How devotional surrender brings enrichment not resentment

Devotional surrender means that what our Lord speaks, our heart seeks.

The notion of surrender often doesn’t evoke positive images. We may think of it in a martial context where a defeated general reluctantly, even resentfully, accepts defeat because there is no other option. In a more relatable, relational context, we might think of surrender as submitting to the will of a boss or some other authority figure. We do what they want, even if we don’t want to, because we want to please them or at least avoid displeasing them.

This element of being forced—either by external circumstances or by our own constraints—is what often comes to mind when we think of surrender.

However, when the Bhagavad-gita talks about surrender in its concluding section (18.66), it presents a surrender that is nothing like the kind that evokes negative imagery in our minds. That surrender is an expression of uncontaminated and uninhibited love, where we eagerly do what our Lord wants us to do.

The defining feature of devotional surrender is illustrated seven verses later, where Arjuna declares that Krishna’s words have cleared his head and calmed his heart, and he is now ready to do Krishna’s will. Arjuna’s words convey that, for him, surrender is not just about doing the Lord’s will but about putting his heart into it, as his heart is filled with love for the Lord whose love for him has been revealed vividly through the Gita’s narrative.

For us, as we try to surrender, we need to look at surrender beyond its external, physical dimensions—in terms of aligning our actions with the directions of the Lord to whom we are surrendering. While such externals are undoubtedly important, their importance is dwarfed by the essence of surrender: the direction and disposition of our heart.

God is omnipotent. He doesn’t need us to do specific things for him; he can accomplish anything without even lifting a finger, such is his multifarious potency. In calling upon us to surrender and do his will, he wants our actions to be an expression of our heart. He wants us to offer our heart to him through our actions.

When we are surrendered in this spirit, what the Lord speaks, our heart seeks. There is no resentment in such surrender; there is only enrichment and empowerment. Enrichment, because our heart is filled with appreciation for the Lord’s love for us, which is expressed through his desire for us to play a part in his plan. Empowerment, because we know that when God is with us, he can make possible things that would normally be utterly impossible for us.

Summary:

Surrender often evokes negative emotions because we see it as forced by external circumstances. Devotional surrender, however, is an expression of the heart’s love.
Devotional surrender isn’t merely about doing what the Lord asks; it’s about offering our heart to him through our actions.
Material surrender may carry resentment, but devotional surrender fills the heart with divine enrichment and empowerment.

Think it over:

What negative images come to mind when you contemplate surrender?
How is the Gita’s vision of surrender different from our preconceived notions?
How can we surrender with positive emotion instead of negative emotion?

18.73 Arjuna said: My dear Kṛṣṇa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.