A passive surgical manipulator for holding and positioning a surgical instrument is described. The passive surgical manipulator has a frame, a first suspension arm arrangement connecting the frame in an articulated manner to a first joint, and a second suspension arm arrangement connecting the frame in an articulated manner to a second joint. The two suspension arm arrangements are implemented so that the first joint is displaceable in a first motion plane and the second joint is displaceable in a second motion plane. Also, a first actuating device has a first interface, a second actuating device has a second interface, a third actuating device has a third interface, and a fourth actuating device has a fourth interface for temporarily receiving a corresponding interface of a handheld drive unit for transferring an actuating motion to displace the first and second joints.
