The true spirit of surrender

Every small action of Sri Ramakrishna’s life is a message for mankind. He spent a substantial portion of his life in the temple garden at Dakshineswar. He lived in such an exalted state of God-consciousness that it was almost impossible for him to even take care of his own body. Once, while walking in the premises, his mind suddenly soared to the transcendental realm. He lost balance, fell down and fractured his arm. It was extremely painful. Soon after, one day in his room at Dakshineswar the devotees gathered as usual for satsang. Sri M, the chronicler of his messages, came with cotton, sling and other material for bandaging the injured arm. Sri Ramakrishna was complaining of pain like a small child. Long ago he had surrendered everything at the feet of the Divine Mother. He had offered his paap and punya (sin and merit), his knowledge and ignorance and other such opposite qualities of his at the feet of the Divine Mother and prayed only for pure devotion to Her lotus feet. He used to say, “I am the machine and you are the operator and I move as you make me do.” Suddenly, Sri Ramakrishna raised a question, “If I have surrendered everything to the Divine Mother, how is it that this accident had happened?” 

Actually such questions torment the minds of all believers every now and then. Innumerable questions arise in their minds for which they don’t find an answer. Perhaps Sri Ramakrishna was raising this question on behalf of the devotees or believers of God. Then he came with a stunning answer of his own to the question. He sang a beautiful song whose meaning was, “O Mother with Thyself as my Mother and me remaining wide awake, how could there be such a dacoity in my mind?” Through this song Sri Ramakrishna was clarifying his own stand. If he had truly surrendered himself to Divine Mother, how could he ever ask Her a question as to why such a thing had happened?