Six Symptoms

of Surrender

Acceptance of those things favorable to devotional service

The devotee has to accept everything

that is favorable for the service to the

Lord.

Prasadam

Offer foodto

God [Krishna]beforeeating

yourself

Nama-Japa

PerformMantra

Meditation(japa)DAILY

Satsanga

Haveassociation

ofspiritually

mindedpeople

Adhyayan

Undertakestudy of

ScripturesDAILY

Things favorable for Krishna consciousness

On one side a person should cultivate

Krishna consciousness, and on the other he should try to give up all his bad

habits. Both sides must be there if he wants to

advance.

Srila Prabhupada explains …

Just like, when a person is diseased the

doctor prescribes some medicine, and at

the same time he instructs the patient in what to eat and what not to eat. That is the

proper way of treatment.

It is not that the patient can eat

whatever he likes and if he simply

takes the medicine he will

be cured.

Similarly, it is nonsense to think that you

can do whatever you like and if

you simply chant Hare Krishna you

will become spiritually

advanced.

We have to practice tapasya

by voluntarily accepting a little inconvenience, in

which we voluntarily give up things we may like and accept things we may not like.

Rejection of unfavorable things

Non - Veg. Intoxication Gambling Illicit Sex

Meat

Eggs

Sea Food

Fish

Extramarital Sex

Vulgar talks

Obscene Films

Alcohol

Paan/Masala

Tobacco

Drugs

Tea/Coffee

Horse Race

Lotteries

Casino

Stock MarketSpeculation

Quick BuckBusiness

Things unfavorable for Krishna consciousness

A devotee must reject everything

unfavorable to spiritual progress.

This is also called

renunciation.

Interviewer: Srila

Prabhupada, what does it

mean practically to surrender unto

Krishna?

Prabhupäda Yes. Surrender to

Krishna means you have to

accept things which is favorable

for Krishnaconsciousness.

Just like we restrict our students, no

illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-

eating, no intoxication. If you surrender to this process, that is

surrender to Krishna. Is it clear?

Just like a diseased patient, if he wants to enjoy life in

his own whimsical way, he’ll continue his disease. But if

he accepts the modes of life according to the directions of the physician, then he

becomes free from disease.

Conviction that Krishna will give protection

A devotee must be firmly convinced that

Krishna will give him

protection. No one else can actually give

one protection.

When Prahlada Maharaja offered prayers to

Narasimhadeva, he said :

“My dear Lord, one should not think that because a child has a

father and mother he has full protection.”

“If Krishna did not protect a child, the child can not be protected, even if he were to have thousands of fathers

and mothers.

“It is not that a good physician or good medicine can protect one from

disease.”

Suppose a rich man is suffering from some disease and he hires a first-class

physician and takes first-class medicine. Does it mean that his life is guaranteed?

Despite good medical treatment and a good supply of medicine

he may die.

No !

Srila Prabhupada explains …

There may be many expert physicians

treating a diseased man, but that is no

guarantee that he will live. If Krishna so wills, a person will die despite

the best physicians and medicines.

On the other hand, if Krishna is protecting us, we will survive even without medical

treatment.

Prahalada continues …

“One may have a good ship, but this does not guarantee that he will not

drown in the ocean”.

TITANIC

“If You do not protect it may drown at any

moment ”.

Srila Prabhupada explains …

Nature offers so many difficulties,

and although scientists may try

to invent something to check these

difficulties in the struggle for existence…

…unless Krishna gives one

protection one’s inventions will be

of no use.

…unless Krishna gives one

protection one’s inventions will be

of no use.

Acceptance of the Lord as one’s guardian or master

Feel exclusively dependent on the mercy of the Lord

The devotee must accept Krishna as

his supreme maintainer and

master. He must depend on Krishna only, considering

Him the only protector.

The devotee must be firmly convinced

that within the three worlds he

has no protector or maintainer other

than Krishna.

When one is fully surrendered to

Krishna, he becomes happy,

knowing that regardless of the situation, Krishna will protect him.

He is just like a child who is fully surrendered to his mother, confident that, she is there to

protect him.

Full self-surrender Have no interest separate from the interest

of the Lord

Self surrender means

remembering that one’s

activities and desires are not independent.

The devotee is completely

dependent on Krishna, and he

acts and thinks as Krishna desires.

The Supreme Personality of

Godhead said: O Pärtha, when a man gives up all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental

concoction

and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure

transcendental consciousness.

A paramahamsa has no program for sense

gratification; he is interested only in satisfying the senses

of the Lord.

A paramahamsa has no program for sense

gratification; he is interested only in satisfying the senses

of the Lord.

Always feel oneself meek and humble

tåëäd api su-nécenataror iva sahiñëunä

amäninä mäna-denakértanéyaù sadä

hariù

“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who

is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not

expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant

the holy name of the Lord.”

“Unless one is meek and humble, to

make progress in

spiritual life is very difficult”.

SB 7.9.8

Although a Vaishnava may act powerfully

against the demons for Lord Krishna’s sake—as did Arjuna, Hanumän and

many other great devotees—a Vaishnava becomes very meek and humble in regard to his

own reputation. SB 11.18.31

A Vaishnava should never disturb any other living entity

with his body, mind or words. He should always be tolerant and never belittle

others.

One should be very meek and humble in his personal transactions, and if insulted a

Vaishnava should be tolerant and not angry.

But if there is blasphemy against one’s guru or another Vaishnava, one should be as angry as

fire. This was exhibited by Lord Caitanya.

Romaharshana Suta was very learned and had been given the

chance to become a brahmana, he had not become gentle. From this we can understand that when one

is puffed up by material acquisitions, he cannot acquire the

gentle behavior befitting a brahmana.

The learning of such a person is as good as a valuable jewel

decorating the hood of a serpent.

REF. KB 78: The Killing of Dantavakra, Vidüratha and

Romaharñaëa

If a person does not become meek and

humble, all his studies of the Vedas and Puranas

and his vast knowledge in the shastras are simply outward dress, like the costume of a theatrical artist dancing on the

stage.KB 78: The Killing of

Dantavakra, Vidüratha and Romaharñaëa

God is unconquerable & He cannot be understood by your puffed-up mentality that “I can know Him.”

No.

God can be known by the meek and humble who is submissive and who takes the

shelter of a God-realized person and tries to hear

from him.

God can be understood by one who thinks himself

as very humble, meek. That is also said in the Bible, that one has to

become meek and humble. Then he can understand.

And that is also Krishna

demanding, that “First surrender. Become humble and meek.” This

is the verdict of all Vedic shastras.