“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.9)

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मच्-चित्ता मद्-गत-प्राणा
बोधयन्तः परस्परम्
कथयन्तश् च मां नित्यं
तुष्यन्ति च रमन्ति च

mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā
bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ
tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca

1. The upcoming movie premiere

“There’s no way. Why are you wearing that costume? Is it Halloween or something? Oh, that is one of the characters in the movie? Are you somehow going to leap into the screen? I mean, the actors are not going to be there, right? So why are you dressed up like that? You know, never mind. I probably don’t want to know. Go have fun.”

2. The upcoming game

“Doesn’t the game start in the evening? Why are you leaving right now? I see, you will arrive early to grill food in the parking lot. Do they not offer food inside? Is this to save money? No, you are just excited. I guess you have no problem cleaning up a big mess. Alright, do as you please. No one is stopping you.”

3. The upcoming concert

“Hold on, why are you entering the venue so early? You don’t even like the opening acts. You will be bored out of your mind. Still, you feel a sense of duty to show up, to be the first in line, to wait there in the front, while the massive crowd behind you crushes you into the railing. Your ribs will be sore tomorrow; trust me. Anyway, don’t let me get in the middle of your fun.”

4. The upcoming party

“Hold on, the invitation card says that the party begins in an hour or two. Why are you leaving now? You want to be the first one there? You want to greet all the guests as they arrive? It will be weird; I’m telling you. Most people don’t like going to these things. Who wants to actually mingle? But fine. Pretend as if I never said anything.”

5. The upcoming talk

“How can you sit through that whole thing? I heard that this speaker tends to go for at least two hours. No notes. Little prior preparation. He has some magic hold over the audience. I cannot begin to understand it, but if you are so eager to go, then don’t let me talk you out of it.”

…

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada challenges that religion in the modern day is taken more as a formality. The people following generally have no real conception of God. This is in contrast with the presentation offered in the science of self-realization, sanatana-dharma, which is rooted in the intrinsic properties of both the individual and the object of worship.

If we consider the characterization to be too harsh, if we strongly object to the accusation, then we can simply review the above mentioned situations. Are any people doing the same for a program that discusses the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Is there as much interest in topics like time, the material nature, and the different categories of action and their corresponding consequences? Are people eager to learn about themselves, why they are placed in this world, and what can be done to remove the sadness associated with guaranteed separation?

We might follow religion due to ancestry. It is the culture we inherited from our parents. Perhaps we are not so interested in being told how awful we are, how we are the worst kinds of sinners, and how we can only attain salvation through publicly acknowledging affiliation with a particular institution. Maybe the dogmatic insistence rubs us the wrong way, that deep inside we feel that spiritual life should be exactly that, a way of life.

With other ways of life, we choose. We make a decision. We weigh the positives and the negatives. We compare against our experiences in life, thus far. When we make decisions in this way, free of fear, free of a negative stigma, we are more likely to proceed in the path with determination. After all, it is something that we decided. If anything should go wrong, we cannot rationally point the finger of blame at anyone else. We were not compelled to go in that direction, by the very fact of our prior deliberation.

Bhagavad-gita describes the person who is in tune with their spiritual identity and their relationship to the Almighty, who is the source of both the material and the spiritual. Such a person is always experiencing pleasure, ramanti. Are they necessarily confined to a remote place, such as a cave? Are they strictly forbidden from speaking to others? Do they enjoy castigating the population of so-called sinners, who helplessly travel through the cycle of birth and death, with the tally of revolutions increasing up to the point of reaching the universal dissolution and beyond?

भूत-ग्रामः स एवायं
भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते
रात्र्य्-आगमे ऽवशः पार्थ
प्रभवत्य् अहर्-आगमे

bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ
bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
rātry-āgame ‘vaśaḥ pārtha
prabhavaty ahar-āgame

“Again and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and again the night falls, O Partha, and they are helplessly dissolved.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.19)

Rather, the bliss can be from discussing the glories of the Supreme Lord. These glories are known as gunas. In the typical context, gunas are negative. They are material qualities; like a certain specification of the greater force known as prakriti. Gunas are binding, whether in goodness, passion, ignorance, or any combination of the three. The aim of spiritual life is to rise above the influence of the gunas.

त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन
निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान्

trai-guṇya-viṣayā vedā
nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho
niryoga-kṣema ātmavān

“The Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the Self.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.45)

When applying to God, gunas refer to transcendental qualities. If there is bliss in a discussion of these glories, then there are other participants. We can discuss with other people. We take joy in such discussions. If the association is in a formal setting, such as a public program, we might eagerly anticipate the event. We might arrive early, stay late, and integrate the words into the subsequent days. In this way, religion takes on a much deeper meaning. It turns into a way of living, which is one way to define dharma. Real dharma is one, and so the person who understands religion in this context has truly achieved something.

In Closing:

Perfect attendance without fail,
Like dutifully the gates to tail.

Because something amazing found,
Wisdom lasting and profound.

Bliss from topics to cover,
Deeper meanings to uncover.

Because to gunas of Krishna bound,
Sacred that transcendental sound.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhakti, dailyprompt, poem, poems, poetry, tailgating, yoga