Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 09.01.2019 morning, Sofia)

(continues from the previous Friday)

Question of Kripadham: As we were talking about lotuses, there is a popular Buddhist mantra, om mani padme hum. Is it connected somehow to what you were describing? Or is its meaning different?
Swami Tirtha: Different, different – what different? This is our mantra. Lord Buddha is our avatar. So, what is the lotus in Buddhism? Of course there are unlimited meanings there, but one important meaning of the lotus in Buddhism is the female principle. It’s very similar to the concept of the created world, the universal principle, the cosmic order – because that is also female. In this respect the lotus is always inviting something. It’s half open and waits for the bee to enter. So, if you say om, for us this is: ‘a’ – akara, ‘a’ is Krishna; ‘m’ is the human, and the ‘u’ between the two is Radha. So, if you start a mantra with om, it cannot belong to anybody else.
Mani is the money, is the treasure. Between you and me, there was one very clever disciple of Shrila Prabhupada, who could generate much from this energy. His name was Gargamuni. But sometimes Prabhupada called him ‘Gargamoney’. So, mani is the treasure. Padme, or peme in Tibetan, means ‘inside the padma, inside the lotus’. And hum is like a concluding bija-mantra. So, om mani padme hum – what does it mean? The lotus is united with the bumblebee. The small little bumblebee is the hidden treasure inside the lotus. That will bring the whole manifestation of the creation. So, om mani padme hum is like a secret mantra and on all the different levels of mystic and symbolical understanding we can see that if the male and female principles are united, then this secret starts to evolve. Therefore, for us om mani padme hum means that Radha-Govinda meet under the full moon.
Why? Because sometimes on the body of Lord Buddha you see special signs. Do you remember what kind of special symbols are there on Buddha’s body? On the chest and sometimes on the palms? There is swastika. And what is swastika? This is the sun-cross, the symbol of life, the vortex of life. But when it is on the chest of Lord Buddha, then this is Lakshmidevi, as Lord Buddha is Vishnu avatar and Lord Vishnu is never separated from Lakshmidevi. How is she there with Buddha? Through the swastika. Swasti, what is the meaning of swasti? Quality life, that is the blessed life. And Lakshmidevi is this blessing. So swastika is her representation on the heart… again the heart chakra of Lord Buddha. So, my dear brothers, if you cherish your good wives as Lakshmidevi on your chest, then all the blessings are bestowed on your family. If you cherish your wife as a goddess – I know that this is a very popular remark between the ladies – but if you cherish your wife as a goddess, then you will have a chance to act as a god. All right, a demi-god. Because only a god can appreciate a goddess. But that is also true – only a goddess can satisfy a god. I think family conflict management is very simple: just treat the other as a divine messenger. “Ah, goddess!” Only the tone, you should modify the tone.
All right. These passionate disturbances are also there in the heart chakra, the heart lotus. But if we wash more and more this symbolic lotus, it will become more purified, and under the full moon of Radha-Govinda lila, it will fully blossom in your heart. So, this is my humble request to you all – try to purify the mirror of your heart. And if now you imagine your heart as a lotus throne, try to invite the Divine Couple to accept this throne.