Sharanagati

We have to pay the price for everything. We want to achieve, get, enjoy – but we have to pay the price. And usually it is said that in material world you have to pay the price after. First you can enjoy, but later – you have to pay! Just like entering a big BILLA. You enter and you think: “O, o, o! This, this, this! I can put everything into my bag!” But at the exit you have to pay! In difference with the spiritual things, because there you have to pay first and then you can enjoy. So therefore many people don’t like this version, because “Hey, I have to pay first, ahead, before getting anything!? “ They are accustomed to the other version: try to have, try to enjoy – then may be you can skip paying at the end…

There’s no end to Maya; so you cannot taste everything. And we can imagine: if the servant of God is unlimited in her potential, how much more capacities God has! You remember the story of Narada Muni, when he said: “Illusion? What is that illusion?” Then Krishna immediately was listening: “Illusion? You just go to the lake and take your bath.” And you know, water is a divine blessing. It’s there at the creation of the universe. It’s coming from divine source. And the real water can transform you: wash all the dirt, change you, baptize you – so many powers water has. But that water was very special, because this was miracle water. Narada Muni has gone to take a bath in the water and transformation started to happen. He left his Narada body and from the water a beautiful lady came out! Narada entered – young lady came out. And immediately where there is young, nice, beautiful lady – a young beautiful boy is coming. Without that the story is not complete. So a young prince was appearing on the stage. He understood: “O, she is so beautiful! I have to take her as a wife.” And immediately the whole story started to happen: they established their family, then children were born, then happiness was coming and troubles were coming… so many complications. And many sufferings also; so much so that children were dying and kingdom was lost and so on… So if we think that we can try everything, taste everything – even on the limited platform of material existence – it’s impossible. And the old lady, after so much troubles – loosing husband, loosing children – again went back to the same water. And taking again bath – Narada came out. For Narada it was just one moment; although a whole life was happening meanwhile.

So in that respect we should not be gradual. We should not be reformists: o, I’ll make a little progress in this lifetime, may be next lifetime I can make more. No, in that respect we should be revolutionaries. Jump! But jump not into the darkness. Grab the dhoti of a pure devotee. There we can hold on. So this is our revolution: we jump after the devotees. In this way you can bridge the gap. And actually it is not you who bridge the gap – because somebody will extend a helping hand to you and take you.

Don’t try everything; it’s the same old stuff all over. The same old wine in a new bottle. You should remember the one grain of rice example. When there is a pot of rice, you take one grain and it’s uncooked – then you can understand the whole pot is uncooked. And we have taken so much experience in the material sphere. We had taken not only one grain of rice – hundreds, thousands… You go to the next pot, it’s the same. Rice. Uncooked. Therefore we should change our diet. Change your diet to prasadam. That is the Mercy Sampradaya. You don’t have to try everything. Because if we dedicate our life to trying everything – that means not only the happy side. Everybody wants to take the happiness, but you also have to take the suffering. Everybody likes to take the cream on top of the coffee. But nobody likes to take the dregs on the bottom. Still one doesn’t go without the other. So if you try materially happiness – and suffering will come together. Why should we waste time trying – tomorrow! Today I failed and yesterday I failed – but may be tomorrow… That is not intelligent. From one sign we should understand.

The desire to live is called “trishna”. We should change this to “Krishna”. Trishna is desire, thirst. But Krishna can satisfy your thirst. Therefore we change the diet.