For the one who considers himself great, Nishkulanand Swami says that even Bhagwan will not be able to help him improve his virtues.
Shreeji Maharaj has said that “Even if you are a devotee as good as Sri Radhikaji, even if you are living in the divine abode of Bhagwan and is not expected to fall from there, if you feel great about your own qualities, at that very moment you will fall from your position.”
Why did Maharaj mention Sri Radhikaji here?
When Radhikaji got the thought of “I am important,” the first negative reaction of it was on Sri Krishna.
She then questioned Sri Krishna, “While I am here, how can You do that work without first consulting me?”
Thus she fought with Sri Krishna and stopped all her seva for Krishna.
However great qualities we have, if we think “I am useful to Maharaj, or a saint, and because of me that particular work is accomplished,” Nishkulanand Swami says that, with such a thought, whatever works we have done for Maharaj, or a saint, becomes useless.
Submission is the essence of surrender
Once we believe “I am special” (in any situation or in any state) then we are bound to suffer at that very moment. The maya that entered us will take away saintly virtues and take us away from the path of spiritual practices. Whatever efforts we have put so far to attain Bhagwan will all become useless.
Then all the fake saints will become our friends, and we will dislike devotees of Bhagwan and become allergic toward them.
Nishkulanand Swami says that “All the efforts and virtues of such a fool is taken over by fake saints for their own benefit.” All good virtues of Karna, for example, were taken away by Duryodhan for his own advantage; Deenanath Bhatt was taken away by Nirvikalpanand for his own advantage.
What is called Saranagati (Surrender to Bhagwan)?
ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ
prātikūlyasya varjanam
rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso
goptṛtve varaṇaṁ tathā
ātma-nikṣepa-kārpaṇye
ṣaḍ-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ
[Hari Bhakti Vilasa (11.417) / CC Madhya 22.100]Definition: The six steps of surrender to Bhagwan are: Accept only those things that are favorable to Him, reject those things that are unfavorable to Him, believe in the protection of Him, accept Him as the only guardian or master, surrender completely to Him, and then be humble.”
It means that “I will do only those actions that are favorable to Him. I will never do any activity that is not favorable to Him. He is my only protector. I surrender myself and all my possessions to Him. And then, if He accepts me, I will be blessed; if He doesn’t accept me, then I will not be blessed.”
If we feel we are useful to Bhagwan or that we are important, then there is no saranagati. If we did everything, submitted all our possessions, and are living like a servant, yet if we get the thought that we did something good, then there is no surrender.
Doing everything is not surrender. After doing everything, being insignificant before Bhagwan is the essence of surrender.
References:
- Chosathpadi Katha Part 24 (Pad 29-32).
- ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ – CC Madhya 22.100 (vedabase.io)