Sharanagati

 

Shrila Shridhar Maharaj is floating in the topic of guru-tattva and concludes the discussion actually with a very important distinction – what is the difference between the achievements of bhakti and the achievements of general liberation. He says: “If you are attracted to the Absolute thread, absolute importance, but you cannot really give up the limited conceptions, then you will stop in between the two, in nirvisesa – simple liberation, where the service mood is missing.” This is the difference! It’s not the moksha. What is the distinction here? You have no loving serving mood, while on the other plane you have it. This is very important theological conclusion. 

And actually the vaishnava saints do not teach you about liberation. Our focus is not on liberation. Our focus is on loving connection. Therefore after a certain time, after a certain level of understanding you don’t want to achieve moksha. Because if we can have the chance for service, for devotees, for deities, for cows, if we have the chance for all kind of services that you can have there, and if we can have them here, why should we move? So, wherever Krishna puts us, we can be satisfied. If he wants us to stay here – ‘All right my Lord, please give me sadhu-sanga, give me the holy names, give me chance of other services and then I am satisfied!’ You see, this is not unconditional. This is our condition, so what can we do? But if He wants to invite us back home, and if we shall have the same conditions – then we are satisfied there also. Therefore the devotees are happy – they are doing here what they will do over there. So better we start to like our services. Because if you don’t like to make the garlands – eternally you will make them! Come on! Better you start liking it. And I am serious. Therefore we must develop a real, very positive, very good attitude to our services. Because according to our sadhana we shall reach our goal. According to your practice you will reach perfection. So, if we are negligent in our service, then probably Krishna will be negligent in providing us liberation, or return. 

So, he comes to an important theological conclusion; it’s almost hidden, otherwise we wouldn’t even recognize it. And then all of a sudden he jumps, he says: “We want Shakti and Shaktiman. And especially Shakti.” Strange enough, yesterday in a discussion I mentioned this quotation from Shrila Raghunath Das Goswami, when he says: “Without my master I don’t like Vrindavana; without Radharani I don’t like Krishna. Without this principle the whole liberation is just like a poisonous snake.” 

Here is something very essential! And this is the way of the acharyas. They speak about something that you can easily chew, follow and understand. “Oh, yes! Guru-tattva is like this, guru-tattva is like that. And then – a revelation, a thunderbolt! “Oh, we want the essence! We want both Shakti, the potency, and the possessor of potency.” And why he says it’s better to focus on Radharani? Because She is full of Krishna. What happens if your focus is on Krishna? He is full of?

Answer: Radharani.

Swami Tirtha: Well, sometimes Radharani, sometimes others. He is a diverse, a very colorful personality. But if we’re focused on Radharani, She is focused. Krishna’s focus is sometimes dispersed.