“O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.7)

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मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्
किञ्चिद् अस्ति धनञ्जय
मयि सर्वम् इदं प्रोतं
सूत्रे मणि-गणा इव

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

“I am not really sure how to phrase my question or what I am even asking. Let me work through a problem that came up recently. It bothered me when it happened and there are lingering negative feelings. In other words, I am still upset about it.

“Let me start by saying that it seems people within the Vedic tradition tend to be tolerant of other religions and faith. I am sure you can find the exceptions, the people viewed as ‘fundamentalists’ and the like, but I don’t seem to recall any grand invasions throughout history where they were trying to convert others to a different way of living.

“I know there are charlatans and cheats. I know that hardly anyone can explain sanatana-dharma in truth, but I’m sure you notice that most of the time there is a kind of openness. With a liberal attitude, the people teach that religion can only be one, that there is only a single God for the entire universe.

“They go out of their way not to offend people. The wise, the ones who follow the authority of parampara, as passed down to them, are able to explain things in a non-sectarian way, though there is certainly the devotional culture at the other end, after advancement in the discipline.

“Bhagavad-gita, Shrimad Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and the Puranas make no mention of the word ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hinduism.’ With that established, now look at the behavior from the other side. They are not nearly as open-minded. They never try to compare their teachings with shastra of the Vedic tradition. Unless you accept their chosen savior, you are doomed for eternity. They never proclaim that God is for everyone.

“To me, that is the simplest truth. Otherwise, it would be like saying that the sun only applies to certain people. Birth and death depend on your belief system, and only certain people ascend to heaven. It is just preposterous, on its face.

“I recently came across people who described traditions foreign to them as demonic. False gods. Idol worship. They even tried to say that these traditions are demonic in origin. I got so mad. This is what we get for trying to reach out. This is the reciprocation on the other side, when trying to relate.

“I guess I am wondering why we even bother. Let the meat-eaters and drunkards stay in their ways. I want nothing to do with them. If they say that Krishna does not appear in their specific book, I will say that their chosen savior never appears in Bhagavad-gita or Shrimad Bhagavatam. I find them to be inferior in every way. My opinion is actually based on knowledge.”

In the situation described above, any person can play the game of dogmatic insistence. Take a book and proclaim it to be infallible, even though it has been modified and translated countless times over the course of centuries. Label this savior as God Himself, though that was never proclaimed until long after that person’s departure from the world.

And best of all, anyone who doesn’t agree is a sinner. They are condemned. Whatever they do in life, they are on the wrong side. Whatever religion they follow, they are evil. Their gods are not real; they are made up. Why? Because this person says so. What evidence do they have? Well, their book of choice.

On the other side, from a single work like Bhagavad-gita we have information relating to life, death, the difference between matter and spirit, the steps leading to anger and wrath, the illusion of sense gratification, the way to steady the mind, and most importantly, what happens to a person after they die.

There may be a statement or two that seems dogmatic. For instance, Shri Krishna says that everything rests on Him, like pearls strung on a thread. We notice that this is direct instruction, preserved in the original language, Sanskrit. The same truth we find quoted from other authorities, and Krishna explains that Bhagavad-gita is not a novel teaching; it is timeless in both directions.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
इमं विवस्वते योगं
प्रोक्तवान् अहम् अव्ययम्
विवस्वान् मनवे प्राह
मनुर् इक्ष्वाकवे ’ब्रवीत्

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ
proktavān aham avyayam
vivasvān manave prāha
manur ikṣvākave ’bravīt

“The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikshvaku.” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.1)

There is nothing sectarian about the idea, either, as Krishna is for everyone. He is one way to visualize God, which is important since we can’t even see the individual soul inside of a living being. How can we possibly understand someone who is simultaneously nirguna and saguna unless we get some help? That is the mercy of the deity, and Shri Krishna speaking to Arjuna is the deity incarnate; i.e. the actual person.

The less intelligent will always have their words of derision. They take a basic reversal of fortune in an insignificant aspect of a temporary life to be a miracle and proof of their belief-system. Meanwhile, someone else may be praying for the exact opposite thing to occur. If they achieve success, are both situations miracles? What about those who pray and get denied? Does God not exist for them?

The Supreme Lord is so kind that even the less intelligent can approach Him. Everyone is connected to Him in some way, and any acknowledgment of His presence and authority is an indication of progress. The more we come closer to the Divine, the closer we come towards liberation and the ultimate escape from the cycle of birth and death.

In Closing:

On one side upset and mad,
And also for their ignorance sad.

That as demonic my religion to say,
That their book the only way.

Preposterous and of knowledge devoid,
Preferring their association to avoid.

Connected to Krishna them all,
Whether elevated or in maya to fall.

Categories: questions

Tags: god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion, spirituality