Sharanagati

Question of Yamuna: Maharaj, there is a famous saying from the books of Paolo Coelho which says: “Follow the signs.” And I feel that there is a connection between this thought and our devotional philosophy. So how can we follow the signs? How can we learn to see them in proper way and follow them? How can we understand the signs?

Tirtha Maharaj: First of all a little remark. These types of books are the prostitutes of the spiritual path. They are on a very low level, very low platform, therefore they are very popular. Still we should take the gold even from the pile of garbage. That is what an intelligent person is doing.

And how to read and how to follow the signs – this is a great science. And this science can be studied; but also by purification you will understand more and more about this – reading the signs on others, in your life, on different levels. This is a great science; it is called physiognomy, for example – to read from the bodily signs. Or if you see some good or bad omens you can also see direction. But anyway our main direction is given by Chaitanya Mahaprabhun – that whatever circumstances you have, take the holy name and be happy. This is a general solution.

Question of Yadunath: Things just get harder and entering a new level. Because actually, if I am not mistaken, Paramadvaiti Maharaj said in a lecture of his that Coelho is a bhakti-yogi. So talking about the scope and depth and mixing it all together, if we try to serve the others and spread bhakti, spread divine mercy, mercy of divine love, mercy of Divine Couple, but in a more popular way, thus trying to get more people involved aren’t we threatened to be in some way spiritual pimps, or providing food for spiritual consumers or spiritual prostitution? It could be…

Tirtha Maharaj: It could be. Anyway, I mentioned that this type of books… you know, there is a light version and there is a deep version of everything. So if we get only the light version, that is not the real thing and in this way that is a kind of half solution. Half-truth is worse than ignorance.

But from another point of view of course everybody is a vaishnava, everybody is a bhakti-yogi. From ontological point of view everybody is coming from God and therefore he belongs to Him in an affectionate manner. And on the reflection level also, because everybody is searching for love, right, happiness, love, in the realm of maya also. So either in the real sense or in the fake sense, everybody is a bhakti-yogi searching for love. But instead of the half solutions we should come to the real solutions.

But fame compromises, it corrupts, we can say. Half of the world is talking about nonsense fictions and very few people talk about Shrila Shridhara Maharaj wisdom. What you cultivate, you will get it.