Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 04.05.2018, Rila)

(continues from the previous Monday)

We have to treat the holy name with the utmost attention and care. It is non-different from the Supreme Lord. Pay attention. If Krishna enters your life, you might pay some attention. Yet if the holy name enters our life, we don’t pay the same attention? It is a mistake.

You know, familiarity breeds contempt. If we have something every day, it is very difficult to appreciate it. Especially for the westerners. We always search for new things. And then we are cheated by the same stuff, but in a new package – the old wine in a new bottle. And you buy it. Although you know that this is the same stuff, you buy it. Because you are searching for something new. Therefore, we need to qualify, to purify our search, because we have to search for the original. Do you see the difference? Search for the new one, new stuff; and search for the original one. That is much higher. Therefore, we have to treat the holy name as something very sacred, very dear to us.

Plus, all the divine mellows are included in the Holy Name. Krish-na – how much nectar is in Your name? We have to cultivate that in order to achieve more and more realizations.

The holy name is complete and perfect in all respects. Nothing is missing. You know there are three aspects of Krishna. One is purnam, full. The second is purnatara, fuller. And the third one is purnatama, absolutely full. One is full – it’s not that anything is missing. It’s full. But the next moment, the next day, He is more full, more complete. And when we reach Him in His most complete form, then He is purnatama, absolutely complete. So, Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan: Brahman is full, complete; Paramatma is more complete; and the Bhagavan aspect is absolutely more complete.

And the holy name is immaculate. In order to be connected, we have to chant in a very pure manner. As it is so important, of course there are some dangers in chanting the holy name. Usually we don’t speak about that, right? Usually we don’t discuss the topics like ‘you are in maya’, ‘there are so many demons around’, and ‘there are offences to the holy name’. Recently, I met a really angelic friend, he is like an angel. And he told me that, “Well, now my teachers, my instructors, they want to tell me how many demoniac beings are around. So, last time I was travelling on the train, I tried my best to see the demons around. None! I didn’t see any!”

Isn’t that beautiful? If your vision is so pure that even if you are instructed to scrutinize the demons, you don’t see them. This is what I call an angelic vision. ‘I don’t see anything bad around me.’ So pure, so immaculate! This vision we have to develop.

(to be continued)