I was reading Sri Aurobindo's article where Mother Mirra Alfassa was having an interaction with goddess Durga. Mother said that Durga has surrendered to the divine, meaning that before this she was only acting as an unconscious instrument. But now after the surrender, she is much conscious of the divine and it makes a large difference. Why is there such seperatness between a deity and the divine?, isn't a deity viewed as divine himself? Has Yogananda ever mentioned about this in his works?
—S, India
Dear Friend,
I don’t have the advantage of reading the article but I would caution you from taking the exchange too literally. The phrase “surrender to the Divine” is something even great saints and avatars will express.
In any case, any embodied being, whether a god, goddess, or a human is already, by definition, “separate” from cosmic consciousness. That all beings act to some degree independently from the Cosmic Source is a necessary aspect of the duality into which creation is placed. When a Being is in tune with the Divine he/she can act as an instrument whether consciously or not. When one is free from one’s own karma, what else is left except divine attunement?
Yogananda was asked the same question in a different context but his reply is still helpful: “You never lose your sense of inner freedom!”
Lastly I should add that these exchanges between enlightened beings are often meant for us, to give inspiration and an example of how to live.
So do not be concerned! Okay?
Nayaswami Hriman
