Sharanagati

The vaishnavas have two qualities: one is like kalpa-taru and the other is like karuna-sindhu. Kalpa-taru means special tree, wish-fulfilling tree. In the spiritual world it desn’t matter what kind of need you have, you just go to any tree, say your desire and it’s immediately fulfilled. But don’t mix that with the material sphere. You can go to any tree here, you can tell your prayers, you can tell your desires – results are not coming. These trees can produce only one type of fruit – if any. But on the spiritual platform the trees can produce any fruit you like. Therefor these are magical trees, magic trees.

So one quality of a vaishnava, pure servant of the Supreme Lord and the Divine Couple, is to become like wish-fulfilling tree. But if you go to such a highly elevated spiritual person with some material motivation, no results are coming. Because a spiritual-desire tree cannot produce material results. So great saint cannot bless you with material benefit. Because he wants your spiritual benefit. But whenever you meet a pure devotee of the Lord and you ask anything spiritual, you will get it. So don’t miss the opportunity. Whenever you meet a pure devotee – just ask for his blessings.

Because a real vaishnava has the other quality also – karuna-sindhu, ocean of mercy. So if you ask blessings, you will get unlimited blessings. Because he is just like a vast ocean. Unlimited mercy capacity he has.

But this prayer is told to the devotees. “Again and again I offer my respectful obeisances at the lotus feet of the vaishnavas, who are just like the spiritual wish-fulfilling trees and the oceans of mercy, and they are very much ready to serve the spiritual benefit of all living entities.” Many times devotees put this in a short form: “Vancha kalpa, prabhu!” Put this prayer full! Or other short form – PAMHO. Don’t cut, don’t make it short! Always put it in full. Please, accept my humble obeisances! Vancha kalpatarubhyash cha/ kripa sindhubya eva cha/ patitanam pavanebhyo/ vaishnavebhyi namo namaha.

This is not an easy thing: Hey, vancha kalpa! Don’t take it easy. What kind of prayer is this?! You should penetrate the meaning of this prayer. We should have the feeling towards a pure devotee that “O, I worship you like a wish-fulfilling tree. You are an ocean of mercy for me!” This is part of the spiritual exchange. When we express our gratitude towards a devotee, in this way we serve the devotee. And this is our ideal – to become the last servant of the servants, which is a very high quality. On the material platform servant is not respected too much. Everybody wants to be a master. They say: “Better be a master in hell than servant in heaven.” This is the material consciousness, mentality. Because they say “There is good company in hell.” But company in heaven is much better. So if we serve a devotee with such a nice prayer and we have the mentality of respect and surrender to that person, what will be the result? He will also repeat: “O, vancha kalpatarubhyash cha…” He will tell this prayer to YOU! And what is this – this is an invitation to qualify yourselve. To become like wish-fulfilling trees and to become like oceans of mercy.

So we should not become an ordinary living being by practicing Bhakti. We should become unique. We should acquire these special qualities: always trying to serve the spiritual benefit of others and always trying to provide the flow of eternal mercy towards the other people. When we are able to do this? When we are connected. When we are in Yoga. If you are connected to the ultimate source, then through you everything can manifest to others.

So therefor we are serching for this connection. That is Yoga – to be connected to the Supreme. But any kind of Yoga is satisfying? No, we need a qualified Yoga. Our Yoga is called Bhakti. Bhakti means emotional approach to the Absolite Truth. So this is the way of the devotees – a qualified Yoga, qualified connection. Not an ordinary connection. You should not become ordinary trees. You should become wish-fulfilling special trees. And not only little drops of water after the rain – but oceans of mercy you should become.