Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 23.06.2017 evening, Sofia)

Here we are in a closed circle. Although this time Shripad Kripadham Prabhu assured me that for this evening there is no engagement for me, nevertheless I cannot resist the attractive power of the devotional sangha here. You know tomorrow we shall have an official lecture in some very important and very strict meeting. But who knows if we shall live tomorrow. So better to chant today than to think of tomorrow. What if we die? We have lost the chance for tomorrow, and for today also.

We have only two chances to solve this problem. One is to live for the moment. And you don’t mind your past and you don’t mind your future. It’s very popular these days: ‘Just be there, be present. Live for the day.’ I never understood why this message is so popular. Nevertheless if you focus your attention on the present moment, you lose your interest and your too much obsession with your past and with your future.

So this is one solution. But it is like losing your attention. The other solution is you develop your eternal consciousness, you start to live in eternity. Then again there is no past and no future. But do you see the difference between the two solutions? In the first solution you will have only one moment, the present moment – which is immediately gone as soon as you think of it. While if you develop your consciousness of eternity, you will gain everything. I think this is not a loss, this is a gain.

And in eternity to sit today here in the temple or to give a lecture tomorrow – it’s the same. There’s no difference. So, my humble suggestion is to develop our consciousness of eternity. Because it doesn’t matter how many different little isolated moments you put together, you will never achieve eternity. Eternity is not made up of small moments. It’s a different dimension. Better we jump to that level of reality – however unreal it seems to be and however real these limited and suffering experiences look like. Better we improve our vision.

It is also said in Brahma Samhita[1] that over there in Shvetadvip, which is the divine realm, the soil is made up of precious stones, every step is a dance, every drop of water is nectar, and the flute is the best friend. And there is no material time – only the never-ending perfect moment of eternity. This vision we have to develop. This is our perfection. Many people search for their own individual perfection. But what is our moksha? Our moksha is to re-establish our spiritual original position of the soul. Which is not a lecturer, which is not a business-lady or whatever, but this is an ecstatic loving servant of the Divine Couple.

From a dull person to make a clever one is a question of education. To turn an intelligent person into a wise person – this is a duty of life, life will teach. To turn a wise person into a faithful person – this is a question of religion. And to turn a faithful follower of religion into an ecstatic lover of God – this is a duty of Mahaprabhu.

So, what is our level? Am I stupid? Am I intelligent? Am I faithful or ecstatic? It doesn’t matter, start your education today. Either education, or life, or religion, or Mahaprabhu will help us in this progressive path of spiritual development.

[1] Brahma Samhita 5.56