In 2016 a Satsang held in the divine presence at Suffolk, UK. A devotee seeks guidance on performing sadhana, which helps to surrender all the thoughts and emotions.

 

And here is what Swami said:

 

Just now, I asked, “What can you give Me that does not already belong to Me? What are you surrendering? What is yours in the first place to surrender to Me?” It is all given by Me into your custody and you are giving it back to Me, that is all. This awareness will allow you to understand the meaning of surrender. Everything is created by God – including yourself – and it is by My will that you live and do whatever you do; including earning a living and achieving respect and reputation in society. If you keep taking back what you give to Me, it cannot be called surrender.

 

What already belongs to Me is coming back to Me. If you think, constantly, ‘What is there which does not belong to Lord? Everything belongs to Lord, including myself,’ then you are always living in a state of surrender. It is just your imagination that you own something, or acquire something, or are in control of something – like a child who is sitting on its father’s lap when the father is driving his car and thinks that, because he has his hands on the steering wheel, he is driving. The father, for the child’s enjoyment, allows him to think that way – but does that mean that the child is truly driving?

 

No, it is not true, it is only the father who is driving; you are just an onlooker. Being by his side, you get the experience. Think for a moment, ‘Who is breathing through me? Who is making my heart beat? Who is making the food digest? Who looks after me when I go into deep sleep? Who is protecting me all the time? The one who is doing all that is the one doing everything else through me. I am just a witness; I am just an instrument. He does everything.” This sort of thinking is surrender, and constantly reminding yourself of this will help you develop the attitude of surrender.