Ask Guru Bhai: How Do We Stay Devoted to Our Practice When Life Feels Overwhelming?
In the presence of Maharajji, the word surrender took on a different flavor than we usually imagine. It wasn’t about defeat or giving up—it was about laying down the heavy burden of “I” and stepping into the vast, loving arms of the Divine.
On the spiritual path, surrender is not passive. It is an active opening of the heart, a conscious letting go of our illusion of control, and a humble recognition that we are not the doer.
Letting Go of the Illusion of Control
Maharajji often said:
“You are not the doer.”
This simple teaching struck at the root of ego. Most of us are conditioned to believe that we must control, achieve, or force our way forward. But Maharajji revealed that true strength lies in trust, not in control.
In Be Love Now, Ram Dass writes:
“He didn’t talk about surrender. He was surrender. Sitting with him, you could feel the radiance of someone who had completely given everything to God” (Be Love Now, Ch. 6).
Surrender means we stop identifying with our plans, fears, and efforts—and allow ourselves to be guided by something far more loving and vast.
Surrender as Love, Not Resignation
True surrender isn’t about helplessness—it’s about intimacy. It is saying: “I don’t know, but I trust You.”
Krishna Das recalled how Maharajji never explained the mechanics of surrender. He just radiated love so deeply that you wanted to lay your entire being at his feet. In Chants of a Lifetime, he writes:
“The more I tried to control things, the further away I felt. The more I let go, the closer I felt to him.”
Surrender is the natural outcome of deep love. When we feel truly held, we no longer need to grip so tightly.
Everything is Perfect
One of Maharajji’s most mysterious teachings was:
“Everything is perfect.”
Even our confusion, our pain, our longing—they are all part of the dance of grace. Surrender means trusting that what is happening now is part of a larger love story, even if we don’t understand it.
Dada Mukerjee shares in By His Grace that Maharajji never encouraged striving or “getting somewhere” spiritually. He taught that the divine is already present, and that our work is simply to open—to soften into that presence.
Practice: Purify and Wait for Grace
Maharajji often said:
“Purify the heart and wait for grace.”
Surrender doesn’t mean we do nothing. We continue our practice—chanting, serving, loving—but without clinging to outcomes. We act, and we offer the fruits to God.
Surrender is the trust that everything will be taken care of, not because we are in control, but because we are being lovingly carried.
In the End, Surrender Is a Return
A return to love. A return to stillness. A return to the remembrance that we were never separate.
As Maharajji showed us again and again, surrender is not about doing less—it’s about being more deeply aligned with the truth that we are already held, already loved, already home.
Jai Maharajji.
