Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 05.01.2019 evening, Sofia)

(continues from the previous Friday)

Radhe Radhe Govinda! Who is Govinda? We started from some theories, mantra, to liberate the consciousness… and finally we have arrived to Govinda. And Radha, you know Her very well. All right, you can ask, Radha we know, but who is this Govinda? Radha is the most beautiful girl in the village, right? But who is this Govinda? You know, in our tradition Radharani is the most charming person in this whole creation. So much so, that there is only one person who is able to appreciate Her and this is God. Only God can understand or appreciate Her beauty, Her charm, Her love, etc. 

From God we expect to be omniscient, right? And we all admire the Supreme. But just imagine, there is someone whom He admires. It is just mind-blowing! We started from liberating the consciousness and now we end up with breaking our head. God is running after someone?! That is incredible. But this is Radha; and who is running after Her? Govinda. Because Krishna-Govinda is so beautiful, that His beauty is marvelous even for Himself. Yes, once when He was on this planet Earth, He entered a palace. And one column was made of polished precious stone. It was reflective like a mirror. Krishna came and when He encountered His reflection in this mirror column, He was amazed. He said, ‘What is this beauty? Who is this incredibly handsome person? Who is this? I cannot imagine’. So, the beauty of God is so great, that it is charming for even Himself. He cannot understand Himself. 

I think sometimes we also share this feature. Sometimes we don’t understand ourselves. I am not sure if it means that we are also gods. But you see, we humans are very similar to Him. Or we can say, He comes in a very similar manner to us. 

Just imagine, the beauty of God Supreme is so super excellent, that it is incomprehensible for Himself. But there is one person, Radha, who can fully appreciate the beauty of Govinda. To be able to appreciate the greatness and the beauty of God, a real partner is necessary. So we can say that the ultimate Beauty and the ultimate Love, Govinda and Radha, their union is the essence of the whole creation. And we can say that this is the liberation of the consciousness. If we are able to think and meditate over the meeting and the divine union of Beauty and Love, then we are relieved of all the possible contaminations of the mind. This is a beautiful invitation  for all of you to join this very aesthetic ecstasy. 

So Radha and Govinda represent this beautiful supreme union, divine meeting. Radha and Govinda. The name of the Supreme is very important. To call somebody by their name is important. What is your good name? 

Answer: Martin.  

Swami Tirtha: If I enter this hall and I say, ‘Hey you!’, most probably you will not pay attention. But if I say, ‘Hey, Martin!’, immediately you will pay attention, right? ‘Somebody is calling me’. Hey Govinda! He will pay attention, ‘Somebody is calling me’. Hey Govinda! Therefore, the ultimate liberation of our consciousness is to become a surrendered servant, a surrendered practitioner in this divine union. An omnipotent God and a surrendered servant – they are an invincible partnership. 

To qualify ourselves, we need to pray – so that the blessings come to us, so that the mercy embraces us. Because the best way is to approach this merciful aspect of God.