Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 04.01.2020 evening, Sofia)

(continues from the previous Monday)

So, enough is enough! Enough of collecting material stuff – this is the version of a spiritual person. A materialist will try to collect and be satisfied. A spiritual person doesn’t want to collect and is satisfied. What about a bhakta? A bhakta is a third type. Not a materialistic person; but he is not satisfied with not collecting things. He is a kind of spiritual, but still dissatisfied. So, I told everyone, beware. This is a very dangerous process. You cannot accumulate all the possessions of the world, and you cannot be satisfied.
A devotee is a very special type. He wants to collect all the treasures possible. And is ready not to be satisfied. Enough is enough. My search for happiness – enough of that. My collecting material stuff – enough of that. My collecting spiritual achievements – enough of that. Then what do you want? We want a beautiful version of reality.
In the Gita it is said that a yogi is satisfied with what he has achieved. Are you satisfied with what you have achieved? That’s a tricky question. Because if you say: “Yes”, then I will say: “Ah very nice, then you just go and practice your yoga”. If you say: “No”, then again you will hear “All right, then practice your bhakti”.
But you have to be very careful about this ‘enough is enough’. It’s a spiritual attitude. We are not chasing after spiritual achievements. Enough, enough of that collection! But we are searching for something else. A more refined, a more delicate search. And from that it’s never enough. Why? Because it is not our satisfaction, but it is the satisfaction of the Divine Couple. And if you ask Govinda: “Did You have enough?” So-so. Or if you ask Shrimati Radharani: “And what about You? Did You have enough?” Well, sometimes when they are in an angry mood, the gopis will say: “We have had enough of this whole affair!” But basically, Beauty and Love want more, more and more of each other. So actually this is the original source of this totally impossible, unquenchable thirst of the human soul. Why do we want more? Because originally Beauty and Love want more and more from each other. Krishna wants to show more of His beauty and Radhika wants to embrace more of that beauty in a loving manner.
So, the ultimate version of ‘enough is enough’, is ‘enough is not enough’. We have heard from our masters that even one drop of divine mercy can inundate the whole universe. First you might think that this is a nice poetic expression. But actually we should understand this very deeply, very profoundly. Because one drop of spiritual essence is incomparably greater than the whole material universe – it’s just a different dimension. And it is very much true that one drop of that divine mercy can liberate, inundate and save the whole universe.
So, one drop is enough. But are you satisfied with one drop? Therefore I say we have to be very careful about this expression ‘enough is enough’. Because on the material plane it’s an unquenchable thirst; on the neutral platform, this is true; but on the plane of positive and progressive immortality, the next version is true – ‘enough is not enough’.
All right, but where am I in this great picture? How much percentage have I preserved from my original purity? The nature of my soul – how much is it revealed? Where is my spiritual identity? How much do I act according to body, according to matter, and how much do I act according to spirit? Where is the focus of my vision? If I examine myself – not theoretically, but truly myself – well, there are certain achievements and there are certain shortcomings. I have lost a lot in this lifetime. But I have also gained a lot. So, if we make the balance of our life and it is still positive, on the spiritual side, then we are fortunate.

(to be continued)