Guru Purnima is a festival dedicated to honouring gurus, spiritual leaders, mentors, teachers and anyone who has removed your ignorance and brought even a little more knowledge into your life. Each year, this festival is celebrated on a full moon day of the Hindu month of Ashadha. This year it is being celebrated today, 29th July, 2026.

The festival is celebrated across India, especially in ashrams and spiritual organisations. Every year, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s The Art of Living celebrates Guru Purnima by organising satsangs, guided meditation, and reflection sessions.

According to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Guru Purnima is the seeker’s New Year. He believes that it is the best day to pause and reflect on how we have lived this past year; how much we have grown; how much we have progressed on the path of knowledge; and how much inner strength we have gained. With this wisdom in mind, here are some motivational quotes by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on surrender and devotion that can inspire today's youth.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s The Art of Living celebrates Guru Purnima by organising reflection sessions (Image: Facebook/theartofliving)

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Quotes On Surrender And Devotion

  • "We think surrender is a sign of weakness, when in fact, it is a sign of strength. Surrender comes with knowledge, realisation, and gratefulness."
  • "When someone is drowning in the ocean of attachments, surrender is the life jacket they can put on and wait for the rescue team."
  • "The greatest power is in surrender to the divinity."
  • "Surrender is not an act. It is a state of your being."
  • "Devotion is the pinnacle of Love (nectar of Love for the Divine). Only devotion can bring contentment & it is the highest attainment of life."
  • "Devotion is ultimate love, the pinnacle of love."
  • "Surrender is about the past; you are pure in the present moment. Honour the purity without ascertaining it & you can lead the world with equanimity."
  • "Surrender doesn’t mean the absence of action. Be active; be dynamic, but not obsessed with the feverishness about fulfilling the desires."
  • "Letting go, relaxing and smiling is what the meaning of surrender is."
  • "When you feel weak - surrender. When you feel strong - do seva.”
  • "Surrender happens spontaneously with the knowledge that you are not in control of anything, not even your thoughts or feelings. When you realise that you are not in control of your life, but some supreme law governs life, then surrender happens."
  • "Overcome lust and dance to some devotional music. Move your body, with eyes closed, surrender to the music."
  • "If something is bothering you in your head, offering that botheration is surrender."
  • "Surrender happens when you know that your life is insignificant in the span of time and space. When you know there are millions and millions of stars, how big the solar system is, where the Earth is – then what is one’s life? When you see this, surrender has happened."
  • "Surrendering to the Lord, you can achieve the fully blossomed state of consciousness."
  • "If you pray to God with all your heart, (dropping the sorrow which simply means hanging onto the past) then whatever you desire will be given to you."
  • "Despite being amidst all pleasures and worldly things, one is completely untouched, untainted and unstained by the events and happenings."
  • "Look at the events come, pass and go. According to their own law of karma, both pleasant and unpleasant events come and pass through you."
  • "If too many desires come in your mind, or too much restlessness and agitation, then food, atmosphere and association have been the cause."
  • "Do not hurt anyone with your speech, for the Divine dwells in every heart."
  • "When you can feel ‘I am not the doer,’ when this confidence, this faith dawns on you, that is nectar. With that, you will become happy".
  • "When you see events as just ‘happenings’, rather than as ‘doings’, you are liberated right away."

"Devotion is ultimate love, the pinnacle of love."-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Image: Facebook/theartofliving)

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Surrender is not a sign of weakness but of great strength. It is the art of letting go with trust, living with devotion and acting without attachment. These inspiring quotes by Gurudev offer a timeless insight into this ancient wisdom.