Simple For The Simple

Just recently I remembered an amusing - but deep - interaction I had with my Guru Maharaja. I presented him with one of my recurring anxieties in Krishna consciousness, and received an unexpectedly laconic reply.

My concern then - as it is now - was that if I were ever able to surrender to guru and Krishna, it would be out of a sense of duty, or perhaps even fear. In what I thought was my most sincere and imploring tone I said "Maharaja, I don't want to surrender to Krishna because of obligation or guilt. I want to surrender out of love and devotion."

I suppose I was hoping for him to say something more practical, because I was surprised by my Gurudeva's profoundly brief solution: Ok. You can do that.

Shortly after this came to mind, I recalled a similar interaction I had with Jayadvaita Swami. His answer to the same dilemma: Yes. Those are the two options.