Sharanagati

Sharanagati comes only when a seeker realizes the futility of the ego, fragileness of vanity, and the limitations of being human in the face of the infinite challenges of the daily life. When a devotee faces insurmountable obstacles in life, he or she looks up for help. Divine intervention seems to be the only way out. The heart cries out for Divine support with all sincerity and devotion. It’s a very humbling experience. Till this happens the doors of sharanagati do not open. It is purely a devotional process of unfolding, like a small child trusting her mother and reposing every confidence in her, so also a devotee in that state of love and devotion, opens her heart in humble submission to the Divine or to the manifestation of Divine in the Guru, saying:

“I am sharanagata. I have come to you now, knowing full well, that you are my father, that you are my mother, that you are my friend, philosopher and guide, that you are the polar star of my life. Now I know nothing but you as my only refuge in life and beyond life.” “Now I know that you are the Doer of all that is done. The reality is that I’m not to be credited nor discredited by anything that I do, or by any kind of praise or insults.”

“With you as my shield I am ever protected. No evil can touch me anymore with you as my protecting shield. Sharanagati is my shield, the divine kavach!”

Thus, a true sharanagata always dwells in the thought of the Divine, in the remembrance of the Divine Name, surrendering with love to the Sadguru and His infinite grace that is being showered all the time. In the path of love and devotion, in the path of Bhakti, in Divine romance, a devotee is always happy and blissful, feeling the presence of the Lord and His infinite grace.

As such, sharanagati takes away all the poisons of stress and works at the root of all negativity, frustrations and depressions. How could you be stressed when you trust the Divine so much that you would always have infinite patience, allowing the Divine to unfold His designs? How could you be depressed when you know that you are eternally being protected by the Divine Shield of His infinite love for you?

You move through life with all positivity and light, knowing well that He loves you as you are; that you are ever safe in the safest hands. The true sharanagata is one who is ever in bliss and celebration! He can always hear in his heart the words of the Lord, “Why fear when I’m with you, right here and now?” Fear melts, fearlessness happens. That is the magic of sharanagati.