


Sharanagati
Collected words from talks of Swami Tirtha
Some souls are very fortunate because they can hold the precious stones in their palms, or they can start serving the devotees at a young age. Just calculate how many years, how many lifetimes we have wasted! But, if we start serving our superiors and being connected to the devotees, then a new chapter of our life should start. All things must pass, but some few things will stay. What will stay with us? That is permanent. Everything that is impermanent will pass, fade away, but everything that is on the permanent, spiritual platform will stay with us forever. We started to discuss how we should practice this process of dedication, sharanagati. There were the six elements: humility and dedication of the self; practice of the favorable things to devotion and avoidance of unfavorable; and then accepting Krishna as a maintainer and a protector. These six practices are categorized in pairs – the first two is like the entrance, the second two is your subjective contribution and the third two is like an objective feature of Krishna, approach to the Supreme. So, where should we start?
Answer: From the beginning.
Swami Tirtha: From the beginning, all right. So, you want the bitter pills first. Because then we have to know what is favorable and what is unfavorable in our spiritual practices. You have been practicing one very favorable service – coming together, joining and singing the holy names. No doubt, this will bring unity for the devotees and this is one of the most favorable, I mean most beloved service that Krishna accepts, something very dear to Him. Because He likes to be mentioned, He likes to be called out, just like we all like when our names are called.
But let’s start at the beginning, yes. What is favorable and what is unfavorable. From these two versions which one you would like to hear first?
Answer: The unfavorable.
Swami Tirtha: Are you sure?
Comment: It should be the same. Only vice versa.
Swami Tirtha: That’s a good point, but as the unfavorable is like limitations and the favorable is like recommendations they are nevertheless a little different. So, let’s start with the first. This list is coming from Srila Rupa Goswami and he identifies 64 different practices of spiritual life. And interesting enough, there are 64 excellences of Krishna and Srimati Radharani also, that are mentioned in a list[1]. So, there is a parallel, there is some connection between all these different 64 types or excellences. As we discussed, some considered Bhagavad Gita as pessimistic, others as optimistic, but practically it is realistic. Rupa Goswami is optimistic: he starts with the positive – what should be done in the spiritual practice. I see that we are not on the level of Rupa Goswami yet, because you are more interested in the unfavorable, but this is realistic. Why? Because the first that should be avoided is the offences while serving and chanting. If you have a sincere soul can you commit offences? Mistakes we can make, but offences – no. Because mistake means that you don’t know and you commit some mistake, but this is not intentional. I wouldn’t say that offence means you have a bad intention, but still it might mean that although you know the rule, you do not follow it. But what is the Sanskrit word for offence? Aparadha. Coming from?
Answer: Against Radha.
Swami Tirtha: Yes, apa-radha. Apa means “against” and radha in that contexts means aradhanam – worship, service. Aradhanam is the real service. If you don’t have this mood, this loving, positive cultivation mood – then this is an aparadha[2]. So this is not the long list of mistake, it’s the failure of getting the real mood. Because in different Puranas you will find the list of aparadhas. It’s a long list. For example, it is forbidden to sit on the altar – this is one aparadha. You come into the temple and you just sit on the altar. You wouldn’t do it, you wouldn’t think of that, but if it is on the list of aparadhas – we have to be realistic – some have this idea. Or the other: that you should not enter the temple in a palanquin[3] . Usually you wouldn’t; and many, many other unlimited rules and regulations. But what is the essence? Try to get the mood, try to capture the mood – what is the proper mood of service.
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