“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.4)

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मया ततम् इदं सर्वं
जगद् अव्यक्त-मूर्तिना
मत्-स्थानि सर्व-भूतानि
न चाहं तेष्व् अवस्थितः

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

We have the case of an interested individual. They see the people following. They have held the books in their hands. They have attended various social functions and gatherings which go by names such as “satsanga” and “sadhu-sanga”. They have participated in the collective chants, such as with repeating the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

They have affection for the participants. They have respect for the culture. They take an interest in the words of the guru. They are open-minded, despite an existing religious affiliation inherited from the parents and grandparents. That tradition, in the way it is currently implemented, demands exclusivity, but this person is certainly not narrow in their view of the puzzling question of the origin of life. While immersed in this new experience, they have a primary concern which they see as a significant stumbling block:

“You do realize that this is a yoga of devotion. Emphasis on the attachment. It is not simply sitting down on the floor, in a climate-controlled studio, and learning different postures and breathing techniques. You specifically want to distinguish yourself from that culture. It is a yoga, for sure, since there is an effect on consciousness, but the mechanism is bhakti, which is devotion.

“Does not devotion require some kind of sentiment, though? Have you not given thought to that hurdle? Some people will not feel any devotion, so why would they be inclined to follow this kind of yoga? They are not necessarily against the worship, but they are not feeling any sort of attraction. How do you overcome that obstacle in your teaching efforts? How can you disseminate this culture far and wide when the people to whom you are appealing have no inclination towards that kind of life?”

The concerns are valid. If everyone in a room displays signs of ecstasy when viewing the deity, when simply seeing a picture of the beautiful Shyamasundara and His accompanying consort, Shrimati Radharani, I might feel a kind of pressure to fit in. If I do not have the same level of interest, I might feel out of place.

Since Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is already a kind of attachment. We can take existing tendencies, behaviors, and interests and work our way up. Knowledge will assist in the transition; the more we know, the more we can see the link to the Supreme Lord.

1. Consider that which you already enjoy

“Some people have their beverage of choice. It is what they prefer to drink when attending a formal gathering or sitting amongst friends. Others travel far and wide, waiting for hours if necessary, to get a seat at the restaurant of their liking.

“For me, it is a specific video game. I enjoy every minute of playing it. My friends gave the initial suggestion, considering that the style of play would align with my interests. They were definitely correct. I could play this game every single day, from morning until night. It is one of the most amazing things in the world, if you ask me. As though it has an existence of its own, the game almost speaks to me.”

2. Consider the support you already receive

“People tend to say nice things about me. During childhood my parents were affectionate and during adulthood they were always respectful. My friends lean on me for advice and counsel. They know they can count on me. My colleagues think the world of me.

“I am certainly proud of myself, but I am also not a fool. I would not be where I am today if not for the assistance I have received. There are too many people to count. They may not even be aware, but something they did one time, many years ago, taught me a valuable lesson. Others did not insist on reciprocation; they were going to support me no matter what. I cannot help but remember that support on a regular basis. I will not forget.”

3. Consider the helplessness of the human existence

“Have you ever stopped to think of how helpless we really are? We make these plans for ascension, for gain, accounting for safety along the way. But no one is really safe. If it is not the forces of nature, then it is the demoniac leaders. They will inject any poison into you and your children, without a care in the world. They will turn the citizens against one another, while laughing from their private gatherings which are exclusive so as to keep the common person out.

“I am alive at this very moment because some higher force is cooperating. I will leave this world whenever that same force compels me to. I am completely helpless for the duration of life, as are others.”

4. Consider the cosmic manifestation

“Have you ever given thought to the universe itself? We could not live anywhere else. Try to escape from the earth’s atmosphere and it will be difficult. Absent artificial means, there is no way to survive in outer space.

“At the same time, we know that everything exists. Someone must have placed everything where it currently stands. Someone must be maintaining everything. The many intricacies seem to work together. It is like the profitable global company, with its many departments dispersed across the world. How is it happening across the universe, though? Who is managing?”

5. Hear about Krishna

We simply take the above appreciations and tie them to a single individual. He may be only known in an impersonal manner. Krishna confirms this in Bhagavad-gita, where He describes the avyakta-murtina. This is the form that cannot be seen, but it still exists. Krishna is everywhere. The sum collection, consisting of individual parts, make up His existence, but Krishna is not the component to the existence of anything else.

As we have established that there is already cause for devotion, that there are existing sentiments and reasons for appreciation, we simply carry those with us to the realm of personal worship. We hear about how God is the cause to everything and that God is actually a person.

In this way, through hearing, through the process known as shravanam, through accepting philosophical principles and deliberating on them in an honest way, our devotion becomes stronger. The yoga tied to that devotion then also gains in strength, so much so that we will feel that Krishna has been our greatest well-wisher the entire time.

In Closing:

Standing close by me,
Steadiest friend to be.

Already assistance to receive,
At measure hard to believe.

Experience amazing and true,
Feeling blessed and fortunate too.

Because Krishna behind it all,
Behind me even if I fall.

Categories: the five

Tags: atheism, dharma, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion