Sharanagati

(from lecture of B.K.Tirtha Maharaj, 3 of September 2006, Sofia)

“In cold and heat I was suffering a lot; I was spending my life in vain.”

To live in vain – it’s a lack of intelligence. Or we can also say: to live in vain is a bad luck. This time you didn’t get the chance. But don’t live in vain! Live for SOME purpose, some good purpose. And if we are intelligent, we should live for the best purpose. What can be the best purpose? To achieve anything material? No, it will not stay with you. There is a famous historical personality – Alexander the Great. He conquered practically in that time all the civilized nations – from here reaching to India. But then he gave the order to his associates: “When I will die, just put me in such a way that under the cover of my body my hand should be stretching out like this. (open)” Why? Because he wanted to show, that “although I am the emperor of the whole world, I will go empty-handed.”

Whatever you achieve here – material assets – you will just lose it like anything! Then the lazy guy will say: “Then why should I achieve anything? If I will lose everything, then why should I take the trouble?!” But until you did not achieve – how can you renounce? Right? So first get it, in order to give it. We should learn this method – first to work hard, to earn, to get the fruits; then offer it back to God. This is the way NOT to waisт this lifetime.

So don’t live in vain, live for the best purpose.

“And for a little happiness, I had become a servant and a follower of bad people.”

This is the sad story of material existence – that for a little benefit we are ready to do all the nonsense possible. We are ready to serve unqualified people in the hope of some benefit. But we are not ready to serve God, who is best, a well-wisher of everyone, for His satisfaction. Consider your life. How much you have given for yourself, how much you have given in vain – in service to bad people – and how much you have given to Him?

But whatever achievement you might have in life – like great wealth, youth, sons and families – will not provide real happiness. They can give some kind of happiness, but this is only a reflection.

We are part of a learning process. We have to learn what is happiness. First we try the elementary phase. But don’t stick to it, don’t stay there. It’s almost natural that people take the low rasa in the beginning. But don’t stay there – go for the higher truth, the higher taste. And our search will lead us to the divine source.

Life is short. But it takes such a long time to live through. Still compared to eternity it’s just like a flash. But it has meaning only if it is devoted to God, Krishna. Otherwise it is mentioned that like the drop of water is running down on the leaf of the lotus, life is so transient. You cannot make the drop of water to stick to the leaf of the lotus. In this same way you cannot maintain your worldly life for a long time, considerable time – few years only. So for what purpose we use these 50-60-80 years? Live only according to body, to matter, to biology, instincts? Or you find some higher goal. You start to cultivate your soul. From gross bodily consciousness you can come to sukshma sharira , your finer constitution. And then the next step – the atma tattva if you understand – this is the real goal. In this way your hands will be full, full of valuable things. Then you are not a loser.