Sharanagati

(from a lecture of Swami Tirtha, 23.08.2016 evening, Ludasto) 

(continues from the previous Friday) 

Question: You were saying that there were three types of Puranas according to the three gunas. Who categorized the people, who give them their specific Puranas to read? Are the teachers distributing the scriptures?

Swami Tirtha: Very good question. It works in different ways. We are very fortunate if our masters guide us and provide us the proper scripture according to our taste, according to our spiritual needs and prospects. But it goes the other way round also. If your inclination leads you to some of the Puranas, it will tell you what kind of guna inspires you. Why? Because those who are in passion, they want to achieve something. So, they will search for that type of information even in the sacred tradition which will satisfy their ambitions. There are some who want to exploit and use destructive powers of spirituality – this is like a tamasic inclination. You generate a kind of half pseudo-spiritual power in order to use it in a wrong manner.

But fortunately the Shrimad Bhagavatam doesn’t belong to any categories like this. Because this is ‘The Spotless Purana’, this is the essential, the pure, purest of the pure. Immaculate . This is not according to the gunas. This is transcendental. And not only a transcendental piece of literature, but it’s considered an incarnation of the Supreme. By body He has withdrawn from this world. But He didn’t leave, because He left the Bhagavatam – this is His written incarnation. So, we are not left alone. Yet another reason why the Bhagavata Purana is so important. It is the Fifth Veda, it is containing the rasic literature, it’s the favorite of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and a personal incarnation of Krishna. And therefore this is for all.

akamah sarva-kamo va

moksha-kama udara-dhih

tivrena bhakti-yogena

yajeta purusham param[1]

Akamah – whether you have no desire, or you have a lot of desires – sarva-kamo va, or you have only one desire for perfection, liberation – moksha-kama – it doesn’t matter. Tivrena – with a thirst, with an unquenchable thirst, tivrena bhakti-yogena, with devotion, with devotional connection, yajeta purusham param, you should serve the Supreme. The Supreme should be served with a thirsty devotional desire. So, if we belong to any classification, it doesn’t matter, the spirit soul is transcendental. The Bhagavatam as a transcendental piece of literature is concerned directly with the soul. Therefore study of the Bhagavatam is recommended for all. Actually this verse is from the Bhagavatam itself.

Question: Which verse is this?

Swami Tirtha: I don’t know by heart the number, but I hope I remember the meaning.

(to be continued) 

[1] Shrimad Bhagavatam 2.3.10