Sharanagati

Collected words from talks of Swami Tirtha




(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 04.01.2018 pm, Sofia)

Today I was blessed with the company of a very nice old friend. He is a devotee of Shrila Paramadvaity Maharaja and he is American by nationality, but he is an honorary Hungarian. He speaks perfect Hungarian, which is a miracle. He is a yoga teacher and started to become a devotee in Hungary. And this afternoon we had this meeting with this beautiful old friend – now returning from India to Hungary and on the road he just stopped in Sofia for a while.
You see, this is one advantage of spiritual life of our bhakti process. Because you will have friends all over the world. This is something very precious. And we don’t live in our memories, we don’t live in our past, we don’t live in the future of our hopes. But we live in the eternal happy moment of today.
Therefore, we have to continue our studies about our spiritual science. Which is not only a theoretical construction, but which is living experience. In the morning we started discussing something about the servitude towards the Supreme. And now we have to continue with that.
Shrila Rupa Goswami says: “The devotees of the Lord in servitude are divided into four classes: appointed servants (such as Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva, who are appointed to control over the material modes of passion and ignorance), devotees in servitude who are protected by the Lord, devotees who are always associates, and devotees who are simply following in the footsteps of the Lord. “
So, this is our study for today. Appointed servants.
„In a conversation between Jambavati, one of Krishna’s wives, and Kalindi, her friend, Jambavati inquired, “Who is this personality circumambulating our Krishna?” Kalindi replied, “She is Ambika, the superintendent of all universal affairs.” Then Jambavati inquired, “Who is this personality who is trembling at the sight of Krishna?” Kalindi replied, “He is Lord Shiva.” Then Jambavati inquired, “Who is the person offering prayers?” Kalindi replied, “He is Lord Brahma.” Jambavati then asked, “Who is that person who has fallen on the ground and is offering respect to Krishna?” Kalindi replied, “He is Indra, the king of heaven.” Jambavati next inquired, “Who is this person who has come with the demigods and is laughing with them?” Kalindi replied, “He is my elder brother, Yamaraja, the superintendent of death.”
“This conversation offers a description of all the demigods, including Yamaraja, who are engaged in services appointed by the Lord. They are called adhikrita-devata, or demigods appointed to particular types of departmental service” .[1]
Of course, this cannot happen in Sofia. Because your Mahaprabhu knows all of you very well. But in case He doesn’t recognize you due to some ecstasy, He will ask: “Who is this devotee bringing Me flowers?” And then the ashram leader Tulasi will tell Him: “Oh, this is this devotee.” “Who is that other devotee singing to Me so nicely?” and she will say: “Oh, this is Param.” And then: “Who is this who is cooking in my kitchen?” and she will say: “This is Priya, who stopped her sankirtan activities just to cook for You.” “And who is this other gopi whom I haven’t seen for such a long time?” “This is our Ragichka, having a mission in Hungary.” “And who is this nice devotee who has so much affection for Me?” “This is Valyo, chanting his mantras and professing his faith.” And many others, of course – we cannot accomplish the list. Because hundreds and thousands of devotees are here for the service of Mahaprabhu.
And really, it is like this, today you see only 30-40 people here, but in the Bulgarian Purana it will be written “In the beginning of the 21st Century there was a very strong devotional community in Sofia, and thousands were joining the thundering kirtan of Kripadham.” By the way, our Mahaprabhu will ask – because His eyes are full of tears due to ecstasy – “And who is this nice devotee who has his birthday today?” He is our Kripadham Prabhu, ki jay hoooo! And that is reality, this is our reality! We are not limited to 20-30 people; hundreds and thousands are sitting here. Devotional mathematics are very special. You think one plus one is two. But it’s wrong, it’s incorrect. One plus one is minimum three. One – you, one – the other devotee, plus the loving friendship service attitude between you. In union, in harmony, the small is growing. In disharmony, in distrust even the strong is weak. So, please, cultivate what you have! Then the local Purana will tell the truth: “In the beginning of the 21st Century there was a very strong united group of devotees here, in Sofia. And thousands were gathering in the service of Mahaprabhu.”
These are the appointed servants. So please, qualify yourself to be appointed to a special type of service.

(to be continued)

1. Nectar of devotion, Ch. 36



Leave a Reply