyaham ॥
tribhuvana vibhava hetave'pyakuṃṭhasmṛtirajitātmasurādibhirvimṛgyāt ।
na calati bhagavatpadāraviṃdāllavanimiṣārdhamapi yaḥ sa vaiṣṇavāgryaḥ ॥
bhā
“Despite becoming the sole king of all the Treilokya, a karma yogi must not forget Shri Krishna even for a fraction of a second.”
At our current spiritual state it might feel almost impossible to remember God and simultaneously perform worldly duties. But, it will become easy with practice. We already know how to do this in the world we live in. Consider a mother who has to leave her infant in the hands of a caregiver to go to work. All day she remembers her infant even while working; whenever she gets a chance, she calls the caregiver to know about the well-being of her child. Likewise, driving, cleaning, cooking and so on are actions that require a certain level of concentration. Yet while doing those actions some ancillary thoughts occupy our mind. For example, when cooking for a guest our mind wanders; we might think about the guests choice of food, about a problem at work, or about some person. Instead of thinking about other things, thinking about God is following Karma yog. This will happen by constant practice.
Shri Krishna emphasized on surrendering mind unto Him alone as the exclusive and surest way to attain Him -
मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु |
गीता 9.34
manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī māṃ namaskuru |
Gita 9.34
“Always think of Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me, and offer obeisance to Me”मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे ||गीता 18.65
māmevaiṣyasi satyaṃ te pratijāne priyo'si me ||
Gita 18.65
“This is my pledge to you, for you are very dear to me. ” He said,"Arjun! The only indisputable way to attain Me is to focus your mind unto Me alone, offer your sacrifices to Me and bow down to Me only".
Listening to this advice, Arjun asked the same kind of question, “how can we perform physical duties, while remembering You all the time”. Because –चञ्चलं हि मन: कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद्दृढम् |
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ||
गीता 6.34
cañcalaṃ hi mana: kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavaddṛḍham |
tasyāhaṃ nigrahaṃ manye vāyoriva suduṣkaram ||
Gita 6.34
Arjun asked Krishna, "how can we perform physical duties, while remembering You all the time?"“O Krishna! The mind is very restless, turbulent, strong and obstinate. It appears to me that it is more difficult to control than the wind.”
Lord Krishna answered -
यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् |
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् || 9.27||
गीता 9.27yatkaroṣi yadaśnāsi yajjuhoṣi dadāsi yat |
yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkuruṣva madarpaṇam ||
Gita 9.27
“O son of Kunti! Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever you bestow as a gift, and whatever austerities you perform, do them as an offering to Me. “.
This means continue to perform all your actions as you have done. But along with performing them, make a sincere effort to feel that you are doing everything only for the pleasure of Shri Krishna. For example, when you give food to someone, you feel that Shri Krishna is sitting in his heart and smiling. When you eat, consider it to be His prasad (leftovers from the food He accepted). Likewise, dress up nicely for His pleasure, cook carefully to offer Him and so on. Such a practice will not only grant spiritual benefit but also improve the quality of your work, for now you are now doing it with love and concentration.
Uddhava, friend of Shri Krishna since childhood, challenged Shri Krishna by saying –त्वयोपभुक्त्तसृग्गंघवासोलड्कारचर्चिताः ।
उच्छिष्टभोजिनोदासास्तव मायां जयेमहि ॥
भाग १.६.४६
tvayopabhukttasṛggaṃghavāsolaḍkāracarcitāḥ । ucchiṣṭabhojinodāsāstava māyāṃ jayemahi ॥
bhāga 1.6.46
Uddhava challenged Shri Krishna that by doing these His all-powerful Maya can be conquered"I will wear fragrant garlands, beautiful silken clothes and shiny ornaments worn by you and eat your leftover sumptuous food. I throw a challenge to You that while doing so, I’ll win over Your all-powerful Maya".
The gopis are considered as the emblem of devotees. While performing all their household chores they constantly remembered Shri Krishna and used to shed tears of love for Him.
The Bhagwat describes-
या दोहने वहनने मथनोपलेप प्रेंखेंखनार्भ रुदितो क्षणमार्जनादौ ।
गायन्ति चैनमनुरक्तधियोश्रुकंठ्यो, धन्या ब्रजस्त्रिय उरुक्रम चित्तायानाः ।
भा १०.४४.१५
yā dohane vahanane mathanopalepa preṃkheṃkhanārbha rudito kṣaṇamārjanādau ।
gāyanti cainamanuraktadhiyośrukaṃṭhyo, dhnyā brajstriya urukrama cittāyānāḥ ।
bhāga 10.44.15
"The gopis constantly think about Shri Krishna while performing all household chores; milking the cows, churning yogurt to make butter, cleaning their house, loving their children, etc. While performing their duties around the house, tears of love flowed from their eyes and all the time they kept chanting "His glories". They saw Shri Krishna everywhere and in everything.
