Sharanagati

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

(continues from the previous Monday)

We have to examine a little bit this problem of life – disease. Where is the pain? We think that the body aches, right? But the body is composed of matter. Matter doesn’t feel pain, right? We don’t know, but we suppose that a piece of stone doesn’t feel too much pain. And in that sense our body is just like a piece of stone. At least, my heart is definitely like a piece of stone. There is no pain in stone. 

Then, we think of ourselves as spirit souls, right? Where is the pain? Maybe the soul aches? The soul doesn’t ache. The soul is a spiritual substance. And there is no disharmony in the spiritual realm, in the spiritual sense. So, if your soul has no pain, if your body cannot feel pain – then where is this pain? It is in the mind – which is a very subtle transition or connection, let’s say, between the material sphere and the spiritual sphere. 

And theoretically we can agree on this point. But, when your kid is suffering due to some pain, you cannot tell them “Don’t worry, my dear one. This is only your mind.” You cannot pacify even yourself with this theoretical explanation. For example, a mother is ready to give her life to save the child, right? I know a mother whose prayers are heard, for sure. Once her son was sick. So she started to pray, “Please, my Lord, save my child. Give his sickness to me.” She prayed in the afternoon. By the evening the boy was okay and she fell sick. So, her prayers are heard.

And I feel very safe. Because she told me “Every morning I pray for three persons. One is a Christian priest, the other is an abbot of a Catholic monastery. And the third one is a swami with his followers.” So, I’m really grateful for that person. Because if such a person whose prayers are heard is praying for you, that’s remarkable. 

If we return to our original topic – where is the suffering, where is the pain? It is only on your mental platform. That means it doesn’t really exist. Nevertheless, it feels very real, very sharp. Therefore control of the mind is very important. Don’t identify with the pain. Tolerate it, try to offer it as a sacrifice or as an atonement. This is one way to burn up your own karma. And also, if you offer it as a sacrifice, this will help you to diminish the pain.

And control of the mind is very important the other way around. Because the mind reflects the pain as something very substantial, very real, although it doesn’t exist. And the other way around, your mind will tell you that ‘spiritual ideals – no, they are not real’. The mind has this function that will force us to believe the unbelievable. Therefore control of the mind is important. Don’t identify with the pain. And also, don’t identify with the weakness of the heart. 

But then you might ask: All right, what is your suggestion to counteract disease? Sometimes we need to be practical – go to a doctor. Other times these types of meditation and spiritual practices might help you. But even if we achieve a perfect state of health, the root cause of material existence – and this is the material disease – is not cured. For that we need a different treatment. In Sanskrit, medicine is called aushad. And Mahaprabhu had brought the maha–aushad – the best remedy for all the different kinds of diseases you might have. I think you know what this medicine is. It’s the holy name, which will cure the material disease. And all different schools, the other schools of yoga, acknowledge that the best and most direct way to meet your ishta-dev, to meet your worshipable God, is through chanting the holy names. Everybody accepts this. So, this is what Mahaprabhu has brought – this special aushad, this special medicine, for curing the material disease. 

(to be continued)