Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 10.05.2019 evening, Sofia)

(continues from the previous Monday)

Question of Mahadev: Now everybody is talking that every disease is due to some emotional problems and if we continue this thought, is it like this – if we have some disease, this is a reflection of our problems in our spiritual practise? And how can we be cured, if we continue practising the same way?  

Swami Tirtha: Well, maybe we cannot heal ourselves. Sometimes, we need to meet a doctor. For example, in Vrindavan. It’s a place heavily infected. Some contagious disease is there, spreading through vision. What to speak of touch? Touch means immediate death. By vision – all right, a little dizziness, a little infection, but it’s not mortal. A very special virus – a black virus. And unfortunately, Shrimati Radharani was infected once by this virus. She met a black boy and She was totally infected. That infectious virus entered Her body-mind complex so heavily that there was no escape for Her. She fell sick, She couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe. And everybody was alarmed around her. She was so sick that the elderly gopis and the young ones as well, they didn’t have any remedy. Her mother-in-law, Jatila, who is a very I don’t know how to say it, but is a very heavy person – Jatila doesn’t trust Radhika. She always thinks, ‘No, this girl is going out too much. She should stay at home.’ Because Jatila knows something about this contagious disease in Vrindavan, this black virus. She knows about it and she wants to protect her daughter-in-law. But now she is also shocked. “Oh, our Radhika, She cannot move. She is lying in a bed for two days without moving, without going out. Before I wanted to curb Her from going out, but now I would be so happy if She goes out. But She cannot move. What can I do?” So, the young gopis, the sakhis, started to give her advice, “Just look at Her – She is so young, and now She is almost lifeless. This case is very serious. We cannot heal Her, you cannot heal Her and She cannot heal Herself. We cannot wait another day. We need emergency care. We need to interfere immediately! And we heard that a magic healer is coming to Vrindavan.” 

Jatila was excited: “Really? Maybe we can invite him.” But then the young gopis said: “To invite a male magic healer to your house!? No, it is impossible. Radhika is such a chaste lady that She would not allow a male healer to enter. No, it is impossible. And you also, you are a protector of dharma. We cannot let it happen.” Then Jatila said “No, come on! Why you quote dharma for me? Now there is no dharma! Save Her immediately. Bring that doctor!”

Then the sakhis said: “All right, but we heard this doctor is a very special one. And as he is a magic healer, he needs privacy for his healing. We cannot be there. And you cannot be there either.” “I don’t mind. I want to save my daughter. Bring him.” “But you know, his healing technique is a very special as well.” “What is that special technique?” asked Jatila. “He is healing by the hand. He is touching the aching bodily part and then it is healed.” “Very good! Then he can touch our Radhika and maybe the life will come back to Her.” 

All right. I think you know the end of the story. Although Jatila wanted to curb the meeting of Radha and Govinda with all possible means, this time she was leading this magic healer into the inner chamber, praying to him to lay His hands over the aching bodily parts of Shrimati Radharani, so that he can heal this girl and save Her life. So, the magic healer entered the inner chamber, Jatila silently closed the door. And what happened? After some time, Radhika came out very satisfied: “Now my life-force is back. This black infection doesn’t have any power over me anymore.”

So, this is our hope – that the magic healer will come to us as well and touch the aching body parts that we have. Maybe the heart? Maybe the head? Our weak points. 

And if He doesn’t come, still we have a chance. If you feel that your heart is like a piece of stone, then very close to Jagannath Puri there is a small place, where they have a huge slab of stone and the footprints of Mahaprabhu are imprinted and melted into this stone. So, if you feel that some body part of yours is made of stone, just embrace the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu and it will melt. So, sometimes by laying the hands, other times by grabbing the feet – we shall be healed. 

Prema-bhakti is a magic healing process. Healing all the wounds, all the diseases. Healing the root cause of material existence – and this is the material disease. And Mahaprabhu has brought the best remedy against the material disease.