Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 05.05.2018, Rila)

(continues from the previous Monday)

The other day we agreed that we have to push our limits. I think in one sense we are beyond our limits. But Jiva Goswami is not. His limits are a little further. If he has got any limits – I think he does not… The first was, so to say, a realistic explanation of the divine names, the second was a rasik explanation of the divine names. Is there anything more? We have reached incredible depths of vision and understanding. What is the next step?

The next step, the next mood of explanation is the purport of the holy names remembering the Divine Couple. “She is called Hara, because She steals Krishna’s mind. She is Radhika, the embodiment of Krishna’s bliss, therefore the way to call Her is ‘Hare’.” Krishna’s hladini-shakti, you have heard about that – it is the bliss energy of Krishna. And this divine bliss, Radhika Svarupini, the self-same form of divine bliss, steals the mind of Krishna. Therefore, She is called ‘Hara’.

Before, we were discussing about Hari. He will remove the ignorance, He will remove the burden. Now we discuss about Hara. Do you see the transition? In remembering the Divine Couple, She comes first.

“Why is He called Krishna? Because He is enchanting the girls of Vraja by His flute sound. He steals their modesty, their morals, their sober mentality and also their pride. Therefore, He is called Krishna.”

Karshati – calling, Krishna is calling, “Come to Me.” And this call, call from God, is a beautiful call, it is a musical call, this is an aesthetic call. He is a musician. He could choose other methods also to help you escape material life, right? He could make your life hell – so that you suffer so much that you want to escape. And that is actually happening. Samsara is a hell, right? So He can burn the forest for you to escape. As He is omnipotent, He has got unlimited ways to push you. But He is not pushing, He is pulling. He is inviting, “Come, come here.”

How can you cross a river? You can cross a river if behind your back the forest is burning – then you will do your best to cross the river. The other motivation to cross the river is if somebody from the other side is calling you, “Hey, come to this side, it is much better than that side.” So, Krishna is calling His devotees by the flute, “Come here, this is much better.” So this is an aesthetic call to ecstasy. And please, if you happen to visit Vrindavan, don’t forget to go to the Temple of Vamshivat. It is very, very beautiful because this is the place where Krishna was calling by flute the gopis. On the walls of the yard of this temple you will find the rasa-dance. One Krishna, one gopi; one Krishna, one gopi; one Krishna, one gopi… all around. This is His invitation, “Come, dance with Me. So far you were running after the ghost of illusion. Now come, run after Me. I am a bigger illusion.” Because Krishna is also called Mayin – a magician. He will put a spell over you.

So, through the flute He is calling. And usually a flute has many holes. How many holes does a flute have? Six or seven. But which sound is the most important on this flute? The first? Fourth? The last one? The highest? Actually the fifth. Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa. Pa – the fifth note. What is the fifth note on Krishna’s flute? What is Pa for? Correct – the fifth note is prema, Divine Love. This is the most important sound on Krishna’s flute. Prema. So you can forget about the other sounds. You can forget about the other holes on the flute. Only this one. Give me only this one. Pa.

Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa. The fifth note in the Indian scale – this is prema. The sound of love – this is the invitation. You are invited for Divine Love. Don’t forget about that. This is our purpose, this is our ideal. You are not born to die. You are born to come closer to this call, the Pa, the fifth note. Then this sound of Krishna’s flute is manifested in the Vedas. Veda Mata, the Gayatri, is Krishna’s flute sound. By this He is enchanting the gopis, removing all the obstacles to this natural flow, natural attraction.

(to be continued)