Sharanagati

Collected words from talks of Swami Tirtha




seeds_of_love

Let me quote a few words, few pages from one very important and nice book from Shrila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaj, The worship of Shri Guru. We shall start on the 108 page and here it is said Faith with taste. I think even to quote this title is enough – Faith with taste. Even from this title we can understand that it’s not a simple faith, this is faith full of taste. And this is the way how we should live, how we should dedicate our lives to something with all the spiritual assets that we have, because the soul is inspired and the human life is meant for spiritual self-realization. Therefore we have to improve ourselves in that respect.

“Brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyava jiva/ guru-krishna prasade pay bhakti-lata bija – “According to their karma all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, some are going down into lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master such a person receives the seed of creeper of devotional service.”[1] Wandering and wandering in lakhas of brahmandas, universes, one is a fortunate soul who by the mercy of Krishna and guru gets the seed of bhakti-kripa. What is that seed? It is shraddha, faith. However this shraddha is not ordinary shraddha. A karmi has also some shraddha, a gyani has shraddha and a bhakta also has shraddha. If you just say shraddha, it is not enough. In the words of sadhu, shastra and guru there is an adjective to it: ruchi-yukta-shraddha, or faith with taste. This kind of faith is not available even after wandering in lakhas of brahmandas, but it is very easily available by the mercy of a sadhu. If guru-pad-padma becomes very, very merciful and if he wants to give some fortunate jiva his most beloved beautiful Shyamasundara, then by his merciful will that seed is available. Otherwise it will never be available. Just by his mere desire that guru-pad-padma, bhakta-bhagavat-vaishnava can give that seed. Those who are very fortunate – bhagyavan – they get it. Those who are ill-fated they cannot get it. One should develop a very intense desire how to render loving service unto the lotus feet of guru and vaishnavas. Krishna is the object of love and His dear devotees – sadhu, guru, vaishnavas – are also the objects of love. Only one who has developed a keen desire or inquiry in his heart gets it; otherwise no one can get it.”

So, this is about how to obtain the seed of devotional faith. Good fortune and mercy. Good fortune is your part and the mercy is approaching you. Then he continues:

“Today, on this auspicious occasion, I have gotten this opportunity to offer my prayers at the lotus feet of such gurus and guru-vargas. I don’t know if their mercy will be available for me or not. I don’t know if I have good fortune or ill fate. Still I have a very strong desire to get their mercy. I am greatly greedy person for that. For these last two days you have arranged this guru-puja and spent much valuable time. As a friend I must tell you I have many frailties, weaknesses and disqualifications in me. I am telling you the truth. We have all come here being attracted to the lotus feet of guru-pad-padma, our revered spiritual master A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the previous acharyas. Those gurus are very rich people. They are not materially rich, but their wealth is prema-dhana, love of God. We have come here with the greed how to get that wealth, that prema-dhana. This is our purpose in coming here.”

 

(to be continued)

[1] Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya-lila 19.151



Leave a Reply