“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

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सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Listen, I am not a psychologist. I don’t play one on tv, either. I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I am only reporting on what I see and hear. The word on the street, if you will. The sentiment from the folks, which refers to friends, family, community, and society, in general. There is this trend of identifying someone as a narcissist. You will hear people say, ‘Oh, that is classic narcissist behavior. Oh, the narcissist always does that. The narcissist gaslights, belittles, focuses only on themselves, and expects pity, all at the same time.’

“One angle of criticism that struck me is that the narcissist always needs a crowd. They love to perform for a crowd. Once the silent settles in, however, they turn into a different person. It is like they fear that silence. They keep performing for the very reason that they are scared to death of the reality of life outside of the performance. We might say that there is danger whenever the laughter stops.”

“And remember, people who need to perform for a crowd are usually the ones most afraid to sit quietly with themselves.” (Mae Faurel, Episode 21 – The Gospel According To Bully…)

“Listen, I am not judging. I have surely met such individuals. I am not saying they are bad and that I am good. My question relates to advancing in the science of self-realization. After all, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada refers to it as ‘Krishna consciousness.’ There is a change in consciousness to be expected with advancement in the discipline. The Sanskrit is bhakti-yoga.

“Well, you might have already figured out the problem. How is someone who needs to always perform going to change consciousness? How are they going to succeed in yoga if they are too afraid to sit in silence? How will the appeal of the Vaishnava resonate with them? Is not bhakti-yoga then limited to the introspective, the introverted, or the content? You know, the people who are not afraid to sit by themselves. I could see them succeeding, whereas others would have a difficult time.”

His Divine Grace Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura would say something to the effect of someone only succeeding in preaching the glories of the Almighty, who is a person, if they have life. You will hear this sometimes from performers, that they feel most alive when they are on stage. The standup comedian experiences this kind of emergency, where failure is not an option. They have to make the audience laugh. They have to rise to the occasion, even if there is little success. If the jokes are falling flat, they cannot abruptly end the set and hide in shame. They have to get through it. During that difficulty is when they feel most alive.

This means that even a tendency such as wanting to perform in front of a crowd can be put to good use. The tendency can be spiritualized. Bhagavad-gita describes the case of the individual with dridha-vrata. They have a strong vow. They are determined. In what, exactly? Devotion. How is that devotion practiced? The individual is determined in their vow to always chant the glories of Shri Krishna, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Sanskrit word in this context is kirtana. In common parlance, this refers to singing devotional songs in a call-and-response fashion. Another meaning to the word is “to describe.” This means that the individual always in kirtana might express themselves in song, in poetry, in writing, or in public speaking. It is not that they are limited to a particular kind of output or arena.

There is a connection in worship. The connection is nitya-yukta upasate. This means that the connection is steady. We might criticize someone for being too self-centered, for always yearning for a crowd to please, but if the means of pleasing that crowd is glorifying the transcendental features of the beloved of Shrimati Radharani, the question of good and bad no longer applies. This is why bhakti-yoga is transcendental. The illusion of good and bad is created by Shri Hari, after all, and only by His favor can it be removed.

हरि माया कृत दोष गुन बिनु हरि भजन न जाहिं
भजिअ राम सब काम तजि अस बिचारि मन माहिं

hari māyā kṛta doṣa guna binu hari bhajana na jāhiṃ
bhajia rāma saba kāma taji asa bicāri mana māhiṃ

“Good and bad, which are part of the illusion created by Hari, cannot be removed without worshiping Hari. Keeping this in mind, worship Rama and renounce all desires.” (Dohavali, 127)

In alignment with the recommendations offered to the bow-warrior named Arjuna, the individual should follow their nature. In the public speaking arena, the person trying for yoga can commit important shlokas to memory. They can recall those verses at the appropriate times, pertinent to the topic at hand. They can use their platform for the highest good, as public speaking is often listed as a fear highest in magnitude, right below the fear of death.

सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः
प्रकृतेर् ज्ञानवान् अपि
प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि
निग्रहः किं करिष्यति

sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ
prakṛter jñānavān api
prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni
nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati

“Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone follows his nature. What can repression accomplish?” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.33)

In Closing:

In ranking quite near,
To death greatest fear.

For in public to speak,
But some quick to reach.

And enthusiastically so,
Like from attention to glow.

Transcendental when in challenge to face,
Glories of Hari filling that place.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, family, friendship, life, poem, poems, poetry