Vedanta Society of New York--Surrender---the fourth and the final watchword of Vedanta

--Matthew, 6:36


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"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye shall need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew, 6:31-34)

Sri Ramakrishna taught the same truth: "A holy man cannot lay things up. Birds and wandering monks do not make provision for the morrow".... But his householder disciples also were expected to practice renunciation and self-surrender. He told them to fulfil their duties in the spirit of non-attachment the way a nursemaid affectionately and continuously takes care of her master's son but knows that he does not belong to her.... When an individual reaches such a state of complete self-surrender to divine providence, God guides his every step. The avatars testify to this truth, Christ promises that the heavenly Father will take care of the needs of His devotee.... to worship God in order to obtain fulfillment of material desires is to use Him as the means for a worldly end. It is a degeneration of religion. What is added unto the man who depends entirely on God? Spiritual benefits: purity, divine love, and eternal joy.
--The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta, by Swami Prabhavananda, pp. 108-110

"But if a man will worship me, and meditate upon me with an undistracted mind, devoting every moment to me, I shall supply all his needs, and protect all his possessions from loss." ( The Bhagavad-Gita, IX-22) --The Song of God, p. 83

"Mentally resign all your action to me. Regard me as your dearest loved one. Know me to be your only refuge. Be united always in heart and consciousness with me.
United with me, you shall overcome all difficulties by my grace.... Lay down all your duties in me, your refuge. Fear no longer, for I will save you from sin and bondage." (The Bhagavad-Gita, XVIII-57,58,66) --Ibid., p. 128-129

"Fill your heart and mind with me, adore me, make all your acts an offering to me, bow down to me in self-surrender. If you set your heart upon me thus, and take me your ideal above all others, you will come to my being." (The Bhagavad-Gita, IX-34) --Ibid., p. 85

"But if you are intoxicated with the Knowledge of God, then you have no more duties to perform. Then God Himself will think about your morrow if you yourself cannot do so. God Himself will think about your family if you are intoxicated with Him." --The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 628

"Have faith. Depend on God. Then you will not have to do anything yourself. Mother Kali will do everything for you." --Ibid., p. 719

"You no doubt need money for your worldly life; but don't worry too much about it. The wise course is to accept what comes of its own accord. Don't take too much trouble to save money. Those who surrender their hearts and souls to God, those who are devoted to Him and have taken refuge in Him, do not worry much about money. As they earn, so they spend. The money comes in one way and goes out the other. This is what Gita describes as 'accepting what comes of its own accord." --Ibid., p. 506

"....do you know the attitude of one who has realized God? He feels: 'I am the machine, and Thou, O lord, art the Operator. I am the house and Thou art the Indweller. I am the chariot and Thou art the Driver. I move as Thou movest me; I speak as Thou makest me speak." --Ibid, p. 211

"Why do you fear? Surrender yourself to the Master and always remember that He is behind you... whose work are you doing? It is His work only." --The Gospel of the Holy Mother, p. 305

"Be content with wherever and in whatever situation He places you. The goal is to call upon Him and to attain to Him. If you call upon Him, He will lead you by the hand. You will have no fear if you can depend upon Him." --Ibid., p. 193

"Please do not worry so much my child. Let the will of the God be done. You have been following the right path. The Lord will never put you to any difficulty. " --Ibid., p. 46

"Why are you restless, my child? Why don't you stick on what you have? Always remember 'I have at least a Mother, if none else'." --Ibid., p. 55

"'Live alone, walk alone'. All friendship, all love is only limitation.... One cannot serve the God of Truth who leans upon somebody. Be still my soul! Be alone! and the Lord is with you. Life is nothing! Death is a delusion! All this is not, God alone is! Fear not my soul! Be alone." --The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. V, p. 72

"Day by day I am feeling that the Lord is with me and I am trying to follow His direction. His will be done.... We will do great things for the world and that for the sake of doing good and not for name and fame." --Ibid., p. 23

"Our best work is done, our greatest influence is exerted, when we are without thought of self.... Let us open ourselves to the one Divine Actor, and let Him act, and do nothing ourselves.... Be perfectly resigned, perfectly unconcerned; then alone can you do any true work.... Put out self, loose it, forget it; just let God work, it is His business. We have nothing to do but stand aside and let God work. The more we go away, the more God Comes in. Get rid of the little "I", and let only the great "I" live.... Desire nothing; think of God and look for no return. It is the desireless who bring results." --Ibid., Vol. VII, p. 23

"So, work hard; perform all duties; develop yourself; then come and surrender to the highest. Do a whole day's honest work, then sit and meditate; then resign yourself to God. Otherwise, that meditation has no meaning or value. Meditation at the end of a lazy day has no meaning; but the same at the end of an active day, filled with good deeds, has meaning, and is rewarding." --Eternal Values for a Changing Society, by Swami Ranganathananda, Vol. I, p. 379

"Gain physical strength and mental strength; develop your talents and capacities and work efficiency; gain self confidence; practise self reliance; and earn knowledge and wealth by hard honest labour; and share your wealth and happiness with others and earn their goodwill and appreciation. All these is part and parcel of the spiritual training of man in the early stages. Renunciation of wealth, renunciation of this 'I', complete surrender to God, comes later; not at the beginning." --Ibid., p. 371

"...humility is an essential condition for the acquisition of wisdom. It may not be so much necessary for worldly wisdom, but even there it is necessary to a certain extent. But when you come to spiritual knowledge, it is absolutely necessary; the little ego has to go. Arjuna's humility was born of strength, and so his humility is true humility. Such occasions do come to all, when he or she feels the stress and strain of circumstances and the whole personality bows down and asks, in a mood of supplication, for wisdom.... In the absence of this humility and earnestness, ethical and spiritual quests lose their fruit bearing power." --Ibid., p. 95

"Give me the strength

lightly to bear my joys and sorrows;

Give me the strength

to make my love fruitful in service.

Give me the strength never to disown the poor

or bend my knees before insolent might;

Give me the strength

to raise my mind high above daily trifles.

And give me the strength

to surrender my strength to Thy will with love."
(From Geetanjali, by Rabindranath Tagore)

--Ibid. pp. 384-385