From the Perspective of a Seeker Surrender or Struggle
K SIVA PRASAD
Retired senior IAS officer in
the Punjab Government
There are two ways of living. One is surrender, and the other is struggle. Surrender here is not a helpless capitulation—like that of the defeated in war—but rather a surrender accompanied by awareness and active acceptance. The very mindset of striving to stay ahead of others constitutes struggle.
The attempt to acquire something other than what has been bestowed upon us is, in essence, struggle. Surrender, on the other hand, is a state of gratitude for every living moment.Lord Krishna states: “If a person indulges in sensual pleasures through the senses and fails to conduct themselves in harmony with the cosmic cycle of creation, their life is in vain” (3.16). For anyone treading the path of sensual gratification, life becomes a perpetual struggle, for the senses can never be truly satiated.
This struggle inevitably breeds tension, anxiety, and sorrow—culminating in a life devoid of true purpose. Lord Krishna elucidates this cosmic cycle of creation using the metaphor of rain (3.14). The rain pours down selflessly, offering its water without expectation. Such selfless action is the very source of the Supreme Power (3.15). To align oneself with this cycle of selfless action is to live a life of surrendera life that leads to true bliss. Lord Krishna affirms: “For the person who finds their sole delight within the Self, who is fully satiated within the Self, and who is completely contented within the Selfthere remains no further duty to be performed” (3.17).
Such a life is liberated from the dominion of the senses; when our own will becomes one with the will of Existence itself, we are left with no separate, individual duty to fulfill. It is a state of pure acceptance embracing whatever comes our way while continuing to engage in selfless action. “For such a great soul, there remains no personal objective to be gained in this world through the performance of action, nor any loss to be feared through the non-performance of action.
Furthermore, amidst all living beings, they harbor not even the slightest trace of self-interest or attachment” (3.18). “Contentment within the Self”this is a fundamental teaching of the *Gita*: to be joyful in one’s own being and fully satisfied with oneself. When one is content with oneself, there are no complaints or comparisons regarding our rights and capabilities.
(To be continued)