Sharanagati

Just remember the story of the stone-cutter. He had a very difficult life – cutting the stones all the day. And then he thought: “O! I’m so poor and so misused, I want to be stronger.” Then he started to pray for being a king; he became a king and then he understood that the sun is scorching too much – therefore he wanted to become a sun. But then he understood that the cloud is more powerful that the sun, because the cloud can cover the sun. And then from the cloud there came the rain. And the rain by the drops is cutting the mountains. So finally he understood that it’s useless to become king, or sun, or cloud… and he came back to water. And water was in the same position like he was – cutting the stones.

One drop of water is very soft compared to the stone, but it’s ABLE to penetrate. By long practice…

The layers depend on conditioning of a person. The closer we are to our spiritual identity – sat-chit-ananda-vigraha – the better we communicate, the better we understand. So if we progress, that helps a situation. If we purify ourselves, then it’s easier; self-realization helps. Krishna helps. Puts you in such situations when you HAVE TO understand, when you break, yes!

These conditioned living beings are just like the walnut – hard stone outside, sweet kernel inside. “Gita” says: by permanent efforts and renunciation results will come. But this is for the beginners. And for the higher practitioners – Naam. It is said: “That heart is made of iron and stone and ice, which is NOT melting by the Holly Name of God.” So if we go on chanting the Holly Names, finally all these layers will be melting. And then the natural state of the heart will manifest.

And you can think that this is a general message, I mean, a standard preaching. But it’s not. Finally, finally, this is the entrance for the higher realities.