“The form which you are seeing with your transcendental eyes cannot be understood simply by studying the Vedas, nor by undergoing serious penances, nor by charity, nor by worship. It is not by these means that one can see Me as I am.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.53)

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नाहं वेदैर्न तपसा न दानेन न चेज्यया
शक्य एवंविधो द्रष्टुं दृष्टवानसि मां यथा

nāhaṁ vedair na tapasā
na dānena na cejyayā
śakya evaṁ-vidho draṣṭuṁ
dṛṣṭavān asi māṁ yathā

1. Study of the Vedas

Veda means knowledge. The Vedas refer to the original Veda, its further subdivision by the literary incarnation known as Vyasadeva, and derivative works which align with the same principal conclusion. Thus to study the Vedas is to study the highest knowledge, which can more accurately be described as wisdom.

This is because wisdom has additional significance based on the duration of the value. To be relevant prior to the period of entry and to remain viable long after the initial immersion. Knowledge may help me to drive correctly on the road, to build an application for a smart device, or to become literate in a foreign language, but everything gets erased at some time. It is that devouring force lurking in the background, ready to strike when its sees fit, paying no attention to my protests.

शरीरं यद् अवाप्नोति
यच् चाप्य् उत्क्रामतीश्वरः
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति
वायुर् गन्धान् इवाशयात्

śarīraṁ yad avāpnoti
yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ
gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti
vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt

“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.8)

Wisdom is information to help in post-viability. The very same Vedas teach that the individual continues in their existence. They can never be truly killed. The conceptions carry over, like the air bringing the aromas from outside. It is the spring season and there is pollen everywhere. I am comfortably seated inside of my bedroom, but I still experience a histamine response. This is because air has transported the pollen inside. Air is known to travel without obstruction, and so the avadhuta is compared to the air.

“Just as the air or wind cannot be checked by anyone, the two nostrils, situated in one place, enjoy the sense of smell without impediment.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.29.11 Purport)

2. Austerity and penance

Studying the Vedas is to associate with wisdom. Wisdom has a corresponding effect on the individual. They acquire what is known as jnana. The travelling companion of jnana is vairagya. The implementation for acquiring jnana is to study, which might involve hearing or reading. We acquire vairagya through tapasya, which is austerity and penance.

This should not be a difficult concept to grasp. The celebrated actor has to train properly for an entire month prior to shooting their next film. They need to look a certain way in order to fit the part. They thus exercise intensely and follow a strict diet. This is a kind of austerity; there are limits. They impose this new regimen voluntarily.

Correspondingly, the voluntary acceptance of austerity and penance is for reaching a better destination. It is for becoming fit for assimilating the principles of the Vedas. Jnana is the theoretical understanding, but one should know more than the words themselves. We may be able to answer questions correctly on an examination, but what about dealing with the playing field that is real life?

3. Charity

To give in charity is to sacrifice what has been acquired. This is also a kind of vairagya, which is easy to implement. We should not be attached to our possessions, based on the truth that everything we possess is on loan. The tree in the front yard was there long before my birth. This universe will remain long after I am gone. What, then, can I really own? I follow the recommendation for charity [dana] in order to fully realize the principles of jnana.

4. Worship

I visit a house of worship on a daily basis. At least this is a distinct activity within spiritual life. There is a noticeable difference from what I am otherwise accustomed to. Namely, the daily grind, which involves travelling to the office, sitting for hours, dealing with the pressures of time commitments, and then travelling the same distance back home. I am too tired to even think about my direction in life, let alone contemplate the Almighty.

I worship in order to fulfill a higher destiny. I acknowledge a difference between myself and the person controlling everything. I need this kind of worship because the Vedas I am studying say that the Almighty is everything. The Vedas recommend this worship, and so I follow along.

…

Though these four processes are recommended, we learn that they cannot lead to seeing the Supreme Lord, as He is. The reason for the stipulation is to understand the requirement for a change in consciousness.

In professional sports, it may be that after a participant earns enough trophies, has enough titles to their name, they become eligible for a higher honor. Perhaps they gain induction into a hall of fame. This kind of requirement is based simply on metrics. Produce a quantifiable result and you are in.

The association of the Supreme Lord can never be tied to a quantifiable result. The truth is that a single moment of genuine interaction, in full surrender, in showing love and devotion, can bring the coveted image. The example we have is Arjuna, who is the recipient of the Bhagavad-gita wisdom.

Arjuna may have donated in charity. He may have studied the Vedas, and he may have grown up in a culture of tapasya. Still, it was his bhakti [devotion] which enabled him to see Krishna standing before him. This is the only way towards a full and complete understanding of the one who is everything and more.

भक्त्या त्व् अनन्यया शक्य
अहम् एवं-विधो ऽर्जुन
ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन
प्रवेष्टुं च परन्तप

bhaktyā tv ananyayā śakya
aham evaṁ-vidho ‘rjuna
jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena
praveṣṭuṁ ca parantapa

“My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita. 11.54)

In Closing:

To see before him standing,
Only one way commanding.

Not by charity known,
Or study and worship alone.

Not tied to quantifiable,
Krishna only as identifiable.

When devotion pure,
Destination assured.

Categories: the four

Tags: charity, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion, sacrifice, vedanta