Sutra 65

The Narada Bhakti Sutra 65:

(Surrender and Devotion)

तदर्पिताखिलाचारः सन् कामक्रोधाभिमानादिकं तस्मिन्नेव करणीयम्॥ ६५॥

"Having offered all activities to the Lord, one should feel desire, anger, pride, etc., only towards Him."

"Having renounced our unworthy qualities, now how do we continue to grow in the steady cultivation of bhakti. Again Nārada says, ‘all conduct to life must be dedicated unto Him.’ Remember Him first then each thought, every word, all the actions do for Him alone. Let our life be Nārāyaṇa-oriented instead of as it is today oriented to egocentric self-interest."

This Sutra emphasizes the complete surrender of a devotee to the Divine. It suggests that all actions, emotions, and thoughts should be directed towards the Lord, including the feelings of desire, anger, and pride, which are typically seen as obstacles in spiritual practice, are not to be suppressed or eradicated but rather redirected towards the Divine as, "these are my Guru's thoughts!"  This redirection transforms these powerful emotions into tools for deepening Devotion and attachment to God.

In the context of Bhakti Yoga, this Sutra teaches that a devotee's life should be an offering to the Divine. Every act, whether mundane or significant, is performed with the consciousness of serving or pleasing the Lord. This state of Consciousness turns every aspect of life into worship and every emotion into an expression of love for God. It is a profound State of Being where the devotee sees the divine in everything and everyone, and thus, all actions and reactions are imbued with Devotion.

The concept of directing all emotions towards God is echoed in other Vedic texts as well. 

For example, in the Bhagavad Gita (9.27), Lord Krishna says:

यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् |

यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ||

"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform – do that, O son of Kunti, as an offering to Me." 

This verse from the Bhagavad Gita aligns with the teaching of the Narada Bhakti Sutra, advocating for all actions to be done as an offering to the Divine, thus sanctifying every aspect of one's life.

Another example can be found in the Isha Upanishad (verse 1), which states:

ईशावास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् |

तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम् ||

"Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong." 

This verse encourages the renunciation of possessiveness and promotes the understanding that everything belongs to the Divine, which is a form of surrender and Devotion.

These verses from different texts highlight the central theme of Devotion and surrender that is fundamental to many spiritual paths within the Vedic tradition. They all point towards living a life where every action is an expression of love and Devotion to the Divine.