Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 05.01.2019 morning, Sofia)

(continues from the previous Friday)

Swami Tirtha: “From among the many different types of meditation, which is the best one?”
Answer: Chanting.
Swami Tirtha: All right, this is japa. Our japa should help us focus on the lotus feet. This is the real answer of Ramananda Raya: “The best meditation is if we meditate on the lotus feet of Radha and Krishna”. Krishna has many lotuses on His body. He has many full moons on His body as well – like His abdomen, His face, His eyes; there are so many beautiful spots on His body. But why most of the time it is the lotus feet that are mentioned? Usually the feet of a human being are the lowest position, right? Nevertheless, we consider the feet of the saints and the feet of our God to be something very high, very sacred. And we are ready to put the highest portion of our body at the lowest portion of the body of God – to bow down at the lotus feet. So, why lotus feet? Because feet invite service mood. One step of God is so wide and so strong that the whole world will tremble. Therefore it invokes this reverential mood in a devotee. In Hungarian we have a proverb “To catch onto the feet of God” – it means you are very fortunate. Well, go one step closer. Because the proverb doesn’t say to catch onto the shoes of God, but the feet. Not the coat, not the shoes – Himself, directly. So, feet will always invite service mood.
And many of you are practicing mothers and fathers – when you touch the feet of your baby, what kind of feeling is that? You kiss the feet of your baby, because it’s so sweet, right? Just imagine, if you meet your Krishna, His lotus feet will invite very-very sweet feelings. You need to develop a protocol. If you will meet your Krishna, of course you bow down, you will be very close to His lotus feet, then what will you do? Work out your protocol. Go back? Useless. Stay there? Sounds better. Catch onto them? Yeah, improved. Embrace them? Then He cannot move. And you are ever connected to Him. These are some options, some directions for your protocol. Because earlier it was said that we have to remember Krishna’s beautiful qualities. Well, if you remember this protocol – what am I to do when I meet my Lord – that’s also good.
“Where should we live?” is the next question.
Answer: In a holy place.
Swami Tirtha: Correct. “We should live in Vrindavan, in the place where the rasa-dance happens”. We can say that this is the ultimate center of all that exists. This divine ‘хоро’[1] of the gopis and Krishna. Here on the street we have ‘Народно хоро’[2], and in the spiritual sky we have ‘Дивно хоро’[3]. Everything, even the guys who were giving the name of this street, they were trying to help you remember. So, grab every opportunity, don’t miss a chance.
Of course, how can we live in Vrindavan? This is not simply a physical location. Devotional life is not a geographical journey. It’s a spiritual journey. So, raise the level of your consciousness. If your life and every thought is about the meeting of the soul and God, this rasa-dance, about joining the eternal and beautiful expression of this union between the individual soul and the Supreme – if this is the focus of your life, then you live in Vrindavan. And sometimes we can also quote the Chaitanya Charitamrita, “Wherever you are, this is Vrindavan”. If we find a person who lives in that supreme meditation, union, this topmost level of consciousness, of Divine Love and Beauty meeting in the heart, of always being connected to this fascinating truth – then this is Vrindavan; and if we are close to them, we are also in Vrindavan. This is the way to live in a holy place – associate with the saints, who are living there.
“What is the most important topic that we should discuss, that we should hear about?”
Yashoda: The pastimes of Radha-Krishna.
Swami Tirtha: Yeah, this is the most important, that we should listen to – “The loving connection between Radharani and Krishna”. And here you have some advantage, I have to acknowledge, because we have only this proverb – to catch onto the feet of God – but in your tradition there is this knowledge about Rada, the most beautiful girl in the village. So, we Hungarians, unfortunately, we lost this competition. You are the winners of rasa. Even the master, Beinsa Duno, also gave a very nice speech about Radha. So, you have a very high advantage compared to other nations. Cultivate this! Because what is the message, what is the meaning of listening to these divine pastimes of Radha and Govinda? They will always remind us that we also should be reintegrated into this divine reality.
Then “What is the most worshipable sacred object?”
Yashoda: Tulasi?
Swami Tirtha: Yes, tulasi, but in the form of the japa-mala. Correct. “The most worshipable divine sacred item is the holy name of Radha-Krishna – the mahamantra.”

(to be continued)

1.  Circular dance in Bulgarian
2.  ‘Folk circular dance’ – the name of the street where the ashram in Sofia is
3.  Divine circular dance