Surrender to Kṛṣṇa - The Only Means to Become Free from Material Entanglement
The material world is often compared to a vast ocean or a forest where the living entity is entangled by the complex roots of fruitive activities. This entanglement manifests as the cycle of repeated birth and death, known as saṁsāra. Most people are unaware of this predicament, thinking that the goal of life is to become comfortable within this entanglement. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the actual business of human life is to extricate oneself from this dangerous position. This article explores the verdict of the Vedic scriptures: that without surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, there is no possibility of true freedom.
Necessity of Surrender
The laws of material nature are stringent and insurmountable by independent effort. Just as a person bound hand and foot cannot free themselves, the conditioned soul cannot overcome the influence of māyā alone. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that one must surrender to the controller of nature, Kṛṣṇa. By submitting to His will, the devotee is released from the reactions of karma that bind them to the material world.
- The only means of becoming free from this entanglement is to surrender to the Supreme Lord.
- Material nature harasses the living entity in different bodies, but if the living entity surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he becomes free from this entanglement. Thus his life becomes successful.
- It was the Lord who instructed Brahma in Vedic knowledge. That Personality of Godhead has to be obeyed in all respects. Anyone who wants to become freed from material entanglement must surrender unto Him, and this is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita.
Initiation and the Spiritual Master
Surrender is not a vague sentiment; it is a practical discipline that begins with accepting a spiritual master. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that initiation is the "beginning" of freedom. It is the point where the devotee formally agrees to follow the orders of the guru, who guides the disciple out of the darkness of the "karma wheel." Without this guidance, one remains lost in the struggle for existence.
- An initiated devotee is given the chance for becoming free from the entanglement of karma wheel. Initiated means beginning, not perfection. The Spiritual Master's business is to guide him to the perfectional point.
- Any conditioned soul may also engage in the service of the Lord under the guidance of an expert spiritual master and thus gradually become freed from the entanglement of material existence.
- As recommended in the arcana-marga, one should worship the Deity in the temple and constantly offer obeisances to the spiritual master and the Deity. These processes are recommended to one who actually wants to become free from material entanglement.
True Purpose of Religion
In the modern world, religion is often utilized as a tool for economic development or social welfare. People go to church or temple to ask God for daily bread or material blessings. Śrīla Prabhupāda corrects this misconception, stating that the real purpose of religion is mokṣa—liberation. If one's religious practice does not lead to freedom from the cycle of birth and death, it is not serving its ultimate purpose.
- Real purpose is moksa, how to become free from this entanglement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is the real aim of life.
- To become religious means to become free from material entanglement. Not that to take to religious life means to develop economic condition.
- The business of human life is how to become free from this material encagement. But the asuras, or the demons, instead of becoming free from material entanglement, they become more and more involved.
Immediate Freedom through Chanting
Among all the methods of surrender, the chanting of the holy name is the most potent. It is effective immediately. Śrīla Prabhupāda asserts that anyone—regardless of their background or birth—who takes shelter of the holy name is instantly elevated above the conditions of material life. The sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa's name cuts through the dense layers of material entanglement.
- Anyone who chants the holy name of the Lord becomes immediately freed from conditional life and that anyone who hears the holy name of the Lord, even though born of a family of dog-eaters, also becomes liberated from the clutches of material entanglement.
- It has been said that the process which immediately increases one's love and affection for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the best of the many thousands of ways to become free from the entanglement of material existence.
- As soon as one enters into Krsna consciousness, his desire for material enjoyment is at once vanquished, and he gradually becomes free from material entanglement.
Conclusion
We are currently entangled because our thinking, feeling, and willing are directed toward matter. To become free, we simply need to redirect these faculties toward Kṛṣṇa. This is the essence of bhakti-yoga. As Śrīla Prabhupāda powerfully reminds us, we must not be misled by the false promises of material happiness or watered-down religious conceptions that aim only for worldly comfort. The goal is total liberation. By surrendering to Kṛṣṇa and following the guidance of the spiritual master, the complex knot of entanglement is sliced, and the living entity is restored to their original, free state of eternal service.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Becoming Free From Material Entanglement. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.