Sharanagati

Collected words from talks of Swami Tirtha




RadhaKrsnadancing

You can find the worship of God through the holy names in all major religions. What is the second part for example of the Lord’s Prayer?

Champaka: „Hallowed be Thy name”.

Tirtha Maharaj: Correct. So it is there! Although not very obvious and not so elaborate practice is there, but it is mentioned: hallowed be Thy name. Or in the Islam tradition, sufi mysticism, how many names of God they have? Ninety nine. So from this we can understand that the holy name is there in all the different religions and traditions. And in Bhakti a special importance is given to the holy name. God can be glorified through the holy names and in the holy names, because nama and nami are no different. That is very much different from the everyday perception. Let’s take an example: when I am thirsty and I will chant the name: “water, water”, my thirst will not diminish. So there is a difference between the name and the subject. Not with God. He is not different from His name. When we say: “Krishna, Krishna”, then He is dancing on the lips of His devotee. Is there anything more to be achieved? Dance with God.

Therefore the holy name is the perfect meditation for the present age. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu brought a special mantra for this. This is a combination of different aspects and different names of God. One is Krishna and this is not a sectarian name, but it means The all-attractive, God as an all-attractive personality. So if we want to name God – which is quite a demanding task – we can say that He is very attractive. He is not only creator, maintainer and this and that, but He is very attractive. Just think; try to imagine God as attractive thing – that is Krishna. Then this Krishna is attractive, because He is very beautiful. We are naturally attracted to beauty. Is there any person, any human being who says: “I don’t like beauty”? “I like only ugly things.” I did not meet such a person so far, so we are attracted to beauty. And Krishna is ultimate beauty, but He is not alone. Ultimate Love, divine Love is always with Him. That is Hare, or Hara in vocative. And Rama – Rama has different meanings, but one meaning is that happiness, that spiritual happiness, that comes from the union of Beauty and Love.

Therefore this mantra is very special, this mantra is used in personal meditation. And they also sing, sing it together, aloud. When you chant it alone it is very powerful; when you chant it together with other pure hearted persons, then its power is multiplied.

 



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