Sharanagati

Question: I was wondering what is the use, what is the benefit of material nature, of all emotions and feelings that it generates? Because all the time we speak that all the problems come from the material nature, but if it exists there must be some purpose in it? Material love – what is the use of it?

Tirtha Maharaj: Well, everything – intellectual and emotional – is a manifestation of the primary rasa, the primary connection to Krishna – love. But this is a reflection only. This is not full, not the complete picture. Yet until you have not tasted love in ideal sense – not the physical contact of the bodies, but the special feeling, you know – until then it is very difficult to understand what it means to fall in love with Krishna. And we can learn a lot from illusion. Because here on earth immediately you can understand that there is no love without suffering. Right, they always go together! And you want something that is only love? No! Even devotional life, even devotional love will create pain in your heart. But of course that pain is different from this pain. Yet everybody is searching for fulfillment. The only problem is that those types of fulfillment that we try to find in the matter are limited. Therefore this ultimate frustration, coming from illusion, makes you search for something else.

And then it starts to function in a different way. As soon as you understand that you belong to the divine world, your connection, your attitude towards illusion will change. You will feel that illusion helps you. It does not only curb you, but it helps you to grow. Because illusion works basically in two ways – giving you the trouble or helping you. “Not this way, not this way”- this is help! However bitter understanding is this. To understand that this is not the way, this is not the way – this is bitter experience. Still it helps. Not to search for happiness in the mud, but to raise your eyes.

And there is another explanation of the benefits of material creation. Without falling from tatastha position – that intermediate position, original position of the soul coming from the demarcation line between the matter and spirit – without coming from that position you could not find your way back. If you are in such unmanifest position, so to say, like in the tatastha-shakti, you cannot feel the ecstasy of devotional life. So from that point of view entering maya helps us to taste higher rasa. Therefore it is said that the original balance of the souls is just kicked out, broken by Radhika. Because She wants you to return. Does it make any sense?

Comment: Looks like material world is given by God as a perfect way to Him.

Tirtha Maharaj: I would say this is given by Him, but it is an imperfect way. From this imperfection we should understand what perfection is.

But finally there is no material world. If you have the vision, this is only spirit everywhere. If that change of vision comes, then hell becomes heaven. But if we don’t have that vision, heaven becomes hell.

This is a complicated question. But still we should respect somehow the divine creation. Because material sphere is the place where Krishna manifests His, so to say, limited pastimes. Spiritual sky is for unlimited pastimes, it is a little bit different. So even the material sky is for Him, not for us.