Alok da , Throughout our two epics the proud heros make heroic proclamations on how they will not yield to fate, how they will challenge the fate with their will, manhood and courage, they display such a dynamism of self will and resoluteness in such moments and even Savitri’ s tale is about challenging fate but we have also this disposition towards surrender, of telling the mother let thy will be done. Is there any really a bit of conflict between both these standpoints? If my will and desire isn’t exactly in tune with the Mother’s will can I be stubborn like an angry child that I will rather die fighting for it rather than accept the fact that this might not be the Mother’s will🤨?

Here we have to first understand that the Divine Will does not operate freely in the world. If it did so the world would be a much more beautiful place. The Divine Will is constantly distorted by several elements and forces in creation that have emerged in the course of evolution. That is the dharmasyaglani that Sri Krishna speaks of and to rectify which the Avatars come down and the Vibhutis spring up from time to time. 

Now surrender to the Divine Mother is not surrender to the situations and circumstances of life. If that were so then it would mean never going for treatment or giving treatment to anyone, letting criminals go scotfree, not defending the nation, not trying to improve the living conditions etc etc! If taken to the extreme it ends up with a modified Illusionism leading towards inaction and disintegration. 

Surrender simply means that I must fulfil my role faithfully as the servitor of the Divine and act according to the Divine Impulsion within me. This impulsion is not felt because it is covered by ignorance and distorted by the desires and ambition. Nishkama karma, equanimity, offering our actions to God, placing our will at the disposal of the Divine Will with an aspiration to serve the Divine Purpose in the world are some of the ways that help us tune to the Divine Impulsion. And then act, act according to the highest inspiration of the moment dedicating the action to the Divine. Once the action is over then we ‘accept’ whatever result that God and destiny may place before us. It is the result that should be surrendered but the action has to be done, not under the stress of wishes and desires but because it is the path through which we grow and progress. As far as possible one should try to initiate the action under the Impulsion of the Divine Will or at least for unselfish reasons based on our conception of the highest. But once a course of action has been undertaken, unless it is driven and dictated by strong desire and ambition, it is best to go through it until it reaches its logical conclusion. 

Affectionately,

Alok Da