Q: In my case, surrendering and devotion to lord Shiva comes to me more naturally. I know the base of this yoga is surrendering and opening to the Mother, but is there any problem if we surrender and open to our Ishta devatas instead, and since the divine is one, opening to the Mother?
ALOKDA: Each god comes into existence through a conscious self-limitation of the Supreme Divine. The Name and Form serve a certain function and purpose. Generally, the gods being fully conscious do not interfere with the function of other gods as it may create an imbalance in creation. Thus, if one seeks Moksha and Vairagya then Shiva is the power who destroys all illusion born of Ignorance.
Going beyond the gods is nothing new to Sanatan Dharma. This does not mean that it belittles the gods and their function in anyway. It simply means that one seeks to connect directly with the Supreme. Here however the goal is transformation of earth nature something that has never been done before. The power and the mandate for accomplishing this is with the Mother. Gods can help in their own way towards this but cannot accomplish this.
Surrender implies handing over oneself into the hands of the one to whom we surrender, opens us to the influence of the power embodied by the one at whose feet we surrender. Naturally, it has to be spontaneous and not under any outer compulsion. Generally, someone close to an ishta devata comes to the Mother because it is the ishta devata who knowing the true soul need or inner aspiration impels us towards the Mother.
Bhakti does not follow the norms of the mind and its list of do’s and don’ts. So do not worry. Follow the deepest instinct of your heart. You have been led to Sri Aurobindo by your ishta devata himself. Slowly your bhakti will deepen and grow into bhakti and surrender towards the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
About Savitri | B1C2-12 The Earth as a Field for Union of Matter and the Spirit (pp.19-20)