Sharanagati

You must have a lot of experience, much impressions you have collected. Therefore I say: now it is time for practice. Of course practice means always revive your knowledge, enter deep into the topics, think and not only think, but WORSHIP the ideas that we want to approach. But to enter deep into Bhakti, the best way is to follow some good example. So let’s continue our readings from “Chaitanya Charitamrita”.

Don’t forget what was the idea of Sanatan Goswami: “O, my body is infected, it’s useless in the service – better I throw this body under the wheels of Jagannath’s cart and in this way I finish with it!” This is a kind of suicide, right? But what is the main reason for people to give their life up? Usually some failure or some love affair, right? People get mad after these little things and they want to throw away the body, because they think that it creates only troubles, so let’s finish with the troubles. Which is a stupid idea, because if you commit violence, you have to be punished. Violence against others or violence against your construction – it’s the same. And instead of decreasing the problems, you will increase it.

In most of the cases in the material sphere people have some simple material reasons to come to that conclusion. But what was the idea of Sanatan Goswami? “O, my body is not fit for the service of GOD, let’s get rid of this!” Can we consider that bodily consciousness?! I think not. So that was his idea; and although he was behaving like not having this intention, still it was hiding there in his heart. And then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu all of a sudden started:

“My dear Sanatan – He said – if I could attain Krishna by committing suicide, I would certainly give up millions of bodies without a moment hesitation.”  Like reading the heart of another person – while taking prasadam just mentioning: “Well.. you know, Sanatan, you can’t make it by suicide…” Reading the heart. “You should know that one cannot attain Krishna simply by giving up the body.” It’s a very important teaching. So it’s not enough to die. You have to LIVE for Krishna! Simply by giving up the body you get nowhere. “Krishna is attainable by devotional service. There is no other means to attain Him. Acts such as suicide is influenced by the mode of ignorance. And in ignorance and passion one cannot understand who Krishna is. Unless one discharges devotional service, one cannot awaken one’s dormant love for Krishna. And there is no means to attain Him other than awakening that dormant love.”