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Two Routes For Responding To The Accusation Of False Gods

By krishnasmercy on February 13, 2025 • ( 0 )

“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

At this point, it is turning into tripe. Nonsense that intelligent people have been dealing with for centuries. The ones who are actually backwards in their thinking, who have little-to-no intelligence at the foundation of their belief system, who were only recently at the lowest point in life from addiction to drugs and alcohol, suddenly feel brave enough to pass judgment upon others. They accuse you and me of worshiping gods who are false. We are following a tradition which is demonic in origin. There is only one name for God, and our refusal to say that name represents disingenuousness. We are trying to fool people by referring to God only in the generic sense. There must be some sinister plot involved; but the accusers just haven’t had enough time to identify it with certainty.

How to respond to such blatant bigotry? It is a tough chore, considering the obvious lack of intelligence from the accusers. Any reasonable person would agree that it is easy to choose one book, one savior, and one religion and then denounce all others as false. In the same way that we have equality in choices, in the decisions that we make, there is equality in the arena of dogmatic insistence. Any person can claim that their book is the best, that their savior is the only way. If many people gather together and shout at each other using this method, does anyone actually benefit?

1. Sarcastic

The sarcastic response could be something like the following:

“Wow, I guess I really am a fool. This entire time I have been studying the difference between matter and spirit. I have been learning the steadiness of the individual as a viable force. There is this kind of energy which never dissipates; sort of like the electricity always staying on. I have been told that this vibrancy continues throughout the time continuum, which is actually billions of years. This vibrancy extends to different lifetimes, across different species. In fact, there is an explanation for the variety in species, for why things change, and for why one factor always remains the same.

“The duration of the material universe is limited. It is manifested in cycles of kalpas. A kalpa is a day of Brahma, and one day of Brahma consists of a thousand cycles of four yugas or ages: Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 8.17 Purport)

“I have been studying the effects of action, and how the results might not manifest immediately. There is this kind of building of a chain, if you assemble causes in their ascending priority. Once you reach the original cause, for which there is no other cause, you have come upon Divinity.

अदृष्टगुणदोषाणामध्रुवाणां तु कर्मणाम्
नान्तरेण क्रियां तेषां फलमिष्टं प्रवर्तते

adṛṣṭaguṇadoṣāṇāmadhruvāṇāṃ tu karmaṇām
nāntareṇa kriyāṃ teṣāṃ phalamiṣṭaṃ pravartate

“Unseen and indefinite are the good and bad reactions of fruitive work. And without taking action, the desired fruits of such work cannot manifest.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 66.17)

“I have been studying all these things, but here you are, finally setting me straight. I had no idea any of this study was demonic in nature. But thanks to your brilliant presentation, with your completely creative form of name-calling, I have to step back and reassess everything. To think that I would have been lost in contemplation, studying everything about the life experience, were it not for you rescuing me. I am so fortunate to have had your association.”

2. Scientific

The scientific response could be something like the following:

“I am standing here on a stage. There is this microphone into which I am speaking. That microphone is connected to a speaker system, which thereby amplifies the sound. This enables people seated in the back to be able to hear me, even though I am far away. In the same manner that someone can study the science involved in the technology of a public address system, so the same person can study the difference between matter and spirit and how a single force can distribute its influence across the vast expanse, which includes outer space for this galaxy and many others that we have never even heard about.

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)

“While I understand from your accusations that your inquisitiveness has been stifled, that there is a limit to what you would call intelligence, I challenge you in return to not settle for ignorance as a way of life. Come join us. Let us study together. Let us review the entire presentation, in a sober manner. You can always go back to your dogmatic insistence. You can always return to blind allegiance later on, but at least see what options are available first. You would be better served deliberating after hearing the basics of the science, which is known as self-realization. Then you can proceed accordingly, in the manner of Arjuna after hearing directly from Shri Krishna.”