Celebrated Stories of Self-Surrender

Celebrated Stories of Self-Surrender
For spiritual success, surrender of ego is a must.  It is easy to give away material possession such as money, post, service to others, etc. which can be earned again. But is very difficult to leave emotional imbalances reflected in negative forms – kama (lust), krodha (Anger), lobha (Greed), moh (attachment), mada (Over pride), matsara (jealousy), Swartha (Selfishness), Amanavta (Cruelty) etc. It is most difficult to forget one’s ego (I-ness). Once ego is surrendered, all baggage of past as well as current lives are extinguished. When “I-ness” is not there, nothing is there.
 
There are several live stories of total surrender in Snatana Dharma such as Bhagwan Vamna avatara & Bali; Gajendra moksha, Prahlada & Hiranyakashipu etc.
 

1. Bhagwan Vamna avatara & Bali:

Bhagwan Vamana comes to Bali’s yagna. Bali was noble king but was blinded by pride and power. Vamana asks for earth to be measured by three steps of His feet. Bali’s ego rises and he reiterates that he is prepared to give Him much more, in fact anything that He wishes. Shukracharya, Guru of demons, guessing this guest of honour to be Bhagwan Vishnu, who has come on behalf of the celestial beings to defeat Bali, warns him not to go ahead with the offer. But Bali believes that if it is Bhagwan who asks of him, none could be more fortunate and offers all his possessions without the least hesitation.
The Bhagavata Purana describes the amazing form that the Vamana assumes as He grows higher and higher to cosmic dimensions. His feet rest on Rasatala; the sky is His navel; the stars are high on His chest; Dharma is on His heart flanked on both sides by Rita and Satya. Spanning the entire earth with one foot, and the swarga loka and heavens with the other, Vamana waits for Bali to offer the third step as promised.
The righteous Bali is undeterred and shedding his ego offers his entire self to the Lord who is the sole refuge of all beings. Every jivatma has to strive towards this act of total surrender to the Lord to get liberated.
 

1. Gajendra Moksha:

On Trikuta Mountain, one strong and powerful elephant named as Gajendra lived. It was very hot summer. Gajendra along with female elephants & children went to a lake for playing in water. Suddenly, a crocodile caught one leg of Gajendra. Gajendra tried hard to get rid of him but could not break free. All elephants gathered around him and tried to help, but in vain. Gajendra began to tire and believed that nobody would help him. He realized that only almighty could help him. Gajendra desperately called up Narayana for help. Hearing the call of Gajendra, Vishnu Bhagwan appeared on his vehicle Garuda. Gajendra saw Vishnu Ji and offered one lotus flower. Vishnu ji accepted lotus flower and killed crocodile with his sudarshan chakra.
 

1. Prahlada & Hiranyakashipu:

Prahlada was son of king Hiranyakashipu, but unlike his father, he was great devotee of Bhagwan Vishnu. Despite several warnings from his father Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada continued to worship Vishnu instead. His father then decided to commit filicide and poison Prahlada, but he survived. He then trampled the boy with elephants, but the boy still lived. Then he put Prahlada in a room with venomous snakes, but he survived. Prahlada was then thrown from a valley into a river but was saved by Vishnu. Holika, the sister of Hiranyakashipu, was blessed in that she could not be hurt by fire. Hiranyakashipu put Prahlada on the lap of Holika as she sits on a pyre. Prahlada prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. Holika then burned to death as Prahlada is left unscathed. This event is celebrated as the Hindu festival of Holi. Prahlada showing his father that Vishnu exists everywhere. After tolerating abuse from Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada is eventually saved by Narasimha, Vishnu in the form of a man-lion godhead, who emerges from within a stone pillar, who places the king on his thighs, and kills him with his sharp nails at the entrance to his home at dusk, thus nullifying all of Hiranyakashipu's boon of virtual immortality.