By surrendering all our actions to God or Ishwara, one becomes adept in the state of Samadhi. It is important to clarify many words here which may be simple and oft-used, but the meaning may be elusive. To surrender is to offer all attitude of doership to that supreme truth in all of us called Ishwara. Continuing to do all the good actions and all the necessary duties, surrender just calls for a dis-identification with the idea that “I did this.” “This work happened through me,” is a better state of mind to have. Just as in doing, the results of action should also be offered—whether it is a result we like or we don’t like or something totally unexpected or completely expected—all the fruits of action go to that Ishwara alone.
The next word that needs clarification is God, Supreme Self or Ishwara. These are many words—there are thousands of words in all world languages that mean Ishwara. Ishwara means Lord. As an individual, we all refer to ourselves in the singular person as “I” and say, “I did this,” “I experience this,” or “I want this.” All the individual “I” put together is Ishwara. Surrendering of actions and results are done to this totality of “I” that is Ishwara.
Constant practice of this surrender, Maharshi Patanjali says, helps the mind to be in a state of Samadhi. This word is also a commonly misunderstood one. We refer to the Samadhi’s or tombs of great saints. In movie dialogues, this word is used to refer to finishing off someone in this world. However, the actual Sanskrit meaning is very simple. Samyak Adheeyate Manah iti Samadhih. A mind in Samadhi need not appear with closed eyes in the posture of meditation for years on end. The senses and organs of action can be awake, yet the mind is quiet and undisturbed by events that happen around and does not trigger excited reactions to words, thoughts, actions and situations. It is a mind that moves calmly amid any turbulent situation. It is a mind that is non-excited by anything happening in the present moment. It is a mind that has no anxiety about anything in the future. It is a mind that has no worry or misgivings about the past.
Such a state of mind is the result of Ishwara Pranidhana or offering all our thoughts, words and actions to Ishwara, the supreme self.
If the mind is likened to a river of gurgling waters, our individuality is like a palm full of water that we may take from it. It is the river water anyway. By putting back that palm of water, we are only giving back to the river what we took from it. Samadhi is when I stop thinking I am the wave, but remain in my true state as the water of the ocean.
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