Sharanagati

(continues from the previous Monday)

Of course there are many other pseudo results of the spiritual progress. They look very spiritual, but actually they are only the ripe fruits of our past actions or the results of our material desires in a spiritual garb. So, we have to be very careful with these! Just to give you one example: once there was a lady, who was chanting, doing, serving very enthusiastically. And she was considered like a great example, progressing like anything… In two-three years she ended up in a mental hospital. Why? Because her goal with the chanting was not to satisfy Krishna, but to obtain a man. So, if you mistake the goal, if you replace a divine goal with some material goal, you will have a bad result. What is your goal? And there is no problem if you have material ambitions. I think Krishna does not expect you to be all of a sudden a paramahamsa sannyasi. It’s no problem. But don’t mix. Identify: this is this and that is that; this is my material ambition and that is my spiritual offering to You. Don’t mix the two!

Shall I go on describing all the mistakes and possible dangers of spiritual life? I would not like to do that. You have all your experience concerning this, so why should we describe mistakes? Then we should develop mistake consciousness: ‘I am conscious of my mistakes, I am thinking of myself again and again! The story starts and ends with me. First my greatness, then – as a humble vaishnava – my mistakes.’ Anyway, you are in the focus of the story.

Then what can we describe? If we don’t describe the traps and the mistakes, maybe we can describe the glory of God! Therefore if in the mornings you glorify the different names and aspects of the Lord, maybe you will forget about yourself. Definitely at the end you will forget about yourself. When you sing for a very long time it means all your capacities are engaged in the service, thinking of Krishna: ‘How to read this Shakatasura’ – it is very complicated, so at least you are focused on some divine topic. We can describe the glory, as it is described in many different ways: how He behaves generally, as a divine personality, as the Supreme Lord, the Lord of everything and maintainer of the whole universe, the creator, the start, the middle and the end – so many aspects! But, He is stealing the butter, don’t forget, and this is essential. This is the special contribution, that is provided by this mystic bhakti tradition – a very intimate vision of the Supreme. Not simply a God of creation, not simply a God of destruction, but God of thieves.

There is a beautiful ahstakam – ashtakam means “Eight prayers”, glorifying different aspects: Radhashtakam, Radhakundashtakam, Damodarashtakam, Gurvashtakam – all the divine objects are glorified in ashtakams. But on Abhay Caran Prabhu’s blog you can read the Chorashtakam – or the Eight prayers glorifying the King of the thieves. Well, this is essential information! Because if God provides, all the world expects God to provide you something. Nobody speaks that He can take away something from you. And then our real spiritual process starts. Until you understand only that He is Supreme and this and that, it’s a very neophyte stage. It’s necessary, we cannot avoid it, we have to understand who is the boss here. But then you can refine your mood, you can refine your approach. And this approach evolves in a very nice way if you very positively, very humbly and very constructively serve the Supreme. So, until we have only a hazy picture of Him it’s not enough. But when this divine picture starts to activate you, starts to invite you: you give – He takes, sometimes you try to take – He gives, then this is a more intimate and more intense way of devotional life.

Somebody can help me with these technical expressions of electricity? There is this voltage, the wattage and what is the third? The measurement is ohm. How it is called? Resistance, correct. So, when our real spiritual process starts, then we can start our spiritual resistance. Then our main mantra is Om. Om will bring you resistance to the divine will, you try to resist His invitation. This is yet another trap. The yogis chant only the Om, that means “no” to Krishna’s invitation. Because: ‘Om, I resist Your invitation’. This is only a joke.

On a higher platform a little resistance, a little reservation towards Krishna, like a mock-fighting with Krishna is very tasty – but only on the supreme platform. So if we imitate on our own little stupid platform this divine game, then this is very distasteful. Therefore we worship the great ones, who are worshiping Krishna with sometimes saying ‘yes’ and sometimes saying ‘no’ – always according to His desire, always according to His taste.