Sharanagati

How to maintain our spiritual consciousness? In one sense, this is very simple. When we come together, when we take part in celebrations, when we have our spiritual practices, this is when we recharge our batteries. When you use your mobile phone for one day, two days, on the third day it needs to be recharged. In the same way our heart, our soul is recharged by these spiritual activities yet slowly, slowly we forget, we lose that spiritual charge. Come again, be connected and charge again, recharge.

Spiritual change or spiritual progress is a mystic process. You don’t see, you don’t know how it works, but it works. If we think more and more, if we remember more and more, then it will take more ground in our consciousness. And of course, we have to cultivate from time to time. Cultivate what? First, let us give ourselves a little chance for understanding.

One very basic principle of our faith is that God resides in every heart. What is the consequence of that? That He is always with you. But if we are realistic, we have to admit that sometimes we are not with Him. Right? His attention is always with you and your attention is not always with Him. So, practically spiritual life means, real progress means that you focus your attention. If we love someone, then we cannot forget about that person. If we love God, how can we forget about Him? If we establish more and more this truth in our consciousness that “He is with me”, then we have to add the second part of the sentence: “I am with You. You are with me and I am with You”. Because there is a very nice spiritual guidance: “If you come with Me, I will go with you.” Such a simple message! “If you come with Me, I will go with you.” Such a beautiful expression of unity in divine love. But there is one little condition – we have to go with Him. Practically, this is the only thing that we have to improve in our life. In order to help that memory, that remembrance, it’s good to listen to the message of God, it’s good to glorify Him by chanting the names, and practically all other spiritual practices help this divine consciousness to take root in our heart.

So, here (in the song “Manasa Deho Geho), are some guidelines how to practice, how to maintain, how to meditate. Do you have any questions?

Question of Paramananda: How to qualify for a worm?

Tirtha Maharaj: How to…?! Chant more! But actually, be constructive in your humility. If we are honest enough we should admit that we don’t feel less insignificant than a worm in a stool. In most of the cases we don’t feel like that. And this is not bad. Sometimes poetry uses extreme examples. But if you want to put that extreme example like poetic expression into the daily activity, it doesn’t fit very nice. And if you have a low target, a very simple target, you will miss even that. So, we have to put a higher goal – like a fly, or a dog around the devotees, or something.

But besides joke, if we have the chance to take birth in a human form, we should take the best use of this chance. In this form of life purification and perfection is available. If you walk your chakra ladder upper and upper, then you can reach the top level. There are some traps, the low chakras act like little traps here and there. But if our progress is permanent and we have a good direction, then we shall reach higher and higher levels of existence. And simply if we come closer to our original consciousness or original position, and if we understand that we are eternal souls (atman consciousness), that we are eternal spiritual sparks, parts of consciousness, then we will have a different vision of the insignificant trifle things of our everyday life. Just like an excursion; but we have a goal and we have a home to return.

Simply by establishing more and more this vision, this consciousness of eternity of our existence helps a lot. And we must have high goals. What was the recipe of Srila Prabhupad for hunting? If you go for hunting, go for rhinoceros. Not for rabbits! If your Guru have given the brahmastra in your hands, don’t hunt for rabbits. And the chance to practice the spiritual life is a brahmastra – to destroy your private material illusion. So, our hunt is for rhinoceros – for perfection and total surrender. Not for some rabbits – name, fame and glory, prestige.

1. Mythical nuclear weapon invoked by mantras