What determines one's level of surrender?

Question from a devotee:  What determines one's level of surrender?  Is there some way of knowing how far we have succeeded in the process?

Answer by Swamiji: It is not easy to judge one's level of surrender, since it is such a broad term.  Only God and our Guru can truly know how much we have advanced.  However, a simple parameter, which can give us some idea, is to see how much our mind has gotten detached from the world and the extent to which it has gotten attached to God.  This is a simple rule of thumb to measure our advancement.

Do a reading of yourself.  When you suffer reversals in the world, how upset do you become?  If you find that earlier, you would keep brooding when someone insulted you, but now you are able to forget it in an hour's time, then you can conclude that you are progressing; your mind is becoming detached from the world, and your spiritual power is increasing; hence, you are able to remain normal in trying circumstances.

Again, analyze how much does your mind yearns for spiritual association.  If earlier, whenever you had free time, you wished to spend it in seeing movies, but now you seek opportunities to sing devotional kīrtans, it is a sure sign that you are progressing and that your mind is getting attached to the spiritual realm.