“But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.40)

Download this episode (right click and save)

अज्ञश् चाश्रद्दधानश् च
संशयात्मा विनश्यति
नायं लोको ऽस्ति न परो
न सुखं संशयात्मनः

ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca
saṁśayātmā vinaśyati
nāyaṁ loko ‘sti na paro
na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ

1. That Krishna is always with me

“I know about that image with the two birds. There is that quotation from the Shvetashvatara Upanishad. One bird is enjoying. They are tasting the fruit from the tree. Not isolated to a single instance or to a specific indulgence. That bird will always be after the fruits. There are associated reactions to that tendency.

“These are the consequences, the phalam corresponding to the karma. For instance, someone eats an apple and feels energized. There is a boost to the immune system. The airs starts to flow without obstruction within the body.

“Another person eats the same apples and develops skin irritation. There are allergic reactions. Perhaps too many apples have been eaten. There is overindulgence. There is a lack of control based on the taste experienced. It is too much of a good thing.

“Supposedly, there is another bird sitting on the tree the entire time. This bird only witnesses. It does not interfere; unless explicitly requested to, of course. I have a difficult time believing this. Why would that bird agree to stay there? Why is this second bird a constant companion? I truly feel alone in this world. I doubt that I have any well-wishers.”

2. That Krishna cares about me

“That first bird is me and that second bird is Krishna. This is His feature of Supersoul, who is also the all-pervading witness. Krishna supposedly has my best interests at heart. This is not based on a condition. For instance, my friends only have a relationship with me based on what I can offer to them. There is this kind of reciprocal arrangement. As soon as there is a disruption to the supply, the friendship can break.

“Not so with Krishna. He will forever be my friend. He has been with me in past lives, of which I have no memory. He will continue to stay with me into the future, foreseeable or not. I cannot fathom such kindness. No one I know has ever been that diligent in their attention towards me. This simply cannot be true. I fail to see what the Supreme Lord, the person overseeing the entire universe, would want with a lowly person like me, who is always suffering from illusion.”

3. That I am intelligent enough to understand the science

“You say that if I stick to the path long enough, the understanding will come. I will suddenly become enlightened. One day the jnana will turn into vijnana. I will see that all the gates within the body have been illuminated, like walking into a dark house at night and flipping on every single light switch.

“Well, I have been at it for a while now and I think I have not advanced at all. I am still petty. I still hold onto offenses made against me. I am vindictive, spiteful, and angry. Maybe I do not reach the level of hate, but how could anyone call me a saintly person? I have certainly not reached a status rivaling the demigods.”

यस्यास्ति भक्तिर् भगवत्य् अकिञ्चना
सर्वैर् गुणैस् तत्र समासते सुराः
हराव् अभक्तस्य कुतो महद्-गुणा
मनोरथेनासति धावतो बहिः

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

“All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 5.18.12)

4. That I am eligible for liberation

“Everyone is seeking liberation, but has anyone taken an honest assessment on the matter? Why should they deserve liberation? Why are they better or equal to the person who has been saintly since birth, for instance?

“I certainly do not feel worthy. How can worshiping Krishna immediately erase the many horrible things I have done? I am only speaking of those incidents I am conscious of. Can you imagine how many offenses I have tossed out of the memory, since they were too embarrassing to hold onto? Only others can tell the true story. I don’t have faith that surrendering to Krishna, as recommended to Arjuna, will bring any lasting benefit.”

सर्व-धर्मान् परित्यज्य
माम् एकं शरणं व्रज
अहं त्वां सर्व-पापेभ्यो
मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)

5. That I can maintain a pure consciousness through to the end

“They say that consciousness is everything. If we think of Krishna at the time of death, we will attain His nature. We will be free from birth and death. We will then always be in knowledge and bliss. We will remove the distinction between material and spiritual. We will live in transcendence, either in the spiritual world or to whichever place we happen to land.

“How do you expect me to maintain such a consciousness? It is not a realistic goal. I am constantly swayed by ups and downs. I am always worrying. I never feel settled. There is no peace. This platform of a pure consciousness cannot be reached; at least by me. I promise you that.”

…

Shri Krishna describes in Bhagavad-gita how the doubting soul has no good future waiting for them. Some may object on the grounds that suppressing doubts is a recipe for disaster. Every blind follower in history was burned by this tendency. They did not indulge their doubts, and so they ended up meeting disaster, through following a bogus leader or a cheating philosophy.

If we are honest in the discussion, we will acknowledge that doubt can be applied to any issue and to every teaching. If we constantly doubt, if we are skeptical of everyone, then we will believe in nothing. We will think that this world is meaningless, that there is no point to living, that there is no afterlife, and that existence will not continue after death.

To that end, what is the purpose to anything? Through basic negation I have removed the impetus to follow any activity. To behave like the animals, though in the supposedly evolved human form, carries no consequence. Indeed, there is no meaning to consequence, since skepticism denies the very existence of karma. Thus even if there is a God, there is no basis upon which to act. There is no reward for good behavior and there is no punishment for sinful deeds. There is no such thing as good and bad.

Such sophistry can be easily dispelled, as we can apply the same doubts to the skepticism. The skeptic wants you to agree with them, and such alignment is considered good. Disagreeing with the skeptic is bad, and so we are left with a system of good and bad which rivals the authorized system presented in the science of self-realization.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

The intelligent approach is to deliberate fully on the teachings presented. We may not be able to believe in the concepts at first, but what experience do we really have? My confirmation or lack thereof regarding a specific principle has no bearing on the reality. I can refuse to acknowledge the presence of gravity, but when I let go of a heavy object it will most certainly fall to the ground. The principles of the science of self-realization, with the difference between body and spirit at the foundation, apply whether I believe in them or not.

अनन्याश् चिन्तयन्तो मां
ये जनाः पर्युपासते
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां
योग-क्षेमं वहाम्य् अहम्

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ
ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

“But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.22)

The wise extend a little faith in the beginning, sacrifice some time to hear, and then judge for themselves whether or not the principles make sense. There is all the world to gain and nothing to lose in the process, as Krishna brings to the devotee what they lack and preserves what they already have.

In Closing:

No fear of turning back,
Krishna bridging the gap.

Protecting what already is there,
So no point in standing there.

In that knowledge confidently proceed,
Indulge the doubts and questions indeed.

But not to the point of paralysis so,
Take strength from tattva to know.

Categories: the five

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