Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 04.05.2018, Rila)

(continues from the previous Monday)

Question of Kripadham: You mentioned that it is not good if people who have an initiation chant inattentively. My question is, what can they do? Should they stop chanting until achieving attentive state? Or should they continue even though inattentively, but still trying?

Swami Tirtha: Well, I think if you watch TV and you try to cheat yourself that you’re chanting while watching TV, it’s better if you stop. But if you try your chanting and by chance, your attention is gone for some time, then go on, of course. It is difficult to focus, no doubt. But first, we need to gain control over the mind. To be able to focus. And when you have it, then it is easier to connect to pure chanting. This is not an obligatory routine, that ‘I have to focus my mind in order to chant properly’ – that is very technical. Therefore, we need to train ourselves. It is like a practice. If you have a good practice, immediately you can repeat and enter into the same mood again and again.

If by chance our attention is not fully there, then we have to pray again and we have to tune ourselves again. And therefore, we need to develop such a personal practice that will help us to enter this very devotional, very pure, inspired mood of chanting. We need to know the goal, which is pure love for the lotus feet of Krishna. And we need to make our commitment. This is the sankalpa. Dedicate yourself, declare for yourself, “I am doing this. I am willing to serve.” Or simply try to follow the good example of other qualified devotees.

For example, I was amazed when I heard the chanting of one of your brothers, because his formulating the mahamantra was absolutely similar to Puri Maharaj’s chanting. Even the intonation, even the tone of his voice was very similar. Therefore, if we are together in the morning sessions of chanting, then you can take the good example of others.

And no doubt, sometimes our attention fails. But after a few minutes, the rhythm will come again, the vibration will take us again. This is a question of training also – how quickly you can jump in. On the other end we are trained well enough – we can very easily jump out. This part we know. So let’s learn how to jump in. How to enter the mood. By real practice you can develop that.

It is said that we have to surrender to the holy name. There are a lot of very fine, very delicate steps that we can take in order to practice more properly. And why do we practice all our life? When the last moment comes, to be able to remember. And even to remember is very technical. It’s not that you will remember forcefully. But if this is your life, it will come automatically. It’s not like ‘Ah, now this is my last moment of life, I have to think of Krishna.’ No, no, no. After the first two words, your last moment is gone.

It will come automatically. Just like the pouring of oil. Water is rushing, jumping, sparkling. Too much freedom is there; water is playing the game, it’s dancing too much. The oil is not dancing. The oil is just coming. When you pour the oil, it’s totally different from water. In the same way, our mind is jumping here and there… But when it becomes like oil, it will flow, not jump. What to speak of honey? If you pour the honey, it’s even slower than oil. Compared to the honey, the oil is jumping. So if we condense and purify our essence more and more, it will pour naturally and without any hindrance.

This is what we pray for – by the blessings of our superiors, by our insignificant desire for surrender to the holy name, and the unlimited mercy of the Divine Couple, and also the sweet invitation of Mahaprabhu, we can join the pure and ecstatic chanting of the holy names, so that we can dance in a trance.