“Arjuna said: The sun-god Vivasvan is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.4)

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अर्जुन उवाच
अपरं भवतो जन्म
परं जन्म विवस्वतः
कथम् एतद् विजानीयां
त्वम् आदौ प्रोक्तवान् इति

arjuna uvāca
aparaṁ bhavato janma
paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ
katham etad vijānīyāṁ
tvam ādau proktavān iti

1. How did you come to know everything?

“Dad, how come you have the answers to everything? Seriously, there is nothing that you do not know. How did this happen? How did you become so smart?”

2. When you were small, did you have a teacher?

“Oh, so you had someone teach you? You used to be small, also? When you were the same age as me, you went to school. You had a different teacher. They told you everything? That is interesting.”

3. How did the teacher come to know everything?

“Okay, but how did that teacher know everything? Why were they so smart? Where are they today? How come you don’t need to sit in their classroom anymore?”

4. When that teacher was small, did they have a teacher?

“Oh wait, that teacher also used to be small? They had their own teacher. This was a long time ago. You don’t even know who that other teacher was.”

5. How far back does that go?

“Wait a minute. Is that how every teacher learns? They were once small and had to go to school. Someone taught them. Okay, that was a long time ago, but what if you go back all the way to the beginning? For how long does this chain continue?”

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that the path of spiritual connection known as bhakti-yoga is unique for a variety of reasons. One of them is the lack of qualifications associated with similar paths in the Vedic tradition. The other attempts generally fall into the categories of jnana, karma, and yoga.

Jnana is knowledge, so there is automatically a requirement for intelligence. I study the difference between matter and spirit. I learn of my own identity as spirit. I come to see the world in terms of the length of viability. Namely, that which has endurance and that which does not.

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः

nāsato vidyate bhāvo
nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas
tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ

“Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent there is no endurance, and of the existent there is no cessation. This seers have concluded by studying the nature of both.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.16)

Karma is work. More specifically, it is prescribed duty which has accompanying consequences pertaining to that which does not have endurance, the material body. In order to follow karma, there has to be ability. A person must be able to work. They must also come to learn the duty prescribed to them, based on their qualities, gunas, and then find a way to exercise that duty such that the benefits will accrue.

चातुर्-वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं
गुण-कर्म-विभागशः
तस्य कर्तारम् अपि मां
विद्ध्य् अकर्तारम् अव्ययम्

cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ
viddhy akartāram avyayam

“According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.13)

Yoga in this context is mysticism. Meditational yoga, with dhyana as one of the pillars. This path likely carries the most qualifications, as there are general conditions which must be met in order for there to be success. There is no way around the requirements. Shri Krishna briefly describes them in Bhagavad-gita. Finding an isolated place, sitting on the floor, practicing celibacy, and focusing on the tip of the nose are some of the parameters.

शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य
स्थिरम् आसनम् आत्मनः
नात्य्-उच्छ्रितं नाति-नीचं
चैलाजिन-कुशोत्तरम्
तत्रैकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा
यत-चित्तेन्द्रिय-क्रियः
उपविश्यासने युञ्ज्याद्
योगम् आत्म-विशुद्धये

śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya
sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ
nāty-ucchritaṁ nāti-nīcaṁ
cailājina-kuśottaram
tatraikāgraṁ manaḥ kṛtvā
yata-cittendriya-kriyaḥ
upaviśyāsane yuñjyād
yogam ātma-viśuddhaye

“To practice yoga, one should go to a secluded place and should lay kusha-grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft cloth. The seat should neither be too high nor too low and should be situated in a sacred place. The yogi should then sit on it very firmly and should practice yoga by controlling the mind and the senses, purifying the heart and fixing the mind on one point.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.11-12)

Bhakti-yoga aligns with the vibrancy of the individual. It has practically no requirements except willingness. This means that even a child can succeed in bhakti-yoga. The benefits are the same as the other paths. There is nothing missing.

साङ्ख्य-योगौ पृथग् बालाः
प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिताः
एकम् अप्य् आस्थितः सम्यग्
उभयोर् विन्दते फलम्

sāṅkhya-yogau pṛthag bālāḥ
pravadanti na paṇḍitāḥ
ekam apy āsthitaḥ samyag
ubhayor vindate phalam

“Only the ignorant speak of karma-yoga and devotional service as being different from the analytical study of the material world [sankhya]. Those who are actually learned say that he who applies himself well to one of these paths achieves the results of both.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 5.4)

As we see from the above hypothetical questions the child poses to the father, at a young age there is the opportunity to understand the position of God. This child might be too young to enter the official school system. They are simply inquisitive, based on their growing interest in the world and how things work.

Through a series of basic questions, the child reaches the conclusion that the person who has no teacher is God. He is the adi-guru, or the original spiritual master. This is one way to understand Him. This is actually a perfect understanding. Simply maintaining this understanding throughout the life experience is a tremendous boon. The individual carrying such an understanding has a leg up when dealing with issues such as finances, accumulating wealth, tempering the fever of elation related to gain, and dealing with the tremendous grief associated with the loss of a dear friend or family member.

Arjuna himself was a little puzzled by the history of the delivery of the Bhagavad-gita wisdom. Krishna originally shared the same teachings with the sun-god, Vivasvan. At the time of the discourse with Arjuna, Krishna was much younger than the sun-god. How could such a transfer of knowledge have taken place? Arjuna had doubts similar to the child approaching their father.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

The appearance and activities of Krishna are divine in nature. He had appeared in the world before. The same applied to Arjuna. The difference is that Krishna can remember. He knows the past, present, and future for all living beings. By remembering Him, our graduation from the school of material existence is complete.

In Closing:

In classroom taking seat,
Soon graduation complete.

Simply from Krishna to recall,
As the original teacher to call.

Who knowledge to sun-god brought,
But for Himself no one taught.

Despite so many troubles to find,
This vision to always keep in mind.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, history, poem, poems, poetry, teaching