Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 03.10.2017 morning, Sofia)

Harmony is beauty’s necessity. “Just as a serpent moves in a crooked way, similarly is the nature of love’s progress.” This is a quotation from Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita[1]: aher iva gatih premnah svabhava-kutila bhavet. Kutila means this meandering movement. And what was the name of the most famous politologist of ancient India? Chanakya, correct. And what was his other name? Kautilya. That means politics also move like this. It’s a tricky thing.

Hari Lila: Ever since ancient times.

Swami Tirtha: But love also moves in the same way. Ever since ancient times. And why? “The nature of affection is not straightforward, because it has to accommodate everything in it. Everything that is possible in existence is accommodated in love. Love means sacrifice to such a high degree that it can embrace everything.”[2]

Do you agree? Let me give an example. Once a devotee met a lady; the son of that lady was a murderer. And they were discussing without touching this topic, of course. But after some time the lady came up with a remark, she said: “Still I love my son.” Although he is a murderer.

Of course, these are very extreme examples, but I think it very much supports the opinion of Shrila Shridhara Maharaj that love should be so great that it can accommodate practically everything. Sometimes even if we are bitten up by our lovers, we enjoy it. Everything is a question of relationship. Then so many different factors might bring you satisfaction. Or at least feedback: ‘Yes, he pays some attention on me.’

Yet we agreed before that in our understanding love is not an emotion, but it’s a vision; so we shouldn’t be too concerned with the sometimes awkward feelings or events of human relationships. Because more or less, basically they are controlled by illusion. We’d better pay attention to love or affection as an attitude, as a paradigm, as a view.

So, “Love means sacrifice to such a high degree that it can embrace everything. The movement of love is generally crooked. And for the satisfaction of Krishna, it has been designed this way by the Lord’s divine power yoga-maya in order to prevent any staleness or sterility from entering the pastimes.”

You know, disturbance is a signal of life. If everything is working too smoothly, it’s boring. And of course, we have heard that to those whom God loves He gives some troubles, some trials. Once I mentioned this at a lecture and somebody from the back row said: “Maybe I’m going in a very wrong direction. For many years I didn’t have any trouble in life.” I’m not sure that it indicates that you are going in a wrong direction. Maybe you enjoy some very special blessings. Or you can reap the fruits of your good karma.

So, there are different factors to motivate all these things. Nevertheless, many times we perceive this antagonism or opposition in our life; sometimes it is favorable, other times it looks like unfavorable.

(to be continued)

[1] CC, Madhya 14.163

[2] From Shrila Shridhara Maharaj’s Centenary Anthology