Five Recommendations I Probably Should Not Doubt

“But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.40)

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अज्ञश् चाश्रद्दधानश् च
संशयात्मा विनश्यति
नायं लोको ऽस्ति न परो
न सुखं संशयात्मनः

ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca
saṁśayātmā vinaśyati
nāyaṁ loko ‘sti na paro
na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ

1. Learning to read

“You mean by sitting here and sounding out letters, I am going to become smart? I will know how to decode the characters displayed on a screen or printed on a page? I am not buying it. I think I can figure it out on my own. I don’t need to follow synthetic phonics or whatever you call it. These people are only interested in making money, if you ask me. I will not be one of the many suckers to buy into their program.”

2. Boarding the train

“How is this thing supposed to move? Do you see anyone pushing from behind? There is no electrical cord, either. If I hop on this train, I will somehow make it to another city, which is hundreds of miles away? Like magic, this mode of transportation will carry me safely to another destination? I don’t believe it.”

3. Taking medicine

“Bro, my stomach is hurting. I am in serious pain. Why are you shoving that pill in my face? Do you see how tiny it is? What in the world could that possibly do? If I put anything more into my system, my pain will only get worse. Stop trying to exacerbate the problem. That’s right, exacerbate. It’s my vocabulary word of the day. I kept calling it something else at first, but then my wife yelled at me.”

4. Planting the seed

“What am I supposed to do with this thing? You want me to place it into the ground? Okay, so first I have to dig a hole. Then I put the seed inside and cover it. Wait for nature to work its magic.

“How stupid do I look? I stopped believing in fairytales a long time ago. This little seed is worthless. It cannot do anything. Stop being foolish. How do you expect something large like a tree to come from something so small?”

5. Following genuine spiritual life

“Dude, religion is for the fools. There is no God. Just enjoy life. Stop overthinking it. No one else seems to be as focused as you are. How is repeating some sound sequence going to save my life? How is it going to make me happier? How is it going to get my work finished at the office? How is it going to get my wife to stop yelling at me? Be grounded in reality. Give me something practical, not make-believe.”

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that progress in devotional service is factually based on the willingness of the individual. If they do not follow through on what is recommended, how will they get anywhere? If they have doubts as to the effectiveness of the process, they have the option to question.

That is to say, no one has to follow blindly. In the genuine presentation, flowing through parampara in an authorized way, there is no dogmatic insistence. There is no reason to scare someone into thinking they will fall into a hellish condition, precisely because the cycle of birth and death is already miserable and temporary.

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

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

“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)

The gift of devotional service arrives in the form of a seed. No different than one which grows fruits and vegetables, the potential here is for the seed to develop into a creeper and finally a tree. This is a wonderful way to symbolize the end-product, but for a factual representation we can look to the tulasi plant.

One way to practice spiritual life is to regularly worship the tulasi plant. She is a goddess, who is very dear to Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Offer a little water. Chant some mantras. Circumambulate in a mood of respect.

When it comes time to repeating the holy names, we can carry out part of sadhana in front of the plant. We can ask for her blessings, to be devoted to the Supreme Lord. We can ask that our devotion continue to grow. We can take some of her leaves and offer them to God in a formal worship process.

There is no immediate, visual evidence that the process works. The worshiper must extend some faith, at least in the beginning. It is not that we expect the tree to start talking or to have Vishnu personally manifest and confirm that everything is going properly.

At the same time, people who are mature to the process have no doubt as to its effectiveness. They know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Tulasi Devi is helping them. They know that the seed they received from the spiritual master has grown into something beautiful.

Like plucking ripened fruit from a tree, they can take a single verse from shastra and meditate upon it for an entire day. They derive so much pleasure in the process. It is a different kind of joy. It is a transcendental taste, so to speak. They have seen something better, and so they can immediately cast aside the inferior.

विषया विनिवर्तन्ते
निराहारस्य देहिनः
रस-वर्जं रसो ऽप्य् अस्य
परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ‘py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.59)

The transformation began with faith and willingness. Without some motivation to move forward, to help turn the seed into a creeper, there is no chance of finding the oasis. The opportunity for reaching the highest perfection of life gets squandered, sort of like missing that train travelling to that important destination.

In Closing:

Like missing that train,
Higher realm not to attain.

After someone kindly gave,
For my fortunes to save.

With some seriousness should take,
A routine of sadhana to make.

Like the seed in ground planting,
Creeper of devotion through chanting.