Gopis constantly thought of Krishna while performing the household chores.Although this stage cannot be accomplished in a day, yet gradual practice with intense desire would lead to success indeed.
To What Extent Can One Become Prosperous?
One more issue needs to be addressed in this connection.
यद्धात्रा निजभालपट्टलिखितं स्तोकं महद्वा धनम्, तत्प्राप्नोति मरुस्थलेऽपि नितरां, मेरौ ततो नाधिकम्।
तद्धीरो भव वित्तवत्सु कृपणां वृत्तिं वृथा मा कृथाः, कूपे पश्य पयोनिधावपि घटो गृह्णाति तुल्यं धनम्॥भतृहरिyaddhātrā nijabhālapaṭṭalikhitaṃ stokaṃ mahadvā dhanam, tatprāpnoti marusthale'pi nitarāṃ, merau tato nādhikam।
taddhīro bhava vittavatsu kṛpaṇāṃ vṛttiṃ vṛthā mā kṛthāḥ, kūpe paśya payonidhāvapi ghaṭo gṛhṇāti tulyaṃ dhanam॥bhatṛhari
“If you were destined to receive something, then indisputably you would receive it, even if you were not here but in a far-away desert. On the other hand, you would not receive a penny more than what you were destined for, even if you were seated on top of Mt. Sumeru (mountain of gold).
The amount of water you can fill in a pot depends on the size of your pot and not the size of the water source, even if it's an ocean you dip it into.”
To elucidate further, a pot could be dipped in the limitlessness deep ocean, but it will only fetch the amount of water that it’s size permits. The rest of it will flow out. So in the same way one can avail material benefits only according to one’s destiny.
Those people whose mind is completely surrendered, do not need to worry about anything for God takes care of them. Lord Krishna says in Gita –
अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते ।
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥
ananyāścintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate ।
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yogakṣemaṁ vahāmyaham ॥
Gita 9.22“Those who constantly meditate on Me and selflessly serve only Me, I protect what they have (Yog) and give them what they don’t have (chhem)”.
It denotes that if your mind is thoroughly immersed in devotion, God will perform all your duties secretly in your form without anyone knowing about it.
God fulfils duties of surrender souls
For instance, there was a judge in Kanpur during British Raj. Everyday he used to perform his daily devotion to Shri Krishna before going to the court. One day he was so drowned in devotion, he completely lost track of time. Incidentally that happened to be the day the verdict had to be passed on a very important murder case. He came out of his devotional meditation at noon which was way past the court-time. He nervously asked his wife, “why didn’t you remind me of the time of court? I had to reach there at 10.00AM sharp today”. His wife answered, “I thought you didn't want to go to the court today, that is why you didn't get up”.
Somehow, he hurriedly got ready and reached the court thereafter. He asked his clerk, “Sorry, I could not reach on time, what happened to that murder case anyway?” The clerk was stunned, “Sir, what are you talking about? You came here on time.” Saying that the clerk showed his 10 page - decision with his signature. By God’s grace he realized God’s causeless-mercy. Overcome by the graciousness of akaran-karun Shri Krishna, he cried bitterly saying, “O Shyam! For the first time I was so engrossed in your remembrance that I forgot everything. And Bhakt Vatsal Shri Krishna descended to accomplish my (petty) work!!” The incredible graciousness of God removed all his desire to enjoy the worldly allurements. He quit his job and went to Vrindavan where he practiced devotion for the rest of his life.
So, when you practice devotion do not worry about the deprivation of wealth. Increase your love for God and surrender to Him. God will take care of the rest.
अजगर करे न चाकरी पंछी करे न काम ।
दास मलूका कह गये सब के दाता राम ॥
“A python doesn’t toil, birds don’t labor. Saint Maluka says - Yet Lord Ram provides food to all”.
A beautiful conclusion
While currently we are very attracted to money and the comforts that money brings, yet we are unhappy. We want happiness. We have heard that God is happiness and He can be attained by surrendering. So how do we reach from our current position of longing for happiness to the point of surrender to God (शरणागति)? The path for such people is Karm Yog. When we follow the path of Karm Yog then slowly our attachment turns away from material wealth and turns towards God. Then, eventually we surrender to God. After that point God takes care of EVERYTHING for us. God is infinitely capable (सर्व-समर्थ) and all-knowing (सर्वज्ञ). So, when He fulfills our needs then no need remains unfulfilled and one becomes fully contented (पूर्णकाम). In fact, one gets more than what one could have ever imagined, therefore, one doesn't need to do anything else ever again (कृतकृत्य).