Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 30.09.2017 evening, Sofia)

Let’s continue our readings from Shrila Shridhara Maharaj. Because this is the best engagement for this Saturday evening; what else can we do? This is important topic: “The guide”.

“I wanted to inquire as how to recognize guru, shastra and sadhu?” This is the Holy Trinity of our tradition. But fortunately our tradition is very wealthy, so we have many Holy Trinities. Can you give some other Holy Trinities?

Hayagriva: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.

Hari Lila: Sat, chit, ananda.

Other: Hari, guru, vaishnava.

Premananda: Radha, Krishna, Gurudeva.

Swami Tirtha: Or Mahaprabhu and Radha-Govinda.

Pavitra: Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra.

Swami Tirtha: Rupa, Sanatana, Raghunath. Madan-Mohan, Govinda, Gopinath. So many Trinities! But this guru-shastra-sadhu is something very basic and very important.

“We receive confirmation from our heart approval, our inner approval. We must trace it to there, because that took me to my guru. Guru is all in all. But who took me to my guru? It was my inner sentiment, my inner guide. I did not like anything else in the environment, but instead selected that advice. Many others do not care to come here and many may ridicule this life, but what made me come here? I cannot deprecate that internal approval, consciousness and sincerity. Therefore that is an important factor and ultimately we have to depend on that internal consciousness the most. When collecting advice from the scriptures and when seeking or relying on advice from the sadhu, the only thing that takes me there is my inner approval, my inner friend. If it were not for that, I would not have come. Indeed so many others do not come. So who has taken me to this place?

One who sincerely wants real good can never be deceived. When one is a real seeker of the truth, he can never be deceived. Krishna says: ‘My dear boy, one who is sincerely hankering after the truth can never come across misfortune. If apparently some misfortune comes to visit him along the path, that is to enhance his position for his improvement.”

I think this is a very important question: how to identify these sacred sources of information? How to recognize the truth? Many times we feel: ‘Yes, now I’ve got it!’ But what will you say tomorrow? ‘Sorry, it was not that.’ The next day with the same firm conviction you will say: ‘Yesterday I didn’t know, but today I’m sure!’ I think we had wasted many lifetimes with this – when we felt so convinced and then it turned out to be false.

Nevertheless there must be something that will help us to find reality. What is that? Shridhara Maharaj doesn’t say: “This, or that or maybe something else…” – no, immediately he says: “Beyond this holy trinity is the fourth principle – your heart, your inner consent”.

Now you agree, I see, you like it! But the conditions will come later. There are some conditions for this. What? “One who sincerely wants real good, a real seeker of the truth” – such a person can rely on the heart, on the inner guidance. Until we are on that platform… There’s no other source to trust, to really agree. But we need to be very pure and very sincere in this search, in this inner desire. Because if we don’t reach the ultimate edge, the end, the turning point of our existence, I think we may always cheat ourselves.

(to be continued)