“Suta Gosvami said: Thus Bhishmadeva merged himself in the Supersoul, Lord Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with his mind, speech, sight and actions, and thus he became silent, and his breathing stopped.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.9.43)

Download this episode (right click and save)

सूत उवाच
कृष्ण एवं भगवति
मनो-वाग्-दृष्टि-वृत्तिभिः
आत्मन्य् आत्मानम् आवेश्य
सो ऽन्तःश्वास उपारमत्

sūta uvāca
kṛṣṇa evaṁ bhagavati
mano-vāg-dṛṣṭi-vṛttibhiḥ
ātmany ātmānam āveśya
so ‘ntaḥśvāsa upāramat

“If there is one word that can be used to describe your presentation, I would say that it is ‘authority.’ Think about it. Authority is the basis for every discussion. Every class or lecture begins with quoting from a text considered sacred. Be it Bhagavad-gita, Shrimad Bhagavatam, or some derivative work authored by an esteemed spiritual leader – we are not beginning from the standpoint of speculation. It is not that someone pontificates into the wind, speaks their mind, and develops theories on the fly about the pressing issues of the day.

“The reason I mention authority is because I see a disturbing trend emerging. The younger folk are more prone towards rejecting authority. I see this in political debates. Someone says that the founding of the country was based on certain principles, such as freedom of expression and freedom of religion. To support their argument, they quote a figure who literally helped to start the country.

“The other side immediately rejects that authority. They find some blemish against the individual being referenced. The founding father followed a practice that was prevalent at the time, widely accepted and not questioned, but which has since been rejected. That perceived flaw is enough to negate their words, according to this particular side.

“When you ask the same side to offer any other sort of authority in return, they are dumbfounded. They have nothing of substance to put forward. You see, if you really press them on the issue, they don’t believe in any authority. They follow a kind of nihilism. This attitude is very harmful, if you ask me. It will lead to the destruction of civilization itself.

“What is the solution? How do you get through to such individuals? Shouldn’t we appreciate those who came before us? Isn’t it beneficial to have heroes, to have role models to look to for guidance, for direction, for clarity? The heroes of the past are the pillars of support for today. That is how I see things. Why should we automatically dismiss people who have otherwise done so much good for mankind?”

The above falls under the general category of what His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada describes as the last snare of the illusory energy of maya. It is sort of like giving up. You cut off all attributes from anything and everything. Nothing is good. Everything is bad. Cancel history. There is no right. There is no wrong. There is no authority. You are left with a meaningless existence. The natural conclusion from this place is that everything is merely a set of chemicals. Sex life is the sole cause of life, and that same sex life is the sole enjoyment to be extracted for the temporary duration known as a lifetime.

असत्यम् अप्रतिष्ठं ते
जगद् आहुर् अनीश्वरम्
अपरस्पर-सम्भूतं
किम् अन्यत् काम-हैतुकम्

asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te
jagad āhur anīśvaram
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ
kim anyat kāma-haitukam

“They say that this world is unreal, that there is no foundation and that there is no God in control. It is produced of sex desire, and has no cause other than lust.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 16.8)

Of course, we can play the same game, in return. Who are these people that we have to accept their authority? In presenting their skepticism, the same approach could be taken by the people listening. We are skeptical of their skepticism. We reject their authority, on the spot. We don’t find them to be worthy of trust. We have no reason to follow any of their recommendations. We are not obligated to abide by their conclusions.

Shrimad Bhagavatam depicts a dying military man. He is on the strangest of deathbeds; one consisting of arrows. He previously received the boon to leave this world at the moment of his choosing. He chose this particular time, but only after an exchange of knowledge. He was ready to pass along valuable wisdom to the people who had conquered him. Those who were releasing arrows in his direction, for his demise, for his defeat – they would be on the receiving end of the wisdom of the ages.

Otherwise, we can find so many blemishes in Bhishmadeva. We can lob so many accusations. We can say that he was on the wrong side of history. He took shelter of attempted murderers in the Kauravas. He was enjoying stolen property. He was fighting against someone who had Shri Krishna steering their chariot. How could there be any good qualities in Bhishma?

And yet that same man left this world with a consciousness completely absorbed in the very same Krishna. Bhishma cast aside all distinctions. All previous differences no longer mattered. The temporary was set aside in the manner of someone leaving behind a drinking glass half full of water. The distinctions dissolved; Bhishma was set for liberation.

We have a choice in the matter. We have no obligation to follow someone who claims that there is no authority. They trust the people on the news to give them the weather forecast. They trust the pilot to steer the airplane in the proper direction. They trust the bank to hold their money. They trust the employer to pay the salary on time. In other words, their claim of universal skepticism is itself fraudulent.

Everyone already extends so much trust, whether implicitly or explicitly. There is no harm in extending a little trust in spiritual guides. In the beginning, we hear from them. We acknowledge that no one is perfect, that one man’s food can be another man’s poison. We trust initially, but verify through our own endeavors, in applying the principles of tattva on the playing field, kshetra, that stands in front of us.

In Closing:

In front of us laying,
Vast field for playing.

From principles we have learned,
From teacher trust ours earned.

Skepticism from illusion set,
Nowhere meaningful to get.

Bhishma implicated previously so,
But ultimately towards Narayana to go.

Categories: bhishma departing, questions

Tags: dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, religion