Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 10.01.2019 evening, Sofia)

(continues from the previous Friday)

Once a young man asked his master, “How to find my duty in life?” Is it a good question? I think it’s a very appropriate question. Because if you don’t know what is the purpose of your life, how you will live? You will waste some more years from your life and then it will be more difficult to create the balance. So, he had this question, and then the sadhu gave a specific answer to this inquiry. He said – just like that fortune teller in the previous lecture: “I see two ways.” One way is what we have been practicing for innumerable lifetimes – we try, we try to find our place. We try this profession, we don’t like it and we try to change it. We try that occupation and then we change it. We try this role in life and then we fail. We try another part of life and we enjoy it. So, this is what we are doing all the time – trying to find our place. For some time you take shelter and sooner or later you will change it, because you feel that ‘this is not my ultimate engagement, this is not the proper place for me’. This we can call an experimental method – to find your proper place, your destiny, so to say. 

The other method is, you ask an authority, “Please tell me, what is good for me”. Because if I don’t know, I can try to find my place; or I can go to someone who will know and ask directly, “Tell me, what am I to do?” Usually we know who our mother is. So, if you want to understand who your father is, you can start a biological analysis or do genetic structure test to find out. Or you can simply go to your mother and ask, “My dear mother, please tell me who is my father.” And she will tell. 

So, authority means knowledge, full conviction. Knowledge beyond our limits – this we can call an authority. The authority is who knows. Therefore if you want to find our proper place in this lifetime, you can go on trying; or you can find an authority and ask him or her, “Please tell me, what is the proper place for me, what is the proper prospect for me?” So, which method do you prefer? 

Answer: The easy one – to ask.

Swami Tirtha: Theoretically we prefer the inquiry, but practically we follow the other path – trying and trying and trying. And I definitely agree: if we receive an instruction and if we try to follow it, that is not easy. Nevertheless, it is very glorious if we can follow the instruction. 

(to be continued)