“But you cannot see Me with your present eyes. Therefore I give to you divine eyes by which you can behold My mystic opulence.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.8)

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न तु मां शक्यसे द्रष्टुमनेनैव स्वचक्षुषा ।
दिव्यं ददामि ते चक्षु: पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् ॥

na tu māṁ śakyase draṣṭum
anenaiva sva-cakṣuṣā
divyaṁ dadāmi te cakṣuḥ
paśya me yogam aiśvaram

The point of contention is visual evidence. The skeptic insists upon it. In their casual denial, in their choice to argue without giving the issue much thought, they want the believer to provide concrete evidence that there exists someone who is otherwise known vaguely by the term “God.”

They want to be shown something that will make them believe. They want any and all doubts removed, immediately. If the believer cannot provide such evidence, then they are simply pretending. They are using religion as a way to cope with the harsh realities of the living experience.

Perhaps the believer is just as miserable as everyone else. Instead of beating them at their own game, they join a religious faction, out of dogmatic insistence, to feel part of a club. The insiders are saved, you see. While the outsiders are sinners. Everyone else is doomed. They will perilously fall into the hellish region and remain there for eternity, with no chance for reformation or redemption.

From the Vedic perspective, seeing is not the only route towards validation. We know food by its taste. We know a flower by its scent. We know music by its sound. We know cotton by its feel. Since God is all-encompassing, He can be experienced by any of the senses. It is not that a specific visual is the only way.

Moreover, what qualification do we have? A young child insists that you show them a tree. Otherwise, they will never believe that a tiny seed can turn into something massive, which provides cover from the sun and the rain, and sometimes has the potential for producing fruits.

To satisfy their demands, you take the child to a tree. In fact, you settle them deep within a forest. The child is still perplexed. They insisted upon evidence. They want you to come through. They want to see a tree. You tell them that there are trees all around. They refuse to believe. This is because they do not yet know what a tree is. They are not capable of making the identification.

In the same way, the person mired in illusion, who cannot decipher right and wrong, who is deluded by the dualities of attraction and aversion, has no way of identifying God. The evidence that they insist upon is already right in front of them. They witness so many amazing things each day, starting with the very maker of the day, the sun, who is known as dinakara.

इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन द्वन्द्वमोहेन भारत।
सर्वभूतानि संमोहं सर्गे यान्ति परन्तप।।

icchādveṣasamutthena dvandvamohena bhārata।
sarvabhūtāni saṃmohaṃ sarge yānti parantapa।।

“O scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conquerer of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of desire and hate.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.27)

Another aspect to consider is the indirect vision. If someone is an eyewitness, their accounts and descriptions of the interaction are a sufficient replacement. I did not witness what happened on the street last night, but my neighbor did. As they are a trusted source, I believe what they tell me. I can see through them.

From the documented history found in Vedic literature, we have ample evidence of the presence of Divinity, of its supremacy over the entire universe, and also its nature and relationship with the living entities. In other words, we can see God indirectly through so many people. This vision is just as potent as the face-to-face meeting.

1. Arjuna

He is one of the main characters of the Mahabharata narrative. Arjuna is a legendary bow-warrior, and through family he is related to Shri Krishna. Though they roam together as friends most of the time, Arjuna also knows the special identity associated with Krishna.

In their famous conversation known as Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna asks for the visual evidence. Known as the virat-rupa, which is the universal form, this is the closest equivalent to the direct evidence of the existence of God.

Krishna grants Arjuna a special set of eyes. This allows for the vision. This amazing form has never been shown to anyone before. Arjuna saw it, and we can see it through his experience, which persists to the modern day.

2. Hanuman

The same Krishna previously appeared on earth as Shri Rama. A Vanara named Hanuman first met Rama in the forest of Kishkindha. Hanuman’s meeting was glorious, as it began a dedication in service that continues to this day.

3. Shukadeva

The position of Krishna as God, the way the entire universe gets created, the metaphysics to explain the many living beings, the cycle of birth and death, the cycle of the universe itself – these are all described in Bhagavata Purana.

Shukadeva Gosvami is the narrator, speaking to an inquisitive and humble Maharaja Parikshit. Shukadeva witnesses so many of Krishna’s pastimes through this presentation, and so we have the opportunity to see the same through him.

4. Bhishma

Arjuna was aligned with the Pandava side, and Bhishma was one of the leaders on the opposing camp. This was for the great military conflict that began right at the time Bhagavad-gita was spoken to Arjuna.

Bhishma ended up on the battlefield ground, a body filled with arrows. Since he was meditating on Krishna, the Supreme Lord went to him. The Pandava brothers spoke with Bhishma as that great leader was departing.

5. Markandeya

He is famous for having stayed around until the end of a particular cycle of the universe. When everything was being destroyed, Markandeya says that there was one small boy remaining. That child was unaffected, playfully sucking on its toe. That child was the same Krishna, who was the well-wisher to the Pandava brothers.

In Closing:

Not ready to believe,
Until evidence to receive.

First you have to show,
For actual truth to know.

But from others seeing already,
Like Arjuna a companion steady.

Hanuman in service to stay,
Narayana at dissolution to play.

Categories: the five

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