While concluding his Tamil work, the Gitartha-sangraha, which presents the essence of the Bhagavad Gita briefly in 21 verses, Vedanta Desika says that the Lord, who is ever with His Consort, will always protect those who have bhakti towards Him and surrender to Him.
In yet another work, Desika says that a person who resorts to surrender must constantly evaluate himself to see if he adheres to the rules laid down, said M.K. Srinivasan in a discourse. He has to check if he has svaroopa-nishtha, upaya-nishtha and purushartha-nishtha. Svaroopa-nishtha envisages knowing that the atma is different from the body. Upaya-nishtha means that one who has surrendered does not resort to any other means to attain liberation. Purushartha-nishtha means he seeks no goal except moksha. So he who has resorted to surrender as a means of liberation must constantly test himself to see if adheres to these three norms.
Desika tells us how to test ourselves for such steadfastness. Suppose someone reviles a man who has surrendered to the Supreme One.
The recipient of the contumely does not bother, because the abuse cannot touch his atma. It is only aimed at his body. He feels sorry for the maligner, because the abuser becomes the recipient of some of the sins of the one he scolds. If the victim is a staunch adherent of the principles laid down for those who surrender, he will be grateful to the critic! After all, when a person scolds us he is reminding us of our faults — such would be the reasoning of the one who has surrendered. He will also think that it is God who has induced the detractor to do what he is doing. He will also rejoice that his past sins are being worked out in part.
