Sharanagati

To consult people on the same problems for ten years – it’s useless, it’s a waste of time! Therefore the main principle about consultation is: “For you and with you I’m ready to do anything. But instead of you – nothing.” And the start of the change is that I give up the bad habit. So if I go to a spiritual authority and say: “Listen, I have a trouble, but I don’t want to change. Help me, but I will not do anything.” How is that, it’s impossible! It is suggested: Don’t ask a sadhu if you are not ready to accept the advice. It’s not obligatory to ask. But if you ask, you should know the rule: if you ask, you should follow.
So this is a question of spiritual culture. And this is the qualification of the person seeking help – that he should be READY to follow the advice.

Usually in the problems of the people could be traced back two-three vary basic and very similar things: bad impressions in childhood, problems with father and mother, lack of affection that they did not received, some sexual problems, like this… Basically these are the “great” troubles of humanity, nothing special. Everybody thinks that “O, my case is very serious!” No, these are the same stereotype problems. Of course, I fully agree that for a person his or her own problems are very great. It’s very easy for me to be clever in your case and give good advice to you, although I’m not able to handle my life. So therefore another rule: that you should pay attention to the advice that you are distributing to others.

Once a mother approached a guru with her child. And the mother told the guru: “Dear master, I have a problem with this kid!” “O mother, tell me what is the problem, the kid is so nice!” And she said: “A, this is the problem. He takes too much sweets. I’m unable to control this kid. Can you help?” Guru was thinking for a while and he said: “Come back two weeks later.” So two weeks later they return and the mother was expecting some special trick on the boy, but finally the guru said: “My dear boy, you should not take too much sweets!” The mother was perplexed and finally said: “Couldn’t you tell the same message to my boy two weeks ago?” And he said: “No! Because at that time I was taking too much sweets myself. So first I had to change MY habits and then my words will have some effect.”

This is very much true; without practicing you cannot have effect. Solution of the problems is usually very simple message: “Go on like this, try to improve yourself, chant your mantras, pray to God.” What can you say: “O, I’m suffering because of my bad consciousness.” Come to good consciousness! What can be said – message is very simple, always. But if it is coming from a pure source, then it will have great effect. If it is coming from a bad source, it will have a disastrous effect. Therefore it is said: “To listen for Hari-katha from a-vaishnava sources is dangerous just like the milk, touched by the lips of a snake.” The snake likes the milk; but when the snake touches the milk it becomes poisonous. Milk is considered the best foodstuff, the most purified; but when it is poisonous, then it’s killing. In the same way the most beneficial message that we can ever have this is the divine talks about God. But if it is coming from unqualified source or an offensive source, then this is detrimental.