Sharanagati

”O Brahma, just follow this conclusion by fixed concentration of mind, and no pride will disturb you, neither in the partial nor in the final devastation.”[1]

This verse reminded me of the extreme conditions in life. We have to be prepared to practice and to stick to our faith in extreme conditions also. Usually this cosmic destruction does not happen every now and then. But this whole universe is illusion, a blade of grass, very insignificant. Why? Only if you have something better. If you have no other option, then do not blame it, do not criticize it.

How to achieve that vision – to have the vision beyond creation and beyond cosmic destruction? Just as Krishnasays: stick to the instruction. But sometimes we cannot stick to the instructions, right? When our understanding is limited. Krishnasays something in “Bhagavad-gita” or in the scriptures which we do not understand. Or we understand something, but we cannot perform, because the gunas are stronger or our conditioning is very bad. Sometimes the waves of material influence just wash you away. Then what to do? Stick to the instruction, nevertheless stick to the instruction. Because most of the things that you will achieve in this impermanent world will diminish, will disappear. Then after let us say five hundred years they will excavate the stones of the Sofia Ashram and they will find some very special cultic items they cannot identify. Like a pot filled with sand, with some little drops of unknown material. And they will start to give their versions about this. So whatever you achieve it will disappear back to oblivion. Therefore we should build temples not from stones and flames not by candles and water not from the tab. We have to build the temple of the hearts and souls, we have to light the candle of our eternal flame and also we have to use the best water available – this is Mother Ganga.

This is my suggestion: stick to the instructions ofKrishna. Then even in the extreme conditions of life you will be safe.

Question of Premananda: We have two kinds of extreme situations in our everyday life. One is let’s say one time extreme and it is the easier, I think – when for example someone has to die as a hero, but he has to do it just once. So he gathers all his strength, dies as a hero – not such a big problem. But the bigger problem is…

Tirtha Maharaj: Permanent death, dying many times.

Premananda: Yes. I mean the situation when a person suddenly becomes stick to a very hard situation that lasts for long, this is one kind of extreme which I think is harder to maintain your faith. And in fact from one point of view everyday life is such kind of extreme. So my question is if you could clarify a bit more about sticking to the instructions in these permanent situations. How to find strength and how to stick to the instructions when situation does not seems so extreme or it is permanent, but still the problem is there?

Tirtha Maharaj: Yes, from divine point of view to live without God – this is extreme. It is almost impossible, they have no conception of that. Well, to die once you said it is easy.

Premananda: Easier.

Tirtha Maharaj: Aha! Now you are more right. But as you mentioned this is the kshatriya way, the way of the fighters. To die once, but to die such a death that you achieve perfection. If they are fully sure that they will reach heaven, then they are ready to die. So this is the approach of the kshatriyas to death. Let’s live or die – it does not matter. What is the vaishya approach to death? When the death approaches to vaishya what will he say? “Well, I can give a little donation.” Death comes and he says: “I can pay you a trip to Bahama. Just give me some more time.” He is trying to bribe death. And what is the shudra approach to death? They are so dull that for them life and death is the same. And even worse that the shurda lever – those who has no faith. In “Shrimad-bhagavatam” it is said: those, who have no faith inKrishna are just like bellows – they breathe, but it is not life, it is just like an empty bellows. For them life and death are both meaningless.

But what is the braminical approach to death? If we agreed that kshatriya has to die once what is the situation with bramins? Practically every day. A bramin has to die many times during one lifetime. What does it mean? It means we have to purify yourself. We have to die for the previous level of consciousness and be reborn on a new, higher level of consciousness. This was happening to Brahma. Whenever he understood that he has made a mistake or he has some shortcomings, he died. Of course, he is living in a subtle form, so there is no body to leave; still it is said he gave up this “body”, he gave up this conception and from those conceptions different certain things are manifest in the universe.

In the same way, on the path of purification we also have to die many times. This is not attractive to the outsiders. Everybody wants eternal life, not many deaths. But this is reality – we have to die for ourselves to be born again for God. If we live only for ourselves, practically we live for nobody. But if we start to live forKrishna, then we start to live for everybody. This is the way to multiply your energies. And this is the way to overcome death.

(to be continued)