Life Divine - Surrendering to God the only way to overcome obstacles in Life

We are all common men connected with so many worldly things, attached to and bounded by social, family, economic, and health problems. All the time one or the other issue could be annoying us. Every one of us is struggling to come out of them in the easiest way possible. This has become a life-long game and nobody is an exception to it irrespective of his personal status.

For getting relieved from all these troubles, everyone has his/her own ways, but last of all those options is perhaps a common one that is surrendering the fate to God, the Almighty. This shows how much belief we really have in God. As lip service, we propound that He is the Almighty and a savior, but in the innermost core of our hearts, we have the very least belief in his existence! Isn't it? That is why we resort to him at last when we run out of all other options, considering that if at all He exists let Him help us, otherwise it is just a matter of spending a little more for some puja (prayer), Yajna (rituals), etc. This is the general view of the vast majority of average common people across all religions and societies in this world.

Why we face troubles in life?

But according to our ancient rishis (sages/saints), all the troubles we are facing are because of our own past samskaras (Karmic impressions based on the net cumulative results of our actions) and they get exhausted or used up only by undergoing or spending/enjoying them in the form of pains (like loss of health, wealth, property, near and dear, etc.) or pleasures (like gaining of material wealth, fame, glory, happy relations, etc). And there is no other way or option than this. In these circumstances searching for means to escape from these is a mere waste of time and effort. One may question, that when such is the inevitable case, leaving all other endeavors aside what is the use of worshiping God? And what for He exists? This gives rise to nearly answerless questions at the outset.

By natural human trait of logic and reasoning, we can consider that there shall be a reason for everything that exists even if it is of temporary or permanent nature and existence. But the way of our understanding should be convincing, reasonable, and if possible scientific too. Great people called Mahatmas have meditated on it and they formulated certain approaches for it. The first one that they suggested is to shift your thought from the lower goals/end to the higher goals/end.

At this point, when there are confusion and limitations on your competence to understand such subtle issues, it can be taken for granted that God exists and is great, or another supposition can be made that whatever unknown supreme power you could imagine which is governing this world, can be considered as God and the efforts can be aimed towards THAT.

It generally reduces the pain or suffering because your thought is first diverted from the pain and secondly the current of higher potency flows to lower centers and thereby you will be consoled and your will gets the strength and becomes endured. Now you have become strong enough to bear your troubles/burden on your shoulders well and move on in this world with courage. Those who do not want to agree about the existence of God and so to use the word God may call this supernatural governing power as 'the highest' or with some other terminology they prefer, and arrive at the benefit by shifting their burden on to THAT.

So we need not bother about those people who do not accept the existence of God, because they realize that something is not correct about God, as propagated by many world religions, as a separate entity with super-human behavior sitting in some heaven and who punishes the non-believers and condemns them to Hell while He/She grants the Heaven to all his/her believers.

We the people, who consider themselves to be believers of God or a supernatural governing power, who has got at least a little belief in God should enhance the faith and feel that existence of God so that we may depend on Him more. Dependency on God leads to the increase of our worthiness. We will become deserved beings and our happiness increases in proportion to our dependency on this God/Universal power. It is otherwise called 'Saranaagati' (surrender to God, not due to fear, but with freedom!). After the total surrender, there is nothing left over for us to act.

This surrender does not come into the way of our worldly activities. Here in this condition one performs all the activities as an ordinary man but in the sense of duty to God. For him, everything is his duty whether it is concerned with his family or with other people whatever it may be. In this way, he becomes almost egoless. He becomes an instrument in the hands of God and no difficulty in this world will trouble him. He simply bears the troubles with an idea that it is quite natural and inevitable with utmost patience and tolerance. He feels that everything is going on automatically and naturally according to the will of God and he thinks that his responsibility is to live in tune with nature according to the will of GOD.

This is the real-life of such a nobleman (Arya). He lives in the divine luminance inviting both pains and pleasures as the gifts from the highest accepting them without any preference. By accepting so his troubles will be reduced to the level of his tolerance. In this condition, he thinks that everything is for his betterment only.

For those who are clueless about how this philosophy can be better understood, 'Sahaj Marg' (which means, 'The Natural path of realization' a spiritual organization founded by Sri. RamaChandraji Maharaj of Shajahanpur, UP, India) preaches the same principles and practically prepares man through the process of meditation and self-purifying spiritual practices.

Sri RamaChandraji who is considered as the Master in this system by the adherents had proclaimed that the highest (GOD) works through a special personality. This special personality which is an embodiment of moderation, toleration, and devotion devoid of egoism altogether will come on to the earth according to the will of Almighty and comes when it is needed and when people wait for Him with eager expectation. Surrendering to Him means surrendering to God itself. Sri RamaChandraji is one of such being with a divine nature and so a true Master, a Mahatma (Great noble soul) in the truest sense.

He with the guidance of his own master Lalaji had promised earlier that he would be working even now (after his death) for the uplifting of humanity with the remolded Pathanjali Yoga supported by the transmission of divine effulgence called 'Pranahuti' (Yogic spiritual energy transmission). Pranahuti is a divine force drawn from the source and being introduced into the hearts of aspirants, so that they can surpass the spiritual stages easily and within the shortest period i.e., in a span of one life or a part of life itself. This transmission is a unique thing in Sahaj Marg and is open to each and everyone who adopts this system of Sahaj Marg and takes it up for practice in his/her life. This practice starts with a meditation on the heart with a supposition that there is a divine light there. This leads to concentration (Samadhi) and the result of which is Vairagya and Viveka. Vairagya (renunciation) and Viveka (wisdom) throw light on our path to pass on safely.

Credits: This post has been contributed by Sri. P. Subbarayudu & Sri. B.E. Sampath Kumar of Sri RamaChandraji Maharaj Seva Trust, Kadapa.