(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 18 March 2018, Durban, South Africa, Sunday Feast Lecture)
Comment:
The process of surrender is meant to be dynamic and continuous. To accept favourable things and reject the unfavourable things, however is not an easy process. Even if we know that ultimately Krsna protects us, it is still not easy to surrender in the moment.
Kadamba Kanana Swami:
Let me read that again and start commenting; “The process of surrender is meant to be dynamic and continuous.”
Well, sometimes it appears that the process of surrender is not so dynamic. Sometimes it seems that it is just not moving at all. What to do we do at times like that when spiritual life seems to be a little dry and stale? Well, during such times, the process of surrender means to be faithful. It is not always that the process of surrender is exciting. Sometimes, the process of surrender is just to be dutiful. Sometimes, the process of surrender is to carry on even when we are weak, to never give up; if we ever slip, which we will, we are to start again!
The process of surrender is not always a glamourous story where in shining lights it reads, “Surrender to Krsna!” Not quite. Sometimes the process of surrender appears to be impossible. Sometimes it looks far. However, if it is far, turn around and get close again. Pick up if you fall. Srila Prabhupada would say, “Failure is the pillar of success.” When there is failure, we must stand up. So surrendering means to never stop. Whatever we do, we must not stop! We must carry on, regardless of what is happening is good or bad, glorious or infamous. Whatever we do, we must never give up the association of devotees – never! We must never give up on Srila Prabhupada, never give up devotional service, never stop chanting! When the principles start slipping, we must return to them and start practising again.
Let these be our default settings: Chanting sixteen rounds and following the four regulative principles. Default settings means that no matter what, we always return to those settings. So surrender may come in many forms. It may come in something dynamic and glorious or it may come in something where we drag our feet. But regardless, we must stick to it. Such a commitment has to be made!