Oct. 22, 2025
Active Versus Passive Forms of Surrender to the Divine
reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 2, Faith — Aspiration — Surrender, pg. 24
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1
00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:05,720
In his book The Mother, Sri
Aurobindo distinguishes between
2
00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:10,240
the needed attitude of surrender
to the Divine and what he terms
3
00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,320
a temasek surrender.
Quote.
4
00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,320
Note that a temasek surrender,
refusing to fulfill the
5
00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:21,800
conditions and calling on God to
do everything and save one all
6
00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,400
the trouble and struggle is a
deception and does not lead to
7
00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,080
freedom and perfection.
End Quote.
8
00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,400
Many people confuse surrender
with a total absence of effort,
9
00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,800
relying instead on the divine
force to act in the face of what
10
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,480
amounts to a Temasek reaction.
There are, of course, the
11
00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:47,640
stories of the two types of
aspirants, the baby monkey type
12
00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:51,200
and the baby cat type.
The distinguishing
13
00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,360
characteristic between the two
is that the baby monkey has to
14
00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,600
actively participate and hold on
to its mother in order to be
15
00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:04,360
carried, while the baby cat gets
picked up and carried along
16
00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,960
without effort.
This is frequently used as a
17
00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:10,040
justification of a lack of
effort.
18
00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,640
While there is a deeper
spiritual truth about the two
19
00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:18,080
modes of devotion, the integral
yoga does not have the same
20
00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:22,200
objective as the historical
paths of yoga or spiritual
21
00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:26,240
development, as it is not
looking for an end result of the
22
00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:30,600
liberation of the individual and
merge into the spiritual
23
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:34,520
consciousness.
Rather, it seeks to actively
24
00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:39,560
transform the entire life to
receive and embody the higher
25
00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,720
spiritual consciousness.
The difference means that there
26
00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,120
is a need for the active
participation of the individual
27
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:53,120
seeker, even while he relies on
the Divine force to enter, embed
28
00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,240
and permeate his being as the
basis for that action.
29
00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,720
When Thomas predominates, there
is darkness, fatigue, lethargy,
30
00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,160
all of which leads to the
expression of the habitual
31
00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:11,520
actions of the body, life and
mind since they have established
32
00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:16,600
pathways built into the being,
An active awareness, keen
33
00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,680
discrimination of the sources
and actions of the forces and a
34
00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:25,240
process of receptivity to the
higher forces and denial of the
35
00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,760
habitual forces that have ruled
the earth nature for millions of
36
00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:34,680
years as they resist, object to
and deny the advent of the
37
00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,320
higher forces that will
transform their action.
38
00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:46,080
Srior Bindo writes quote Faith,
reliance upon God, surrender and
39
00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:51,720
self giving to the divine power
are necessary and indispensable.
40
00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:56,960
But reliance upon God must not
be made an excuse for indolence,
41
00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:01,360
weakness and surrender to the
impulses of the lower nature.
42
00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,360
It must go along with untiring
aspiration and a persistent
43
00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,680
rejection of all that comes in
the way of the Divine truth.
44
00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:15,800
The surrender to the Divine must
not be turned into an excuse, a
45
00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:20,040
cloak, or an occasion for
surrender to 1's own desires and
46
00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:24,560
lower movements, or to 1's ego,
or to some force of the
47
00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,120
ignorance and darkness that puts
on a false appearance of the
48
00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:32,920
Divine.
End Quote Reference Sri
49
00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:36,040
Aurobindo, Basis of Yoga,
Chapter 2.
50
00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,240
Faith, Aspiration, Surrender,
page 24.
00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:05,720
In his book The Mother, Sri
Aurobindo distinguishes between
2
00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:10,240
the needed attitude of surrender
to the Divine and what he terms
3
00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,320
a temasek surrender.
Quote.
4
00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,320
Note that a temasek surrender,
refusing to fulfill the
5
00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:21,800
conditions and calling on God to
do everything and save one all
6
00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,400
the trouble and struggle is a
deception and does not lead to
7
00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,080
freedom and perfection.
End Quote.
8
00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,400
Many people confuse surrender
with a total absence of effort,
9
00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,800
relying instead on the divine
force to act in the face of what
10
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,480
amounts to a Temasek reaction.
There are, of course, the
11
00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:47,640
stories of the two types of
aspirants, the baby monkey type
12
00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:51,200
and the baby cat type.
The distinguishing
13
00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,360
characteristic between the two
is that the baby monkey has to
14
00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,600
actively participate and hold on
to its mother in order to be
15
00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:04,360
carried, while the baby cat gets
picked up and carried along
16
00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,960
without effort.
This is frequently used as a
17
00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:10,040
justification of a lack of
effort.
18
00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,640
While there is a deeper
spiritual truth about the two
19
00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:18,080
modes of devotion, the integral
yoga does not have the same
20
00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:22,200
objective as the historical
paths of yoga or spiritual
21
00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:26,240
development, as it is not
looking for an end result of the
22
00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:30,600
liberation of the individual and
merge into the spiritual
23
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:34,520
consciousness.
Rather, it seeks to actively
24
00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:39,560
transform the entire life to
receive and embody the higher
25
00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,720
spiritual consciousness.
The difference means that there
26
00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,120
is a need for the active
participation of the individual
27
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:53,120
seeker, even while he relies on
the Divine force to enter, embed
28
00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,240
and permeate his being as the
basis for that action.
29
00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,720
When Thomas predominates, there
is darkness, fatigue, lethargy,
30
00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,160
all of which leads to the
expression of the habitual
31
00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:11,520
actions of the body, life and
mind since they have established
32
00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:16,600
pathways built into the being,
An active awareness, keen
33
00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,680
discrimination of the sources
and actions of the forces and a
34
00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:25,240
process of receptivity to the
higher forces and denial of the
35
00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,760
habitual forces that have ruled
the earth nature for millions of
36
00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:34,680
years as they resist, object to
and deny the advent of the
37
00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,320
higher forces that will
transform their action.
38
00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:46,080
Srior Bindo writes quote Faith,
reliance upon God, surrender and
39
00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:51,720
self giving to the divine power
are necessary and indispensable.
40
00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:56,960
But reliance upon God must not
be made an excuse for indolence,
41
00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:01,360
weakness and surrender to the
impulses of the lower nature.
42
00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,360
It must go along with untiring
aspiration and a persistent
43
00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,680
rejection of all that comes in
the way of the Divine truth.
44
00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:15,800
The surrender to the Divine must
not be turned into an excuse, a
45
00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:20,040
cloak, or an occasion for
surrender to 1's own desires and
46
00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:24,560
lower movements, or to 1's ego,
or to some force of the
47
00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,120
ignorance and darkness that puts
on a false appearance of the
48
00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:32,920
Divine.
End Quote Reference Sri
49
00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:36,040
Aurobindo, Basis of Yoga,
Chapter 2.
50
00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,240
Faith, Aspiration, Surrender,
page 24.
