Surrender and capacity

If you have the capacity to do something, then the capacity itself will grow into confidence. Today you may not have confidence. But if you practise, confidence is bound to be developed. Even if I feel that I won't be the fastest runner, my very practising can bring me the capacity to run. Then confidence will come.

It may be true that sometimes you have the capacity but no confidence. You may be afraid of failing and then you become nervous. In the spiritual life also we see it happen. We need an unconditionally surrendered disciple. Some people do not understand what an unconditionally surrendered disciple is. They think that he is a fool, that his mind is not developed, that he is nothing. But this is all wrong. Only when one makes unconditional surrender does a person become perfect. Somebody may have no mind or he may not have developed some other quality which you and others call important. But in our path, what is most important is this unconditional surrender. Even if a disciple has nothing else to show in the outer world, if he has made unconditional surrender, then I wish to say that that disciple becomes perfect. Somebody will think, "Oh, his mind is not developed, his talents are not developed." But I wish to say that this is the wrong idea. First make unconditional surrender, and then the other things that you feel are necessary, if they are necessary at all, will be given to you in boundless measure.

Let us say that the world has accepted you because you have done something marvellous, something very great. You may feel that if you give unconditional surrender, then I will be able to make something great out of your achievement. But you are cherishing a wrong theory. I need only the person whom I can mould according to my own way, according to the Supreme's Way. If the individual is very malleable, then he can be a real, unconditionally surrendered disciple. That person need not have any outer qualification, any outer achievement. The world will appreciate your outer achievements, but I will appreciate your ability to let me mould you the way the Supreme wants me to mould you. So outer achievement is no achievement in this case. Some disciples say, "If I make unconditional surrender, I will lose so much," or "I have studied so many books, so my unconditional surrender will be most striking." But I wish to say that if you know so many things, if you have, say, a very developed mind, then you will have to unlearn many things in order to make unconditional surrender.

Again, if you come with outer achievement and make yourself totally, unconditionally surrendered, naturally, all the qualities that you have will be utilised by the divine Will. Those qualities I will not negate. I will not say that they are useless. No, I can use them. Previously you used them for a different purpose: for your own benefit, your own joy and pleasure. Now you will be using them under the divine guidance for a divine cause. So we will not negate the human qualities. Again, if somebody does not have outer achievement and if that person becomes truly surrendered, I wish to say that I will be able to mould him in my own way like a lump of clay that is not yet formed. Then that person becomes my most important, invaluable instrument.