“Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.63)

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इति ते ज्ञानम् आख्यातं
गुह्याद् गुह्यतरं मया
विमृश्यैतद् अशेषेण
यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु

iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ
guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā
vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa
yathecchasi tathā kuru

If you are a true believer, if you understand that there is someone named God, then you might be wondering what else is left to do. Why worry so much about the particulars? Why favor one style of worship over another? Why be concerned with specific rituals, keeping an eye on mistakes and improper pronunciation?

In other words, what need is there for a detailed understanding? The Vedic tradition has the most expansive information available, if conducting a comparative analysis. For as many days as there are in a person’s existence, it seems there is that much knowledge to consume, contemplate, and then deliberate on as to a future course of action.

There are subtle truths inside of the acceptance of God, and when we study those we see how doors open, leading to avenues of exploration and resolution over doubts.

1. There is life after death

If there is a God, it means that death is not the end. It is still not a welcome proposition for most. It is a forced exit from a world the person has grown attached to ever since exiting the womb. Sometimes that final blow is quite painful; a crippling disease signals the arrival, with the final departure taking place soon thereafter.

2. Everything in the world didn’t suddenly emerge from nothing.

If there is a continuation of life after death, there has to be some explanation for the past. There is this amazing world around us. Trees, rivers, mountains, hills, clouds, volcanoes, oceans, and their population of creatures. Expanding out to the furthest macro level, we have the planets and the solar system.

If there is a God, these things did not come about randomly. Otherwise, we could have the same randomness lead to other amazing things, such as smartphones, automobiles, televisions, surgical procedures, and so on. Instead, precision to the most granular level is necessary in order for these to manifest; intelligence at every step, embedded in every hidden corner.

3. There is a purpose to our existence

If there is a God, our work is not without meaning. Everything we do, from start to finish, from the time of birth through to the time of death, has a purpose to it. Otherwise, we would simply be part of the randomness. We would be like the pinball bouncing around inside of the machine.

…

In these three areas alone we can ask question after question. Shastra is full of answers. We can start with Bhagavad-gita. There is no special edition necessary for beginners. The shlokas speak for themselves, though there is certainly explanation required from an expert teacher. This is for transitioning the principles to the modern day, where we may not be accustomed to the full picture and every point of reference described by Shri Krishna.

Bhagavad-gita is a question-and-answer session. Arjuna already believed in God. He understood that there is life after death. He knew that the universe didn’t manifest through randomness. With this inherent understanding, he went to find more information. He wanted a better explanation on how to proceed, on the impact to different choices, on the exact nature of the future births, however many would come.

Not only for himself, Arjuna wanted to know about everyone else. Why are they placed into different body types? Why do they commit sinful activity, even after knowing it is wrong? Why do people get angry, and how do they prevent harmful behavior going forward?

The more a person indulges their inquisitiveness in this area, the more they realize that there is no other purpose to the intelligence gifted to man other than to inquire into the spiritual science. It is known as sanatana-dharma for a reason.

It is not merely a religion. It is a way of life, inherent to the living being. It is eternally present, and so it continues forward into the future, along with the eternal existence of the individual itself, who is spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.

In Closing:

With acknowledgment implicit,
That worshiped a person explicit.

From whom everything has come,
Who recording everything done.

And the future also to know,
How destiny to go.

From Bhagavad-gita Supreme finding,
Arjuna for our sake defining.

Categories: the three

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