“Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad­-gita, 18.63)

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इति ते ज्ञानम् आख्यातं
गुह्याद् गुह्यतरं मया
विमृश्यैतद् अशेषेण
यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु

iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ
guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā
vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa
yathecchasi tathā kuru

“I understand that one of the unique aspects to the specific propagation of Krishna consciousness, which is actually bhakti-yoga, is the general lack of threatening proselytizing, which in fact holds true for the entire Vedic culture. That culture is so vast, complex, and varied that people essentially throw their arms up in resignation and refer to it as ‘Hinduism.’ This word really has no meaning, as it does not target a specific deity, diet, belief system, or even means of implementation.

“For instance, my neighbor and I might both be considered Hindus, but I eat a certain kind of way, while they eat something entirely different. They worship a specific figure, while we tend to worship another. We have the holidays that we celebrate, while they consider other days to be important. Somehow, we are both lumped into the ‘Hindu’ category because other people simply do not know better.

“Getting back to my original issue, even with the spreading of Krishna consciousness, as revolutionized by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, there really isn’t anything resembling dogmatic insistence. People are generally not threatened into following. At least from the honest leaders, there is no demand for a statement of faith. There isn’t even an official conversion process. The initiation ceremony, taking diksha from a spiritual leader, does not require renouncing allegiance to other traditions of spirituality.

“That is supposedly seen as a good thing, as the decision is based on intelligence. But I want to know what is wrong with insisting that others follow? Everyone else has this threat of falling into eternal hellfire. ‘You better surrender now or forever be condemned.’ Why can’t followers of Krishna consciousness behave the same way? Why do they have to be different?”

The simplest explanation is that there is no reason to threaten anyone with a bleak vision of the future when they have already been suffering. That suffering began at the time of birth. Birth is always a cause for lamentation, though in our illusion we think otherwise. Birth is one of the miseries of a material existence precisely because all sorts of suffering begin right after it. It is like pressing the start button on a machine that causes only pain. The worst suffering of all is to be forcefully separated from a lifetime’s worth of attachments. That separation is the guaranteed destiny for every person who takes birth.

जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्
ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च
तस्माद् अपरिहार्ये ऽर्थे
न त्वं शोचितुम् अर्हसि

jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur
dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca
tasmād aparihārye ‘rthe
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi

“For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.27)

In Vishnu Purana, Prahlada Maharaja explains to his friends that there is really no such thing as happiness in a material existence. It is like being overjoyed at taking off the cast that was protecting the broken leg. Real happiness is experiencing a life where there is no pain. When there is no vulnerability to the miseries of old age, disease, and death. Outside of this exception, the happiness is in illusion. We are experiencing relief, but it would have been better to avoid the existence altogether.

“Birth, death, old age and diseases affect this material body, but not the spiritual body. There is no birth, death, old age and disease for the spiritual body, so one who attains a spiritual body, becomes one of the associates of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engages in eternal devotional service, is really liberated.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 7.29 Purport)

If someone is already suffering, what are my scare tactics going to accomplish? Should I lie to them and say that they are not suffering? Should I trick them into following something against their will? Would it not be better if they have a proper understanding to use in making the decision? Would it not be more helpful to have them reach the decision after careful deliberation?

This is the way of the interaction between Shri Krishna and Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita. If forced to narrow the entire culture into a single sacred text to follow, Bhagavad-gita would be an ideal candidate. Krishna can see past, present, and future. He could scare anyone into submission. He could show the horrific vision of the half-man/half-lion named Narasimha. He could display the universal form, the virat-rupa, at all times as a reminder of the vastness of the creation. He could give a visual to the truth of the original spiritual potency flowing through the entire creation, in the manner of a fire spreading.

एक-देश-स्थितस्याग्नेर्
ज्योत्स्ना विस्तारिणी यथा
परस्य ब्रह्मणः शक्तिस्
तथेदम् अखिलं जगत्

eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner
jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā
parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis
tathedam akhilaṁ jagat

“Everything that is manifested within this cosmic world is but the energy of the Supreme Lord. As fire emanating from one place diffuses its illumination and heat all around, so the Lord, although situated in one place in the spiritual world, manifests His different energies everywhere. Indeed, the whole cosmic creation is composed of different manifestations of His energy.” (Vishnu Purana, 1.22.52)

We should contemplate our future, the cause of our birth, the meaning to our existence, and the reason that we suffer. Whether accidentally walking into a library and taking a book off the shelf or meeting someone on the street who is distributing the answers contained in the timeless wisdom of the Vedic culture, the person who asks these questions of themselves is blessed, fortunate, and on the right path in the precious human birth.

In Closing:

Why to this world came?
To experience more of the same?

Like birth and old age too,
Disease and final separation true.

Should search for answers with determination,
Final decision after careful deliberation.

The appeal from Bhagavad-gita presentation,
That possible for a higher destination.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, religion, vedas