Sharanagati

„A conch shell was blown and all the vaishnavas assembled in the courtyard. All the visiting vaishnavas sat down to honor the festival prasadam. In order to show respect to the renounced vaishnavas, the grihastha vaishnavas waited. There arose loud chanting of the names of Shri Gouranga and Nityananda. Everyone began to take prasad, saying: “Prema sukhe! Be happy with prema!” While taking shak (or spinach) one vaishnava took a few strands in his mouth and cried out: “O, with how much happiness Krishna Candra had eaten this shak!” Taking Krishna prasad, they were all overwhelmed, thinking how Krishna was pleased. After honoring prasadam, everyone got up while chanting: “Haribol!” with love and devotion.”[1]

You see, this devotional life is very simple. You only have to put some nice questions, listen to some nice answers, take nice prasadam, and feel satisfied if Krishna is satisfied.

“The festival organizers gather together some of the vaishnavas’ remnants. When Anand asked Yogi Babaji about this, he replied: “That prasadam, the remnants, is called “nectar of the lips”. Whoever is averse to honoring this “nectar of the lips” due to caste consciousness is a pretender and devoid of equanimity (equal vision). Particularly the visiting vaishnavas have purified all types of people, for by taking their remnants with love, one’s pride of birth is vanquished. When one’s pride of birth is vanquished, one can get krishna bhakti.” Hearing this Anand Baby, Malik Mahashaya and Naren Baby then honored those remnants with great love and devotion. Naren Baby said: “I see that only vaishnavism has the purity to bring unity amongst humans.”

You remember this very nice example that you are standing on the bank of a lake and you are just throwing your pebbles. If you throw your pebbles in one and the same point, there will be harmonious waves on the water. If everybody drops his or her own pebble into different direction, then it will break the picture. So we should concentrate our energy in the service of Krishna. Then there will be harmony. And even if devotees are quarrelling or fighting, that is also harmonious. Because they fight for Krishna’s sake. If we are fighting for our own sake, there is no harmony. But if we put Krishna even in the centre of our fighting, that is good.

[1] From “Prema-pradipa” by Bhaktivinoda Thakura