In this post we are continuing our series on sharanagati with an excerpt from the upcoming release Amnaya Tattva in which Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj explains the foundation of surrender and devotion to the Lord.
Devotee: What is the starting point of sharanagati?
Srila Govinda Maharaj: Sharanagati, surrender, starts from the point of shraddha, faith. The mood of perfect surrender will come to us through shraddha.
‘śraddhā’-śabde—viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niśchaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya
(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: Madhya-lila, 22.62)
“Shraddha means confident, firm faith that everything will be fulfilled, and everything impossible will become possible, through the service of Krishna.”
What is what, who is who—everything—is determined by our faith. Faith is the basis of all religions, not only the Vaishnava religion, because faith is the jiva-souls’ true and best property. Faith is always the friend of everyone and if we have faith in Krishna consciousness we will be able to adjust everything.
sakala chhāḍiyā bhāi, śraddhā-devīra guṇa gāi,
yā̐ra kṛpā bhakti dite pāre
(Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)
“So giving up everything, sing the glories of Shraddha Devi, faith, by whose mercy we can feel the presence of bhakti, devotion, in our hearts.”
Faith is our main property; we should never lose our faith. And our faith must also grow, it must become stronger and stronger until it reaches an unshakable position. Our faith must be transcendental, sincere and chaste. You cannot throw a rocket from anywhere, you must have a substantial foundation. When your faith becomes firm and unshakable and you understand the fundamental position of surrender and devotion to Krishna then you will be worry-free and sharanagati, your mood of surrender, will protect you. You will have an unshakeable launching pad and from there you will be able throw your rocket across the illusory environment to Goloka Vrindavan.
The spiritual world exists entirely within the plane of faith, and anyone whose faith is very strong will get that highest property when his faith takes on a transcendental form and is successfully activated in his heart. Everything will be revealed to him.