Sharanagati

Once there was a question on one meeting occasion like this. We had a very nice friend, he was a prospective bhakta, but he was hesitating a little bit. So, he put a question: “Well, what is your advice if somebody is wishing to become a devotee, but he is hesitating?” And the answer was: “Don’t hesitate, jump!“ Because we can come with all the excuses why not – why not to become a happy loving servant of the Supreme. “Oh, I am too young, I want to enjoy life.” “I am too old, I cannot do these practices now.” “I am very poor.” “I am very rich”. We have all this stupid excuses – why not. Try to find with the same enthusiasm why yes! There are only two things that we can lose. One thing we lose if we become devotees and one thing we lose if we don’t become devotees. Which one do you want to hear?

Kripadham: The negative.

Tirtha Maharaj: The negative? They both are positive. Which one first?

Kriphadam: If we don’t become, because there is “no”.

Tirtha Maharaj: If you don’t become devotees, you will miss ecstasy.

Lilavatar: What is positive in this?

Tirtha Maharaj: Well, nobody is so stupid that he wants to miss the nectar. And the other loss – if we become devotees – your chains, this is what you can lose. Your chains – iron or golden doesn’t matter – chains are chains.

Kriphadham: What kind are these chains?

Tirtha Maharaj: Material attachments.

Lilavatar: But with these material things we have to live…

Tirtha Maharaj: No, we live by God’s mercy. And sometimes that manifests in the form of energy, sometimes in form of blessings and other time in form of food, in the form of money, in the form of transport. So we should see the divine mercy functioning in everything. Because this is the thing behind. The obvious form might be different, but the ultimate is that.

Question: Could you please explain how one loses his chains?

Tirtha Maharaj: Losing the chains means freedom. So actually your question is: “How to achieve freedom?” Simply walk out of the prison. It happens if your sentence expires; or you work very hard and you dig a tunnel; or the king will say: “I forgive you, my son!” So, we can lose our chains if all our karma expires. It’s a long process. We can work very hard to dig the tunnel – these are different ways of processes of self-realization: hard job. And what happens if you dig your tunnel, but you come up in the next chamber? Bad luck! The best way is to wait for the mercy. Sometimes write letters: “Oh, my dear King! I am suffering here, please help me!” It works.

You see, there are different ways to achieve the same goal; one is more practical than the other. We have to use our intelligence to choose properly, not to waste the time. If we apply the method of self-realization, then we come closer and closer to this idea and to this reality of freedom. But spiritual freedom is a mystic revelation. Because actually in the material sphere we think that we are free: “I have my freedom”. Yet there we are under control – instincts, culture, chances, whatever. But the real freedom is when you are ready to agree to God’s desire. When you say “yes!” to Him. Not “yes” to yourself, but “yes” to Him. That means that when we are ready to give up our so called freedom and submit ourselves to the divine desire. It looks like losing your freedom, but actually this is gaining the real freedom, the spiritual freedom. Therefore we can say that this is a mystic process. Looks like losing, but actually this is gain.