“Suta Gosvami said: Thus Bhishmadeva merged himself in the Supersoul, Lord Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with his mind, speech, sight and actions, and thus he became silent, and his breathing stopped.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.9.43)

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सूत उवाच
कृष्ण एवं भगवति
मनो-वाग्-दृष्टि-वृत्तिभिः
आत्मन्य् आत्मानम् आवेश्य
सो ऽन्तःश्वास उपारमत्

sūta uvāca
kṛṣṇa evaṁ bhagavati
mano-vāg-dṛṣṭi-vṛttibhiḥ
ātmany ātmānam āveśya
so ‘ntaḥśvāsa upāramat

1. They owned slaves

“Okay, so that one Founding Father basically invented the concept of a subscription library, a fire department, a more efficient stove to heat the home, artificial fins to aid in swimming, and many other such improvements for the living condition. He posited the theory that lightning is actually electricity, and when viewed as such there could be so much damage avoided during storms.

“These Founding Fathers are great thinkers and all, but just see how they lived. They owned slaves. That is abominable. No excuse for that. Therefore, I don’t want to hear anything about these supposedly dignified men, who all happened to be white and are now dead.”

2. They suffocated their kids

“Sorry, but I cannot take any of these people seriously. They may have some intelligence. They may be genuine in their desire to pass on knowledge. But I will never forget what they did to our children. They suffocated them for more than a year, and for no reason.

“It did not keep anyone safe. It did not improve the health of any person. It was a sick game of torture. It is like these people actually hate children. I will never trust them with anything important ever again, as long as I can help it.”

3. They hid in their house from a disease

“Sorry, I am not taking advice from that person. They hid in their house for more than a year. All to avoid a disease that no one really knew they had, if they did at all. It is as if these people never heard of illness before. Are they really that dumb?

“Now, they suddenly think it is safe to come out. People are still coughing and sneezing, you geniuses. There are germs everywhere, but these fools have decided that it is now okay to leave the home. They have no common sense and I want nothing to do with them.”

4. They abruptly left their family behind

“Sorry, I will not bow down before this person. They get so much respect for travelling the world, for having no possessions, for speaking on the sacred wisdom of ancient traditions. They have their disciples from whom they take service, to whom they offer wisdom and supposedly inspire to follow the same path in life.

“I think this path of the modern-day sadhu is actually easier. This supposedly saintly person abruptly left home. They left behind the wife and children. And they should be applauded for this? Do you know how difficult life at home is? These gurus have no clue about difficulty, about real austerity. I am more impressed by the people who take the time to make sure the children are raised properly, who sacrifice in order to earn an honest living, without leeching off others. Try living with my wife for one day. These people should be touching my feet!”

5. They were on the wrong side of history

“Sorry, but they ended up being entirely wrong. They chose a specific side. They had a specific viewpoint. Now everyone knows that it was a mistake. No apologies, either. We just pretend that the whole ordeal never happened.

“I will not be so quick to forget. I remember these people shaming me for not going along. I remember how they barred my entry at social functions and gatherings. I have forever lost respect for them.”

…

Bhakti-yoga promises a better life. Indeed, the claim is that bhakti-yoga is the only life; everything else is illusion. It is like asking the living being to wake up. They are asleep, but they are unaware. In the manner that eight hours pass in the night without explicit activity, so the living being can spend thousands of lifetimes without understanding their true nature, their place in the world, and the juxtaposition to the origin of everything.

बहूनां जन्मनाम् अन्ते
ज्ञानवान् मां प्रपद्यते
वासुदेवः सर्वम् इति
स महात्मा सु-दुर्लभः

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.19)

At the same time, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada warns against expecting everything to be ideal. Not to necessarily temper the enthusiasm, but to provide realistic expectations, in bhakti life there will not be a sort of Utopia.

We already have evidence of this in the history passed down of the lila of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the avatara of Shri Rama, there is family infighting, backstabbing, lying, cheating, stealing, deceiving, and even taking favors without returning anything in the immediate aftermath.

In the lila of Shri Krishna, we have mahajanas, who are great souls, choosing a side that is not visibly aligned with dharma. Though Krishna is a well-wisher to all, though He is in the heart of every living being, He is providing guidance to one soldier in particular.

Arjuna has Krishna driving the chariot, and Bhishma is one of the leading warriors on the other side. At the same time, Bhishma is considered an authority on dharma. He knows how it plays out, how to stay on the side of righteousness, and how to properly depart this world.

If we rely on our skills in argument, on logical deduction and reasoning, then we can actually cancel any person out. We can deny the authority of any person, as there is always a blemish to find. If a person acts in a certain way, they automatically do not act in other ways. If they sit on the sidelines and do nothing, they receive blame for not stepping up and assisting others.

This kind of cancelling will not lead us to anywhere significant. It is a kind of cutting down of attributes. If every person is to be cancelled, it means that no one is an authority figure. If there are no authorities, then there are no good qualities to live by. Lying and stealing are as good as telling the truth and respecting the property of others.

This kind of nothingness is known as Mayavada, which is a philosophy that concludes that everything is maya. Even the philosophy describing the condition would be maya, as would be the person teaching the philosophy to others.

Obviously, this is not the way the world operates. There are distinctions within the oneness. There is a singular energy running through everything. There is one truth supporting everything else. There is both oneness and distinction.

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

“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)

The recommendation is to find someone we consider to be an authority and at least hear from them. Rather than immediately cancel out due to some perceived flaw, when we are flawed in our own application of principles, at least take the time to listen and judge for ourselves. From the authority of the mahajanas, we see that bhakti-yoga is indeed the only way towards lasting happiness, peace, and tranquility, in a state of being which actually transcends the changing conditions and environments.

In Closing:

If everyone to dismiss,
Then important opportunity to miss.

Where to find way out,
A place anxieties without.

The mahajanas truth knowing,
And by their example showing.

Even Bhishma improperly aligned,
The liberated state to find.

Categories: bhishma departing, the five

Tags: bhishma, cancel culture, feature, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion