Nov. 14, 2025
Self-Surrender in Principle and Self-Surrender in Detail
reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 2, Faith — Aspiration — Surrender, pg. 36This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2025/11/12/self-surrender-in-principle-and-self-surrender-in-detail/
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#Sri Aurobindo #yoga #integral yoga #psychic being #Divine
1
00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:04,040
When the seeker takes up the
path of yoga and surrender of
2
00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:08,240
the ego consciousness to the
Divine, he identifies himself
3
00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:13,360
with the psychic being, the sole
entity in his being, and makes
4
00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:15,600
the offering from that part of
his being.
5
00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:19,520
What is frequently not
recognized, however, is that the
6
00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,600
human being is made-up of
numerous different parts or
7
00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:27,480
planes of action that represent
the various evolved forces that
8
00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,880
have developed this complex
interaction which we identify as
9
00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,280
ourselves.
These other aspects of his
10
00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,720
being, whether his physical
body, his vital being, his
11
00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:43,600
emotional responses, more or
less a combined effort of the
12
00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,440
vital and the mental and the
mental being, each have their
13
00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,440
own preconceived notions and
ways of reacting and responding
14
00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,720
to situations, events, forces
and circumstances.
15
00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,920
Some of these represent embedded
habits or what we call instincts
16
00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:07,680
going back to pre human times in
the evolutionary cycle, various
17
00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,800
forms of behaviour are learned
as the human individual grows
18
00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,840
and develops as well.
All of these reactions are
19
00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,560
carried out despite the central
surrender of the ego from the
20
00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,200
psychic being at the centre of
this human amalgam.
21
00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,360
The work then is not simply to
accept the psychic beings
22
00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:32,600
aspiration and surrender as the
final and definitive action.
23
00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:39,400
Rather, each part of the being,
each habit, instinct, reaction
24
00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:44,080
and trained response needs to be
brought within the framework of
25
00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:48,240
that self surrender and thereby
adjusted to conform to the
26
00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:53,360
dictates of the psychic
offering. 3 Aurobindo notes
27
00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,040
quote.
It is the psychic surrender in
28
00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,760
the physical that you have begun
to experience.
29
00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,880
All the parts are essentially
offered, but the surrender has
30
00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,800
to be made complete by the
growth of the psychic self
31
00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:13,200
offering in all of them and in
all their movements, separately
32
00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:17,280
and together.
To be enjoyed by the Divine is
33
00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:21,400
to be entirely surrendered, so
that one feels the Divine
34
00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:27,480
presence, power, light, Ananda,
possessing the whole being,
35
00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,160
rather than oneself possessing
these things for one's own
36
00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:35,000
satisfaction.
It is a much greater ecstasy to
37
00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,640
be thus surrendered and
possessed by the Divine than
38
00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:43,120
oneself to be the possessor.
At the same time, by this
39
00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:48,440
surrender there comes also a
calm and happy mastery of self
40
00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:53,360
and nature.
End Quote Reference Sri
41
00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:59,880
Aurobindo Basis of Yoga Chapter
2 Faith, Aspiration Surrender
42
00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:01,680
page 36.
00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:04,040
When the seeker takes up the
path of yoga and surrender of
2
00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:08,240
the ego consciousness to the
Divine, he identifies himself
3
00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:13,360
with the psychic being, the sole
entity in his being, and makes
4
00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:15,600
the offering from that part of
his being.
5
00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:19,520
What is frequently not
recognized, however, is that the
6
00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,600
human being is made-up of
numerous different parts or
7
00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:27,480
planes of action that represent
the various evolved forces that
8
00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,880
have developed this complex
interaction which we identify as
9
00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,280
ourselves.
These other aspects of his
10
00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,720
being, whether his physical
body, his vital being, his
11
00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:43,600
emotional responses, more or
less a combined effort of the
12
00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,440
vital and the mental and the
mental being, each have their
13
00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,440
own preconceived notions and
ways of reacting and responding
14
00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,720
to situations, events, forces
and circumstances.
15
00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,920
Some of these represent embedded
habits or what we call instincts
16
00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:07,680
going back to pre human times in
the evolutionary cycle, various
17
00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,800
forms of behaviour are learned
as the human individual grows
18
00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,840
and develops as well.
All of these reactions are
19
00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,560
carried out despite the central
surrender of the ego from the
20
00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,200
psychic being at the centre of
this human amalgam.
21
00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,360
The work then is not simply to
accept the psychic beings
22
00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:32,600
aspiration and surrender as the
final and definitive action.
23
00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:39,400
Rather, each part of the being,
each habit, instinct, reaction
24
00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:44,080
and trained response needs to be
brought within the framework of
25
00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:48,240
that self surrender and thereby
adjusted to conform to the
26
00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:53,360
dictates of the psychic
offering. 3 Aurobindo notes
27
00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,040
quote.
It is the psychic surrender in
28
00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,760
the physical that you have begun
to experience.
29
00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,880
All the parts are essentially
offered, but the surrender has
30
00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,800
to be made complete by the
growth of the psychic self
31
00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:13,200
offering in all of them and in
all their movements, separately
32
00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:17,280
and together.
To be enjoyed by the Divine is
33
00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:21,400
to be entirely surrendered, so
that one feels the Divine
34
00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:27,480
presence, power, light, Ananda,
possessing the whole being,
35
00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,160
rather than oneself possessing
these things for one's own
36
00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:35,000
satisfaction.
It is a much greater ecstasy to
37
00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,640
be thus surrendered and
possessed by the Divine than
38
00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:43,120
oneself to be the possessor.
At the same time, by this
39
00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:48,440
surrender there comes also a
calm and happy mastery of self
40
00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:53,360
and nature.
End Quote Reference Sri
41
00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:59,880
Aurobindo Basis of Yoga Chapter
2 Faith, Aspiration Surrender
42
00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:01,680
page 36.
