Along with Self-enquiry, the other great weapon in Bhagavan's arsenal to destroy the demon of egotism is Self-surrender. Surrender is recognized by all the higher religions, and in the West there is abundant material in the writings of Christian mystics and saints, such as Meister Eckhart, Fr de Caussade and St John of the Cross. In Islam there are the writings of the Sufi poet, Rumi, and in Judaism the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov and other Hassidic Masters.
The Buddhist canon recognizes surrender to the inner divinity of the Buddha nature within all beings. India abounds with poets, mystics and saints who teach the bhakti path of Self-surrender, the most celebrated in recent times being Paramahamsa Ramakrishna of Bengal. Southern Saivism and the Tamil saints beloved of Bhagavan have given us many poetic outpourings on this same path, as do the devotees of Lord Krishna and the modern sage, Sri Aurobindo.
Bhagavan's surrender is at root indistinguishable from Self-enquiry. It is not a passive quietism but an active and dynamic adventure based on an understanding of the full meaning of ‘surrender’ – the ending of one's notion of doership. We learn through trial and error and in perfect faith, to welcome wholeheartedly each and every event that unfolds as his Grace, whether our self-will likes or can comprehend it or not.
The deeper we dive into the Heart by whatever means, the more intuitively we recognize that nothing we think we are 'doing' can in any way be separate from the flow of the universe as a whole. Only by saying YES and affirming the totality of a situation as brought about by divine love for our ultimate realization, can we live in joy and harmony with the divine Will; seeing likewise the limitation of our local perspective.
‘Thou art all and thy Will be done.’ This attitude transports us from our partial surrender to a total and unconditional surrender through Bhagavan's Grace. Only a mind that is rendered strong, alert and clear, through observation and love, is truly able to relinquish its illusory powers. Our surrender therefore must eventually lead unconditionally to loving God with allow' heart, soul and might, for the sake of what is, alone – not for the sake of ‘our’ salvation.