Sharanagati

We are not satisfied to call our God or our Goddess on one name. We need a thousand mouths to chant the thousand names of Srimati Radharani. This is our ideal – to broaden the vision.

There is a reason, there is a method and there is a goal of chanting mantras. If you knew the goal, the results of chanting these 1000 names of Shri Radhika, you would be motivated to chant this prayer. So I will tell the phala, the fruit now, because in this way we could chant these mantras selflessly, only for glorification, irrespective of the good results that are coming to us. Phala sruti, phala is the fruit, sruti – of hearing. Phala sruti – the fruit of hearing: if you are hearing these 1000 names you will achieve the following fruits. Actually these names were mentioned in a conversation between Parvati and Shiva. Parvati was asking: “Can you tell me about these names? Can you tell me something about Srimati Radharani?” Shiva, who is full of mystic powers, said “Yes, I can tell you something.” And then he started: shri radha radhika krishna, etc. Then he said: “O Devi, thus I have revealed to you the 1000 names of Shri Radha. Shri Madhava becomes very pleased by someone, who recites or encourages others to recite these names. “ So Madhava is very satisfied with you. And who is Madhava? He is the Lord of the Goddess of Fortune. So if someone wants to achieve the blessings of that Goddess, it is impossible without the service of the Lord of that Goddess. “O dear one, for a person who has attained the favor of Shri Janardana, there is no need to take bath in the holy water of Yamuna or visit holy places like Kurukshetra.” Who is Janardana? Janardana is the maintainer aspect of Krishna. Maintainer of the living entities. “What one cannot achieve by the grace of this prayer? Is there anything you cannot achieve by this prayer? A brahmin can attain perfection in spiritual potency, and a kshatriya can become a king of the world, a vaishya can become rich and a shudra can become liberated from his degraded life. Moreover all types of sinful activities like killing a brahmin, drinking wine and stealing others’ property are at once destroyed by the mercy of this prayer.” So these are the sins mentioned here. Killing a brahmin is the most insignificant sin. Just imagine. Because killing a brahmin you cannot actually kill the soul, because it is only the physical body that you harm, but more sinful is to drink wine, especially the famous Bulgarian wines, because by this you lose your caste. And what is the most sinful activity? To steal others’ property, especially to steal vaishnava, brahmana or guru’s property. It doesn’t mean I have my vineyard and make my own wine, I kill brahmins and I steal the properties and I am very enthusiastic to chant these names to rectify these mistakes.

And here four people are mentioned: a brahmin can achieve perfection, a kshatriya can become lord over the whole world, vaishya can become rich and a shudra can become liberated. How do you identify yourself? What do you want? Radharani will give it to you. Perfection – it is yours. Money? Take it. It is only disturbing in Goloka Vrindavana. You want to dominate the whole world? Let it be. If you want only pieces of glass – take it, take it!

Devotee is not mentioned here. So what will a devotee achieve by chanting these names? That is beyond description. “O Goddess, there is no doubt that by the mercy of this prayer one immediately becomes liberated, because in this world there is nothing equal to the 1000 names of Sri Radha. There is nothing more auspicious and sanctified than the 1000 names of Sri Radha either in the heavenly planets or in the hellish planets or in the mountains or within the waters. O beautiful one, all desires of a person who recites or hears these 1000 names of Sri Radha with a pure and controlled mind on Ekadashi become fulfilled. “ So we can see that this prayer fulfills the desires. How? By achieving the mercy of Srimati Radharani.

Therefore it is very good to have two well-wishers. If you have only one well-wisher and you make a mistake then you are in trouble. But if I have two well-wishers, may be I have made a mistake with one then the other can harmonize the situation. Or if I make a mistake with the other then the first one can help.

Question of Manjari: Anyway Radharani is so merciful that she is fulfilling all our desires and the problem is not that She is not fulfilling our desires, but that we wish some stupid things. So when we chant Her names does it help us to start desiring higher things or rather She will fulfill our stupid desires?

Tirtha Maharaj: Well, if you remember the names sometimes you will almost faint by some memories of the names. One name was Sarasvati, right? And recently we discussed that whenever you commit a mistake, because if your pronunciation is not perfect – that is a mistake. But then She comes and corrects the mistake. Same with the desires. If we have some simple low desires, you pray in that mood, but it will not reach the destination, because this is a good sensory system. There are so many who are reading your prayers, digesting and then transmitting. Then it will reach the destination completely perfect. Just imagine Radharani being engaged in fulfilling your stupid desires – no, that’s impossible. She has got another business.