Sharanagati

When Shuka started to tell “Bhagavatam” to Parikshit, all the demigods arrived with the pot of nectar. The demigods paid respect to Shuka and said: “Accepting this nectar, please give us in exchange the nectar of your discourse. We give you the nectar of immortality and you give us the nectar of Krishna talks, Krishna-katha. But Shuka started to think: “The nectar of the gods cannot be compared to the nectar of the “Bhagavatam”! This is just like a piece of glass compared to a precious gem!” So he was laughing at god’s offer. He did not give the exposition of the holly scripture to the demigods, because this is reserved only for the devotees.

We should pay attention not only in the talks of the “Bhagavatam”, or not only on the lectures, but all the time we should pay attention to the divine topics. Because finally the goal is that our whole consciousness and existence is just surcharged with divinity. If we start the process with a listening capacity, then miracles start to happen. If you distinguish between the topics that you want to listen to and you choose only the best things, only the nectar, then you will be fulfilled, filled up with nectar. If there are some topics which are not so nice to taste, we should discriminate whether to listen to or not, whether to pay attention or not. Just like the sages; the offer was quite a good offer, because you could get the amrit, the nectar of immortality. But they consider it to be very insignificant compared to the “Shrimad Bhagavatam”. Why? Because they could understand that there is something beyond immortality. What is there beyond immortality? There is a life! Real life begins, progressive life begins after immortality.

Therefore we can say that devotional topics are just like nectar for that reason, for that purpose – progressive immortality! Because immortality can be a kind of zero point. But from devotional point of view this should be progressive, ever-increasing. We should pay attention to the best topics; and as “Shrimad Bhagavatam” is dealing, talking only about the divine connection with God, this is the best topic of the human beings. In this way we can not only get out of the trap of material existence, but we can come to the progressive immortality stage.

But we should not think that if we had read or heart all the verses of the “Bhagavatam” then we had understood also. If a vaishnava asks you: “Why don’t you read?” and you answer: “I had already read the “Shrimad Bhagavatam”, it’s not a good answer. Because revealed scriptures are living! So whenever if we are really in need, if we pay attention to the scriptures, they will give special message. And also in the “Bhagavatam” itself it’s mentioned that it’s not enough only sometimes to listen to “Bhagavatam”! It is said: “Nityam bhagavata sevaya! All the time you should serve the Bhagavat!” The person bhagavat and the written Bhagavat. Bhagavat means that, which is connected to God, to Bhagavan. And it is two types – one is the written form and the other is personal form. The written form is “Shrimad Bhagavatam”, it’s the book. And the person bhagavat is the vaishnava. So how to serve – permanently! Not only for seven days, not only from time to time – permanently we should listen and live according to the principles of the “Shrimad Bhagavatam”. We should live according to the “Bhagavatam”. Service to the written form is to pay attention, to listen; and service to the personal form is to serve, to give some service.

Therefore we have to purify the mind in order to choose the best. Just imagine, what was the offer here? Nectar of immortality! Who is such a fool to disrespect this offer? Only the sweet devotees of Krishna. Because they don’t care for liberation! They don’t want to pick such an insignificant attainment like moksha. Immortality is nothing for the vaishnava.

Of course, now we are using very high words. Because naturally we want to come to the spiritual platform, which is sat-chit-ananda. Sat – permanent existence. Still if somebody comes and offers you: hey, you can become immortal, take this pill! Then we should be strong enough to reject that and say: no, I stick to the nectar of the Bhagavata! But that choice you cannot make on the fanatic platform. Only on the realized platform – when you FEEL what kind of nectar is there in Krishna’s topics. So likes and dislikes are always there in this life. And the advice is given to LEAVE the mental platform. Because most of the people are on the sensual platform, much fewer are on the mental platform; but in order to spiritually progress, we have to go beyond the mental platform also.

Now I am not talking about the process of Bhakti! We were talking about choice, about likes and dislikes, about the different platforms of human existence. The ultimate level of human existence is total surrender, which is both objective and subjective in the same time. And don’t forget, Shrila Shridhara Maharaj always says that there is super-subjective reality. Because Krishna is the Subject and we are the objects. So it’s not that we see Krishna, but He is watching us. That is the super-subjective reality. But that doesn’t depend on your choice. That is His choice.