8 The Perfection of Yoga

servant of his own senses. But when one awakens to
his transcendental senses and actually becomes situ-
ated in knowledge, he then becomes a servant of the
reality. When one comes to the platform of knowl-
edge, he understands that in all circumstances he is
a servant. Since it is not possible for him to be
master, he is much better situated serving the reality
instead of the illusion. When one becomes aware of
this, he attains the platform of real knowledge. By
sannydsa, the renounced order of life, we refer to
one who has come to this platform. Sannyadsa is a
question of realization, not social status.

It is the duty of everyone to become Krsna
conscious and to serve the cause of Krsna. When one
actually realizes this he becomes a mahdatma, or a
great soul. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna says that after
many births, when one comes to the platform of real
knowledge, he “surrenders unto Me.” Why is this?
Vasudevah sarvam iti. The wise man realizes that
“Vasudeva [Krsna] is everything.”” However, Krsna
says that such a great soul is rarely found. Why is
this? If an intelligent person comes to understand
that the ultimate goal of life is to surrender unto
Krsna, why should he hesitate? Why not surrender
immediately? What is the point in waiting for so
many births? When one comes to that point of
surrender, he becomes a real sannydsi. Krsna never
forces anyone to surrender unto Him. Surrender is
a result of love, transcendental love. Where there is
force and where there is no freedom, there can be
no love. When a mother loves a child, she is not
forced to do so, nor does she do so out of expecta-
tion of some salary or remuneration.
