Self-surrender
to God
THE WAY TO SUPREME PEACE
All are in search of peace, but they are searching for it in the
objects of the senses. There is no abiding peace in sense pleasures.
There is only momentary pleasure with a lot of struggle and peacelessness
in this world. It is like jumping into the fire with the desire
to enjoy coolness. How can you enjoy coolness in fire? Most people
struggle in this world to become materially wealthy, thinking
that will bring peace. All of them experience later that along
with the growth of wealth, their anxieties have also grown and
peace is gone.
In all worldly things man sees the shadow of peace which he mistakes to be reality. How could there be permanent peace in things that are impermanent? In the following stanzas of the Bhagavad Gita, the blessed Lord Sri Krishna teaches to Arjuna, his disciple, the three kinds of happiness.
"Now hear from Me, 0 chief among Bharatas, of the three kinds of happiness. That peace or happiness is called sattvic or tranquil, which is born of the placidity of mind as a result of Self-realization. It appears like poison in the beginning when you try to discipline your mind and senses, but tastes as nectar in the end. That joy is really sattvic which bestows divine enjoyment while practicing worship and meditation whereby one transcends all sorrow. (Gita XVIII:36, 37)
"That peace or happiness is called rajasic which is derived from the contact of senses with their objects. It appears like nectar while enjoying and turns into poison at the end." (Gita XVIII:38)
Now in the following stanza, tamasic happiness is described:
"That peace or happiness is known as tamasic which deadens the soul both in the beginning and in the end, and which is derived from too much sleep, indolence and carelessness." (Gita XVIII:39)
Among these three kinds of peace or happiness,
sattvic peace is the highest. But even this peace comes through
one of the three
gunas,
and therefore we are warned by the Lord not to get attached even
to sattvic peace, but with the help of that peace, we have to
transcend it. In other words we have to transcend not only the
bad, but eventually both good and bad. Both are chains. Bad is
like the iron chain and good is like the golden chain. Freedom
and the peace that passeth all understanding lies in transcending
both of them.
The following stanzas made this point very clear:
"Sattva, rajas and tamas--these three nature-born qualities firmly tie the immortal soul to the mortal body, 0 valiant Arjuna. (Gita XIV:5)
"Of these, sattva is pure, enlightening and flawless; but it binds due to a tranquil ego that comes through self-identification with happiness and wisdom, 0 Arjuna. (Gita XIV:6)
"Again, now rajas is passion. It is born of the thirst for sense enjoyments and emotional attachment. It binds the soul through attachment to actions and their fruits, 0 Son of Kunti. (Gita XIV:7)
"And know that tamas is stupor; it deludes all embodied beings; it is born of ignorance. It binds the soul through error, sloth, and sleep, Arjuna." (Gita XIV:8)
Thus, Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna that sattvic peace and happiness is noble; but he warn that one should not develop the ego through thinking, "I am pure; I am holy; I am practicing meditation; all the rest of the world is in sin." This kind of thought is dangerous in spiritual life. Therefore one should know that to transcend the three gunas is the ultimate goal to reach the realm of freedom and the peace that passeth all understanding!
God is the abode of supreme peace. By worshipping Him and meditating on Him, His devotees enjoy that supreme peace. It is His supreme peace that is the goal of all sadhana or spiritual discipline. When this peace settles in the soul forever, that is the highest state of consciousness. That is the kingdom of heaven within.
This peace is attained through exclusive devotion (bhakti yoga) to God; or through selfless service (karma yoga); or through the knowledge of true Self (jnana yoga). In short, when truth is realized through any spiritual discipline, this peace is attained. The Bhagavad Gita makes it clear that without sincere practice of spiritual disciplines, this peace cannot be attained. The following stanzas make this point clear:
"An immoral man cannot have a steady mind. Without a steady mind devotion to God is impossible. A faithless man can have no peace; and how can there be happiness for a peaceless man? (Gita II:66)
"He who has controlled his senses, is devoted to spiritual practice, and is full of faith, attains the light of knowledge; having gained knowledge, he immediately attains supreme peace. (Gita IV:39)
"One who works with a selfish motive remains bound, being attached to the fruit of actions; whereas the karma yogi attains the supreme peace by offering the fruit of actions to God. (Gita V:12)
"Even if a miscreant worships Me with single-minded devotion, he could be considered a saint, for he has rightly resolved. Speedily he becomes a righteous man and gains everlasting peace. Know it for certain, Arjuna, that My devotee never perishes. (Gita IX:30,31)
Thus knowledge, selfless action and devotion are the ways to attain transcendental peace. Again the blessed Lord taught:
"He who renounced all desires and the feeling of 'I' and 'mine' and moves free from attachment, attains peace." (Gita II:71)
Finally, the doctrine of complete surrender is taught:
"Seek refuge in God alone with all your being, Arjuna. Through His grace, you shall obtain supreme peace and the eternal abode of God." (Gita XVIII:62)
Thus, unconditional surrender to God is the definite way to attain the highest shanti or peace.
(Essence of Bhagavad Gita and Bible, p. 139.)