Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 10.05.2019 morning, Sofia)

(continues from the previous Monday)

Question of Lila Avatar: My question is connected with the quote of Shridhara Maharaj that “We shouldn’t be humble with the fools, but with the saints.” How can we recognize who is a fool and who is a saint?

Swami Tirtha: Oh, very good question! So, what is your opinion? 

Hari Lila: By the topics they discuss. 

Krishna Shakti: It is easy for me to be humble before saintly people, but to others it is difficult. I recognize them by their behaviour and example.

Swami Tirtha: Ah, it is easy to behave like a saint. But this is what we can see, what we can perceive. 

Sanatana: You will recognize them by their deeds.

Hari Lila: Saintly people usually come to give something and the others want to take something.

Comment: I recognize them by my personal feeling: if I feel good and elated with this person, and if I feel bad and like loosing something.

Manjari: My observation is that those who are not sincere sooner or later start to criticise some situations or people. And those who are satisfied with the situations and don’t have problems with people, for me it is easier to take them as spiritual authorities. 

Comment: I cannot recognize them, but I have read that there are saintly people who are very eccentric and with strange behaviour. And for me it is important to quickly recognize them. And I don’t know how, because I don’t have spiritual vision, but I may offend somebody in this way.

Swami Tirtha: Very nice. 

Comment: And there are many people who are shining and attractive, but they are not spiritual. And I personally have this experience that it is dangerous to go closer to such people. 

Swami Tirtha: The real ones or the fake ones? 

Comment: Both. There are many magicians, with big and attractive power. How to recognize one from the other? 

Swami Tirtha: Thank you all for these opinions, I think they are very important. Once there was a discussion between devotees: “How come that this guy is like this!?” Then somebody said “Well, because he has got some charisma.” And then a more clever person said “Charisma, charisma; any cheater can have a charisma”. How many people do we see with great charisma and a very low character?! So, this is not the quality. It’s a second face that you use in a carnival, it’s a mask. 

But let me remind you of this beautiful conversation with Shrila Shridhara Maharaj when he asked the devotees “How can you recognize if somebody is intelligent or not?” What was the answer? “If you are intelligent, immediately you will understand who is intelligent.” Right? So if you have some saintly qualities, you will recognize the saintly qualities of others. If you have the qualities of a fool, you will immediately enjoy the company of the fools, it’s a home comfort for you. Therefore we need, we desperately need to improve our saintly qualities. Then we will immediately understand what is favourable and what is not favourable. 

And all those different methods that you mentioned apply – that you read from the actions and you read your feelings, of course! If you don’t want to be a kali-chela, a student of the Kali Yuga, then you have to qualify yourself.

It is also said, if you meet a fake person, a fake saint, so to say – he doesn’t exist, but in case you meet one – then you have to pay attention, because that means there is a real one. So even a fake person gives a signal of the original. We have to search for that original source. Be very intent in your search. 

Fortunately, our God is merciful. He is not just, He is not a God of justice. Because according to justice, we can expect what we deserve. Everybody gets what he or she deserves – according to justice. Yet fortunately, Krishna is merciful. He doesn’t give what we deserve, but He gives a little bit better. A little bit better.