Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 04.01.2020 evening, Sofia)

(continues from the previous Monday)

Life is progressive. What is alive, it should grow, because growth and movement is a signal of life. And actually I can see here all-around these signals of life. How you improve nicely, with attention to the details, the standards of the ashram. How you try to improve the mood of the mission. After a certain time we achieve a level of fulfilment in that respect. Then we need to improve that readiness and care – we need to practice that on a higher, a more sophisticated platform. Just like Shrila Prabhupada said: “Now we have enough milk; let’s condense the milk”. Sometimes we can come to such a stage in our life, when we have enough milk; then we have to condense that milk.
In your lives you have achieved so much. Obvious success, some failures, but with some good realizations. You have enough. You are spiritually very wealthy. Try to condense your wealth. You know, milk is not bad, but it’s a little too light. If you start to condense it, then it becomes thicker. If you go on condensing it, it becomes sweet by itself. And when it’s condensed so much that it’s not liquid anymore, it becomes burfi[1] by itself.
So, I think this is enough. Enough is enough! What you have is enough. Try to make it more condensed.
Because you all have the chance to practice. We have an ashram! It’s such an incredible achievement. You know, it is said “Don’t be surprised if you find a little maya in the temple. It’s a much bigger miracle to find a temple in the maya.” Because this is a world of illusion and you find a place which is dedicated to the service of God Supreme – it’s a miracle by itself.
You have your malas… Once there was a candidate for becoming a devotee. He was attending a lecture, and after the lecture somebody of the initiated devotees was hanging his japa on the hanger for the clothes. And this new man said, “Ah, if I had a japa, I would never have hanged it like this!” Then the teacher told him: “The time will come when you will hang your japa.”
But enough is enough! Enough of the disillusioned spirit (настроение на премахнати илюзии)! Enough of laziness in the spiritual sense! Come to a better platform of your spiritual practices. You have all the good chances to improve your life. If we have the holy trinity of our faith – hari-guru-vaishnava, if we have God with us – tnen who is against us? If He is with you, who is against you?
Just recently I read one wisdom from a priest. He said “Well, if I try, even with God, I am not successful, I cannot make it. But He, even with me, He is always successful.” It is so simple. If He is with us, what is missing? What else do we need? Guru – if somebody is not satisfied with God, then he will receive a guru – to learn to be satisfied with God. And we have a nice sangha. Sangha makes it alive. Whatever we have learned theoretically, we can put it into practice in a good sangha.
So, everything that is necessary for our spiritual practices, we have it. But enough is not enough! Please go on, try to find more treasures. Share, give it to others, and then you will be supplied. Help others to realize their own spiritual origin – it is a service to humanity. And also it is a service to the source of all the living entities. Because in this way, the energy that somehow, by the influence of illusion, separates itself from the source, finds the way back home, back to Godhead. Krishna is satisfied if more of His energy is directed back to Him. This is our humble offering and service to help these estranged energies to return to their original source where they do belong.

(to be continued)

1.  Indian sweetmeat made of condensed milk