Sharanagati

(continues from the previous Friday)

Vishnu says: “Oh, I have all this court here in Vaikuntha. So many very respectful persons are around Me. And although I am on the top of the divine hierarchy, look at this Krishna! He is only a small cowherd boy, but He looks more happy than Me. His friends, His girlfriends are around Him. I have only one woman, He has got so many. So, He is better. His devotees are very close to Him. My devotees always respect Me, but His devotees – they love Him, they embrace Him, they play games. They eat together. Sometimes the boys steal the laddhus from His plate. Who will dare to steal anything from My plate? This majestic position is very official. Give me life! And finally My lila is Vaikuntha” says Vishnu.

Vaikuntha means no fear, no anxiety. So boringly peaceful! Look at Krishna’s pastimes – there is always happening something. Somebody is coming, some little talk, some little meeting here and there. It’s much more satisfying. So, this is where Vishnu, the Supreme Lord, the majestic God’s heart runs – Goloka. Therefore Shrila Shridhara Maharaja says: “To be hurled down to Vaikuntha”. We have understood that Vaikuntha means the best place! No fears, no anxieties. And Shridhara Maharaja considers this like an exile, like Siberia. Vaikuntha is like the spiritual Siberia. There must be something higher. So, therefore we should search what is higher.

We’ve made a little excursion, although we started from time. As Krishna says in the Gita: “I am time, destroyer of the worlds”[1]. And then we discussed the three different aspects of the Supreme: generator, operator, destructor. But fortunately there is another identification of Krishna with time in the Gita. Because He says: “And I exist as eternal time.”[2] So, for those who are not under the divine control, He exists as time as limited, destructive power; but for those who are under the divine control Krishna exists as eternal time.”

So, this is our approach to time. Therefore people fear time, time fears the pyramids, but we don’t fear time and we are not afraid of the pyramids.

(to be continued)

[1] Bhagavad Gita 11.32

[2] Bhagavad Gita 10.33