The fourth method is self surrender. Time reduces the knowledge (pure consciousness) and stamina of the people. The residues in the inner instrument (antaḥkaraṇa) are varied and cause sufferings in various ways. They (who adopt this method) have to give up performance of Jyotiṣṭoma and other sacrifices and desist from causing injury to others. Self surrender has six components.
ānukūlasya saṅkalpaḥ pratikūlasya varjanam |
rakṣyatīti viśvāso goptṛtva varaṇaṁ tathā ||
ātma nikṣopa kārpaṇye ṣaḍvidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ |
ātmātmīya bharannyāso hyātma nikṣepa uccyate ||
1). Determination to do what would be favourably received by Bhagavān
2). Renunciation of what is repugnant to the Lord
3). Absolute and firm faith in saving grace of the Lord
4). Choosing the Lord as one's protector, that is seeking Bhagavān's compassion as the only hope for attaining mokṣa
5). Offering one's self to Bhagavān
6). The feeling of incapacity to follow the paths of karma, jñāna and bhakti
Even those who do pure activities and are conversant with Sāṁkhya and Yoga, are not comparable to even a billionth fraction of an individual who has surrendered himself to Bhagavān, according to the Pāñcarātras.
satkarma niratāḥ śuddhā sāṁkhya-yoga vidastathā |
nārhanti śaraṇāgatasya kalāṁ koṭi tamīmapi cha ||
The śaraṇāgata, should act in such a way that is favorable to all living entities and also desist from acting unfavorably towards them. Here the word kārpaṇya also means giving up arrogance. Time, place and adhikāra comes in the way of a person who is performing śaraṇāgata prapatti. As it can be dangerous for prapatti, thoughts that will lead to the arrogance must be curbed. This act is called kārpaṇya. Bhagavān must be choosen as the protector, otherwise He may not protect. Prapatti is also called nikṣepa, nyāsa, sanyāsa, tyāga and śaraṇāgati; comprising of five component parts.
This method bears quick results for the adept, while other methods do not bring results so easily. Those who have performed śaraṇāgati and apprehend that they could have unknowingly committed sins, can avoid the consequences by expiatory acts like Candrāyaṇa or perform re surrender to Bhagavān. A śaraṇāgata must not even mentally violate the code of conduct laid down by the Vedas. With the view that world should not be disturbed, laws of the Vedas has to be kept intact to please Śrī and Her Lord. One who violates the code given in Vedas will cause displeasure to Bhagavān. This means eventhough śaraṇāgati is apparently an easy method, simultaneously it's hard to practice.
The description that is given in Ahirbudhnya Saṁhitā refers to śaraṇāgati as the "Great confidential Upaniṣad of the Devatās", that fulfills all desires and destroys all the sins. Neither Sāṁkhya nor yoga, not even bhakti would be effective like nyāsa. The five limbs of nyāsa is said to have instructed by great ṛṣis who have mastered the Vedas. The word śaraṇam in śaraṇāgati means refuge, house or protector. Prapatti takes the form - " I am the abode of all guilt, I have nothing and I have no refuge. You Yourself shall be the means for me". This request is called as śaraṇāgati. One who resolves to adopt Prapatti is deemed to have done all penances, visited all tīrthas, performed all sacrifices, and given all dānas. Mokṣa is close to his hands.
Ahirbudhnya Saṁhitā says, one who has done śaraṇāgati has done the best form of sacrifice which is externally manifest as agnihotra ritual. Here one's own self is offered as āhutī to the Supreme, and is held as highest of all dharmas. The doer of the śaraṇāgati sacrifice is considered to have done the highest of all deeds.
Praptti Yāga is described as follows -
The body becomes the Yajña Vedi. His mouth becomes the Āhvānīya fire. His heart is Dakṣiṇāgni. His belly is Gārhapatya agni. The mind of the Śaraṇāgata becomes the Yajamāna. His buddhi becomes the sahadharmanī. Thoughts and relationships that are opposed to the idea of śaraṇāgati becomes paśus to be offered in paśu bandha. The hair on the body becomes darbha/kuśa. Śaraṇāgatas life and soul becomes the havis. His head, body and feet becomes the tri kāla agni hotras. Jñānendriyas and karmendriyas become the ten Yajñāyudhas. The sixteen sacrificial priests - Hotṛ, Adhvaryu, Brahmā, Udgātṛ, Maitrāvaruṇa, Acchāvāka, Grāvastuti, Pratiprasthātṛ, Neṣtṛ, Unnetṛ, Brahmaṇācchaṁsin, Agnīdhra, Poṣtṛ, Prastotṛ, Pratihartṛ and Subraḥmaṇya ; becomes sixteen hands of the Deity. Dīkṣā is the Bhagavāns will to save his Prapanna. Attendees of sacrifices is represented by bodily ornaments of the prapanna and sounds created by those ornaments become the utterances of Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma. Bhagavān's favour is the dakṣiṇā. Juhū, Dhruva, Sruvā, Prāśitraharaṇa, Mekṣṇa, Upabhṛt, Iḍapatri, Dārupātra, Yoktra, Camasa, Srṣṭi, Piṣṭodvapanī, Ājyasthalī, Idhmapravarścana, Madayantī, Śastra rests on the Cakra and other attributes of Bhagavān.
Prapatti which is also called s nyāsa is briefly described in the Śrutis. The all auspicious Yāga that is conducted by one who performs śaraṇāgati is described in Ahirbudhnya saṁhitā as follows -
samitsādhanakādīnāṁ yajñānāṁ nyāsamātmanaḥ |
namasā yo ̍karod deve sa svadhvara udīritaḥ ||
This is a simplified version in laukika Sanskrit of a passage that is found in Ṛg Veda -
"yaḥ samidhāya āhutī yo vedena dadāśa marto agnaye | yo namasā svadhvaraḥ |"
- an individual performs an auspicious sacrifice by offering to Agni; samidh, ājya, study of Vedas, and upasthāna. Here namskāras indicate the selfless offering of one's self to Bhagavān.
Among all Pāñcarātra texts only Ahirbudhnya saṁhitā and Lakṣmī Tantra deals with self surrender/śaraṇāgati/Prapatti.
🙏 Om praṇtārtīharāya Narasiṁhāya namah 🙏
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