“The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 5.29)

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भोक्तारं यज्ञ-तपसां
सर्व-लोक-महेश्वरम्
सुहृदं सर्व-भूतानां
ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिम् ऋच्छति

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

1. Exclusivity of class

“This method is meant for the pure and the cultured. If you are outside of that group then there is no hope for advancement. You will have to settle for a lower-grade involvement. Perhaps you can find a better situation in the next life. You are not sufficiently blessed to be able to enter this discipline.”

2. Institutional affiliation

“Do not go outside of the institution. We respect others, for sure. We are not against this group or that, but you will not find anything better. You can only be saved in this period of time by following the spiritual guides recommended by us. Never mind that many of those recommendations have since been rescinded, that the teachers turned out to be frauds. That defect is everywhere, after all. Stay with us, please. Promise to never leave.”

3. Dogmatic insistence

“If you do not follow what we say, you are condemned. This is your only chance. Why would you want to risk it? Is skepticism really worth the potential to be sentenced to torture and misery for an eternity? I would think not. Just profess your allegiance, show up to the house of worship on a regular basis, and check the appropriate box on the form. It is pretty easy. Don’t be a renegade.”

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that the formula for peace is within Bhagavad-gita, which is a sacred text of origins long into the past. The location of that formula is actually a single shloka. One set of Sanskrit words, which can be memorized, studied, and sung to accompanying music will explain how to combat the forces causing agony, misery, and despair.

There are essentially four aspects to finding this peace. The first is an identification. Take an individual. A real person. Not a concept. Not an abstract. Not something only to be pontificated or reflected upon. Both an historical figure and someone who is fully vibrant today. That same vibrancy will continue into the future.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि
जन्मानि तव चार्जुन
तान्य् अहं वेद सर्वाणि
न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
bahūni me vyatītāni
janmāni tava cārjuna
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi
na tvaṁ vettha parantapa

“The Blessed Lord said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.5)

That individual has appeared in the manifest space many times before, dating as far back to when there was no population to speak of. Just the sun and the potential to create a dynasty. That individual will appear in the manifest space in the future, as well, without any deterioration due to time and circumstance.

The second aspect is to know that this individual is the beneficiary to all kinds of religious activities. Known as yajna in Sanskrit, there is always a corresponding object of worship. The same applies to austerity, which is tapasya. Following my vows I may not know that this individual is the final recipient, but this lack of awareness does not affect the truth of the matter.

The third aspect is to know that this individual stands above the presiding deities of the heavenly realm. The administrators of the material world have great power. Wind does not get produced from nothing. Someone had to put the gross elements of nature where they are. Planets had to appear from somewhere. This individual stands above the controlling administrators and the various planets.

The fourth aspect is to know that this individual is the well-wisher of everyone. This benevolence extends through the entire spectrum of life instances. Every human being, for sure. The good and the bad. The pious and the sinful. Those living out in the free world and those stuck in prison. The blessed and the condemned.

This individual wishes well to the animals, as well. Those which survive on plants and those which kill other animals for food. The large elephant and the tiny ant. Whether being rewarded for pious deeds with a stint in the heavenly region or serving punishment in the hellish realm.

We see that there is no institutional affiliation mentioned in this formula for peace. A person is also not compelled to follow. As there is always a choice in the manner of living, a person can choose to ignore the formula and search for lasting peace on their own.

The formula is not exclusive to a certain species, race, gender, or ethnicity. If this individual is the greatest well-wisher of all, He must be accessible to all people, at all times, under all circumstances. The key to peaceful living is to accept this formula and try to live by it, to always remember that individual who never abandons those connected to Him: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Looking for final relief,
How to find lasting peace?

One choice to go it alone,
To achieve on my own.

Or a simple formula accept,
Found in sacred text.

That one person above it all,
The greatest well-wisher to call.

Categories: the three

Tags: hare krishna, life, philosophy, poem, poems, poetry, world peace