Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 18.08.2017 morning, Ludasto)

We have to reintegrate into divine reality. With all my humility and with all my capacity I pray to you: try your best, and a little more.

The original function of the soul is a living and loving connection with the Supreme. Hari, guru, vaishnava – they are all serving our benefit. Spiritual life is very delicate. So we have to be very careful, we have to be very sensitive about the desires of the Supreme.

But how to translate these high ideals into practical application? Why should we leave people and let them die in the concept that they are the bodies? Let’s help them understand that they are souls! If we start to achieve something spiritual ourselves, meanwhile we have to help others also to come closer to their spiritually realized platform. If you want your wounds to be healed, try to heal the wounds of others.

But why should we speak about wounds? Wounds don’t exist, it is an illusion. There is no wound on the soul. Atman is perfect. Where do you have your wounds? In the body and mind complex. Get rid of the limited conceptions. Identify yourself as an integral part of the perfect creation of the Supreme. From the divine perspective, this body-mind complex is such a brutal illusion that it doesn’t really exist. It’s a false concept. And then all your troubles are gone. That’s a miracle! Only one thing – and you’ll find the answers to all your questions. Very special! We think that we have to go step by step and first resolve this, then accomplish that, and maybe after I don’t know what I’ll achieve that… No! Right now. If you cannot be happy today, how do you expect that you will be happy tomorrow?

Why? Because the chance for service is not provided. The chance for service is distributed. So, it’s not certain that tomorrow we can do it. Just like this mela – today we still can do something. Tomorrow it’s just gone, finished.

But it will never end. And this is our intensive perfection. Although the material manifestation may dissolve, the essence will stay with us. So, if we started with this: that we need such a spiritual practice, such a God, such a perfection that we can share, that we can live accordingly, then this is our way to try to perceive that.

I was secretly checking on some of you. Once I saw that somebody was asleep and it was so obvious that this devotee was sleeping as a service. Because this bhakta was serving so much that was falling apart and instead of fully falling apart, this devotee tried to collect the spirit in order to go forward, to the next service.

Sanatana: Indulekha.

Swami Tirtha: It’s a good guess. And some more secrets. But I think we all had the chance to see these hidden moments. Hidden episodes.

And I have to express my gratitude to all the devotees who were involved in organizing this mela. Somehow it happened that our dreams came true. It’s very good that he is not in the room, but I think Yanosh should be greeted with ovations.

Yet the deepest gratitude goes to those who participated as guests. Because without them, without you, it’s useless to organize anything. Without somebody to eat the food – what’s the use of cooking? And also I have to mention that we were missing so many devotees with a broken heart. Hardly could we tolerate their absence. But maybe they want to teach us the conclusion of Mahaprabhu – that separation is the highest principle. Nevertheless, I felt their presence. You serve better to your master than whatever I could offer to my master. And I am sure all your well-wishers and superiors are very satisfied with these services.