Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 01.10.2017 morning, Sofia)

(answer continues from the previous Monday)

Question of Tejasvini: Many times I’m making mistakes and I’m not wise enough to realize them, I cannot realize what exactly my mistake was and I repeat it again and again. How can we come to the platform to understand where our shortcomings are?

Swami Tirtha: We have to be very polished in our inquiries. It is not easy to have proper questions to a sadhu. Because what do we have in our bag? Only the experience that we have collected so far. Not so much spiritual experience. But in the holy company of the devotees we shall be able to collect some treasures in our bag. If you associate with devotees, then you’ll have new topics in your life. You will have new objectives. Like: how to decorate the altar? That’s such a nice problem! Why this white flower, why not yellow? One of my favorite memories is when at the end of the day my dear god-brother was arranging on the altar Radha-Gopivallabha for Their evening rest and all of a sudden he appeared from behind the curtain in the temple room and said: “Didn’t you see the earring of Krishna?” Somehow it was missing. Then everybody started to search on the floor: where is the earring of Krishna? Such a nice problem – your evening engagement is to search for the earring of Krishna.

This is what I mean: if you associate with the devotees, you will have problems, you will have difficulties, but very sweet. Because who knows where our Krishna had been during the day!? You think that He is standing on the altar. How do you know? We can never know. And sometimes He makes mistakes – losing some earring here and there, leaving some footstep here and there – then we can trace: „You naughty boy, again You were off the altar, ha?! You give up you duty and You go enjoying life, ha?”

But such is our Lord. Because maybe He was searching for you. “Where are you, My dear one? Why are you not with Me? I’m waiting for you here in My temple, why don’t you come? Why don’t you run after Me? If you don’t run after Me, I will run after you. I will catch you.”

You know, Krishna is small. And He is weak also. And Balaram is very strong. And when they fight and they form the groups, usually somebody has to be the strong guy in Krishna’s group also, to achieve balance. So if Krishna is ready to play the small and weak guy, what kind of intimacy there is! The omnipotent God is ready to come as a weak one! What is the reason for that? Only to extract more attention from you. ‘I have to take care of Him, because He is so weak. I have to protect Him.” If you are very strong, nobody will come and help you, right? He’ll say: ‘Ah, this guy is strong enough, he doesn’t need any help.’ But if you are weak – and also one more quality, sweet – then everybody will run and help you. ‘Ah, he is so sweet, but so weak, so let’s help him!’ This is a question of rasa, connection – how to extract more! Ultimately, this is the point in prema-bhakti – how to extract more feelings from the relationship.

In the company of the gopas, Krishna experiences these power-games. What does He experience in the company of the gopis?

Somebody: Love games.

Swami Tirtha: Hmmmm, not only.

Another: Separation.

Swami Tirtha: For Krishna? No. He goes either here or there – no separation for Him. Separation is for the gopis. Two things – one is knowledge and the other is emotion. So these games – the knowledge-games and the emotional games – He enjoys in the company of the gopis. But here also the main point is: How to extract more? What is more interesting?

Therefore we also need to qualify ourselves – so to say, to be interesting for God. So that He pays attention to you. This is what was explained by Shridhara Maharaj, but in a way that says “try to be negative”. Negative in the sense that Krishna is the absolute positive and if you are an absolute negative, then the attraction will grow. It is said in the Krishna Book that Krishna has unlimited mercy. And He is ready to exercise His unlimited mercy in unlimited ways with His devotees. If you are strong and knowledgeable and accomplished in all respects, who will pay attention on you? Especially Mahaprabhu came for the fallen souls, not for the accomplished guys. This is the feeling of negativity: “I’m so far from You!” Govinda virahena me[1] – “In Your absence this whole world is empty.”

I think I didn’t answer your question how not to repeat our mistakes. But maybe you don’t mind.

[1] Shikshashtakam 7